As I finished reading The Innovators Dilemma, by Clayton M. Christensen, and I was charged up. I became aware of a successful path on integrating innovation into a large company, and I realized with new clarity how close my company had come in our own efforts, and where we misstepped.
Some of the main takeaways are:
- The innovative team should not be also supporting business initiatives, it needs to break away from the main company, if not physically, at least in terms of workload and metrics.
- Let me repeat that one, because it’s probably the most important – the innovative group can not be held to the same metrics as the rest of the company.
- The innovative group needs a leader who does not have to fight to justify the existence of this group.
- The innovating team needs to be fully staffed with talented individuals who believe in the work.
- The team needs to celebrate big what would be seen by the larger parent company as small wins or possibly even loses.




