Innovation Labs: Flying, or Failing?
Innovation labs are popping up all over the place. A recent report showed that, between March and October 2016, 88 innovation labs opened their doors globally - that’s over 10 per month. Amazing, right? Not so much. On average, most of them will have quietly disappeared within three years of their launch. Recently Target, Alaska Airlines,…
The Next Wave of Corporate Entrepreneurship: What Comes After Innovation Theater?
Early this year, Columbia Business School Professor Rita McGrath, Columbia Senior Fellow for Entrepreneurship Steve Blank, and President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Brian Murray had a conversation about innovation in large organizations. The discussion, titled The Next Wave of Corporate Entrepreneurship: What Comes After Innovation…
What makes for a winning intrapreneur?
After a day full of trending topic talks and intrapreneur case studies on the first day of #IntraCnf Stockholm, we’ll mix and mingle with the local innovation community for a celebration of intrapreneurship during the Talentia Intrapreneur of the Year 2017 Awards. Of course we’re anxious to know who’s going to win this year, and why. "In the…
No HR, No Bureaucracy: Activating 100% Intrapreneurship
With all the obstacles intrapreneurs face within larger organizations, one could wonder why any individual would want to engage themselves in innovation of any kind. Often, there just isn’t enough incentive to innovate for personal gain, especially when you factor in the potential for political turmoil, ruined reputations, and job loss. But there…
Exponential Intrapreneurship: From Accelerator to Reactor
The success of early accelerators from Silicon Valley has intrigued many businesses in recent years. Some executives have even gone as far as copying the startup accelerator model and pasting it into their corporate environment. And because everyone wants immediate value, these programs are typically judged on short-run losses – otherwise, the…
Digital Disruption: Behaviors Make The Difference, Not Technology
It’s no secret that there’s been a significant amount of economic activity happening on the West Coast of the United States. In fact, five of the ten most valuable companies in the world are headquartered in this area: Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft. It is important to acknowledge that these innovation giants are no longer just…
A Lean Startup Mindset Ignites Amazon-Like Innovation
The best, most innovative companies in the world are experts in finding new business models while ensuring their current paradigms run smoothly. They protect their cash flow and revenue-generating portfolio. But above all else, they are always evolving to not only stay ahead of the competition, but also deliver on shifting customer expectations.…
How 3 Companies Created An Ecosystem for Innovation
What is common between Cisco, GE, and Intuit? They all knew that before they could disrupt markets and competitors with breakout innovations, they first had to disrupt themselves. And fast. In order for innovation to come from anyone, anywhere, always (our definition of intrapreneurship), they all shook things up in their own unique way. Let's…
Intrapreneurship: The Answer to the Millennial Problem? [Part 2]
We recently looked at some of the issues around millennial engagement and retainment, and wondered if intrapreneurship is the answer to the millennial problem. By investing in intrapreneurship programs and in an intrapreneurial culture, companies increase their chances of attracting and retaining the millennial talent they need to drive innovative…
Intrapreneurship in 2017? 5 Leading Trends in Corporate Innovation
Intrapreneurs deliver faster than hierarchy, noted Gifford Pinchot recently. When speed and agility increasingly make the difference between winning and losing, it's no wonder companies large and small are experimenting with ways to foster innovation from within. Intrapreneurship done well not only leads to promising and profitable new products…
What a true innovation culture looks like, and why you need it
It used to be that innovation was the province of start-ups - small, usually tech-focused companies, in markets defined by rapid change. No more. Rapid change is the norm across industries. And maintaining the status quo is no longer sufficient to effectively compete. Neither is it enough to simply develop new products - true innovation is…
Five Key Tenets of Cultural Intrapreneurship
In my last article I made the distinction between structural or procedural intrapreneurship and cultural intrapreneurship. Structural or procedural intrapreneurship is focused on the business or product that is the outcome of an intrapreneurship initiative, while cultural intrapreneurship focuses on using intrapreneurship experiences as a…
