Why Corporate Innovation Fails (and How Dynamic Work Design Can Fix It)

The Trap of Overloaded Innovation

Innovation leaders know that ???????????????????????????? ??????????—whether in the ???????????????? ??????????????, ?????????????? ????????????????????????????, ?????? ???????????????? ????????????, ???? ???????????????????????? ????????????????????????—are difficult to execute within traditional corporate structures.

Yet, time and time again, companies make the same mistake: they attempt to ?????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ???????? ????????????????, expecting it to function just like any other product or service.

The result? Innovation teams ???????????????? ???? ???????? ????????????????, get caught in the complexity of existing operations, and ultimately see their efforts deprioritized or shut down when short-term business pressures take over.

So why does this keep happening? The answer lies in ?????? ???????? ???? ????????????????.

?????????????? ???????? ????????????: ?? ?????????????? ?????? ???? ????????

At MIT Sloan, ?????????????????? Nelson Repenning has spent decades studying how organizations can ?????????????? ?????????????? ?????? ????????????????????. He warns that many companies operate like early GPS systems—???????????????????? ???????? ???????????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????? ????????????????, unable to adapt when real-world complexities arise.

A key principle of ?????????????? ???????? ???????????? is moving from a ???????? to a ???????? approach:

???????? ????????????: Work is pushed into the system as soon as an idea is generated, overloading teams and forcing them to juggle multiple competing priorities.

???????? ????????????: Work is only initiated when the team has ?????? ???????????????? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???????????????????? to make meaningful progress, preventing overload and ensuring focus on what matters most.

When applied to ?????????????????? ????????????????????, this principle has profound implications. It determines whether teams can successfully build and scale ?????? ???????????????? ????????????—or whether they get crushed under the weight of organizational inertia.

?????? ???????? ????. ???????? ?????????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ????????????????????

Let’s look at an example: Imagine a corporate innovation team exploring a ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? ??????????—whether it's a ???????????????? ?????????????? ??????????????, ????-?????????????? ?????????????? ??????????, ???? ????????????-????-???????????????? ???????????????????????? ????????????????.

?? ???????? ????????????????: ???????????????????? ???????????? ?????? ???????? ???????????????? (?????? ???? ??????????)

? The core business ???????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????????????? ????????????????????, treating it like another product line.

? Leadership ???????????????? ?? ????-????-???????????? ???????????????? based on corporate planning cycles, not real-world learning.

? The team is expected to ?????????????? ???????????? ????????????????????, assuming demand, logistics, and scalability will work.

? The venture must ?????????? ???????? ???????????????? ???????? (???????????? ????????????????????????, ????????????????????, ?????????? ????????????), limiting flexibility.

? When inevitable challenges arise, ???????????????????? ?????????? ????????????????, and the initiative is deprioritized.

?? ??????????????: The venture ?????????? ???????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ????????, ??????????, ?????? ????????????—leading to failure or abandonment.

? ???????? ????????????????: ?? ???????????????? ?????????????? ???????? (?????? ???? ??????????)

? The venture starts ?????????????? ?????? ???????? ????????????????, giving it room to test assumptions without disrupting ongoing operations.

? Work progresses ???????? ???????? ?????? ?????????????????????????? ?????? ??????????????????—limiting waste and ensuring focus.

? The team runs ???????? ?????????????????????? (??.??., ?????????????????? ??????, ?????????? ????????????????????????, ?????????????????? ??????????????) to test real consumer demand before scaling.

? If early results show promise, resources are ???????????? ???? ??????????????????????—not prematurely pushed in.

? The initiative ???????????? ???????????????????? ??????????, then integrates into the core when validated—or remains independent.

?? ??????????????: The venture ?????? ?????? ?????????????? ???? ??????????, ensuring a stronger product-market fit and higher chances of long-term success.

?????? ???????????????????????? ???????? ?????????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ??????????

Transformative innovation—whether in ???????????????? ???????????????? ????????????, ????-???????????? ??????????????????, ???? ?????? ???????????????? ??????????????????????—requires a different operating system than core execution.

If companies want to ?????????????? ???? ?????????????????? ?????? ???????????? ????????????????, they must:

1. ???????????? ???????????????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????????? ?? ???????? ????????????????—focusing resources on the most critical uncertainties rather than spreading efforts too thin.

2. ???????????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ?????????? that have the autonomy, funding, and executive backing to test and scale new business models outside the constraints of the core.

3. ?????????? ?????????????? ???????? ???????????????????? to ???????????? ????????????????, ???????????????? ??????????????, ?????? ?????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????, ensuring teams don’t fall into the trap of static planning.

?? ?????? ?????????????????

Innovation doesn’t fail because companies lack ideas—it fails because companies design work the wrong way. ???? ???????????????? ???????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????????????? ?? ?????????????????? ?????????????? ????????????, ???????????????????? ?????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ????????????.

How is your organization structuring its innovation efforts? ?????? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?? ???????? ????????????—???? ???????????????? ?????????? ?????? ????????-?????????? ????????????????????????????? Let’s discuss in the comments. ??

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