Tag Archives: Startups

Opening open innovation toolbox

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

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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Innovation in Legacy Companies: Can You Be Big and Nimble at the Same Time?

(This piece was originally posted to the HeroX blog) Complaints that large legacy companies can’t innovate abound. Some folks go as far as to say that corporate innovation “is broken.” This is, perhaps, an exaggeration. Large companies are still quite good … Continue reading

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Five Barriers to Adopting Open Innovation and How to Overcome Them

(This piece was originally posted to the HeroX blog) A friend of mine, an innovation consultant, likes to joke: “Innovation is simple…but not easy.” The same can be said about open innovation. Henry Chesbrough, who introduced the concept of open innovation … Continue reading

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Innovation and U.S. National Security

The important role innovation plays in economic growth and prosperity of the world’s nations is well documented. A recent report by the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs, highlights the crucial … Continue reading

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Innovation: for and against

I like Jeff Bezos’ line: “Good intentions don’t work, mechanisms do.” To me, it sounds like a full support of my conviction that endless talks about establishing a “culture of innovation” is a distraction, rather than an enabler, in fostering … Continue reading

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One more time about “innovation terminology”

In a recent HBR article, Scott Kirsner suggests ditching the term “corporate entrepreneur.” Kirsner names a number of reasons why corporate innovation, especially in large firms, is different from true entrepreneurship. One is bureaucratic shackles that restrict the development of … Continue reading

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Innovation and VC investors

Academic research provides abundant empirical evidence suggesting that corporate and socio-economic policies tolerating failure, both at individual and firm levels, foster innovation. For example, labor laws limiting firms’ ability to discharge employees at will were shown to stimulate corporate innovation. … Continue reading

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Innovation and IPO

Of all business processes, innovation is arguably the riskiest and most unpredictable; the rate of failure of innovation projects is shockingly high compared to other corporate programs and initiatives. Identifying factors that would make innovation more sustainable is therefore critical. … Continue reading

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Balancing startup success and failure: how VC investors can tip the scales

Recently, I’ve come across an interesting paper, “Tolerance for Failure and Corporate Innovation,” published in 2011 by Xuan Tian of Indiana University and Tracy Yue Wang of University of Minnesota. Tian and Wang studied the relationship between venture capital (VC) … Continue reading

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