Idea in Brief

The Problem

Many corporations don’t see good innovation returns on the billions of dollars they spend on R&D.

Why It Happens

Executives tend to view truly novel ideas as aberrations and resist them. Throughout the innovation process they will try to water down original ideas to make them less threatening or crush them altogether.

The Solution

Executives can successfully foster innovation by finding and mobilizing catalysts in external networks who help launch ideas, engaging with internal sparring partners to turn those ideas into viable business propositions, and selectively sequencing the introduction of ideas within their social circles in the company to stress-test them and gradually gain buy-in.

Many corporate CEOs are unhappy with the level of innovation they’re getting for the billions they pour into R&D. One root cause of the low return, a large body of research suggests, lies in the managerial tendency to treat novel ideas as aberrations to be resisted. At each stage of the innovation process—from inception to integration to implementation—executives will either water down “deviant” ideas to make them fit within existing businesses or crush them altogether.
A version of this article appeared in the November–December 2023 issue of Harvard Business Review.
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