Category Archives: Innovation

Opening open innovation toolbox

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Proposed by Ralph-Christian Ohr model of integrative innovation management is a set of practical recommendations helping firms adopt a disciplined approach to innovation. Central to the model is the idea that firms must build a balanced portfolio composed of both exploitation and … Continue reading →

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A map of open innovation tools

Posted on November 7, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Open Innovation (OI) has made tremendous progress, both in theory and practice, since its major principles were articulated by Henry Chesbrough in a seminal 2003 book. Today, much better than in 2003, we understand OI’s value proposition, its governance and … Continue reading →

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A house with a roof but no walls

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Back in 2005 or 2006, I was on a business trip in Germany. One night, I was having dinner with a business partner of mine, an innovation manager at a large German chemical company. We chatted about this and that, … Continue reading →

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The last mile of the marathon

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

A few years ago, my daughter ran her first marathon. She then decided to take a short break from running: first, to get a well-deserved rest for her body, and second, to take care of business left neglected due to … Continue reading →

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The questions we ask

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

In my previous post, I argued that the proper definition of a problem is the most important part of any innovation initiative, in particular, crowdsourcing campaign. Inspired by the Pareto Principle, I call it the 80:20 rule of crowdsourcing: 80% … Continue reading →

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How to win a war

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

What do you need to win a war? A few things. First, you need an army equipped with superior weapons and instilled with high spirits. Second, you need a vibrant economy capable of sustaining the hardship of continued military operations. … Continue reading →

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A stranger in the room

Posted on October 1, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Better decisions come from teams that include a “socially distinct newcomer” (Kellogg School of Management News, 2009) What role do external consultants play in shaping corporate innovation? Steve Blank, one of the greatest innovation thinkers of our times, seems to discount … Continue reading →

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Traveling unchartered innovation waters with Innovation Charter

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

(An earlier version of this piece was posted last year to the HeroX blog) A few years ago, I came across an innovation survey, sponsored by Wazoku. Its results shocked me.  Full 85% of respondents to the survey–board members, senior and middle … Continue reading →

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Internal innovation: overcoming the dangers of remote work

Posted on September 16, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Pessimists are said to be the happiest people on earth, for they celebrate when their own predictions don’t come true. There was a shock wave of panic last spring when, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, firms around the globe had … Continue reading →

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Yes, size matters. It’s just not that the bigger is always the better

Posted on September 9, 2021 by Eugene Ivanov

Among many of Jeff Bezos’s wisdoms, his two-pizza rule is one of the most famous. It states that every internal team should be small enough that it can be fed with two pizzas–to make meetings more effective and the teams … Continue reading →

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