Why do some of the best ideas start not in boardrooms but in basements? Not with seven-figure innovation budgets but with seven sticky notes?

Global R&D spending has nearly tripled since 2000, from $1 trillion to over $2.75 trillion in 2023. But despite the funding surge, companies often struggle to create game-changing ideas. Why? Because more money doesn’t mean more imagination. The real secret weapon for innovation might be having less. Less money. Less time. Tighter constraints.

It sounds counterintuitive, but limitation is often the mother of innovation. When there’s no clear path forward, you start building your own. This paradox, that scarcity breeds the most original ideas, isn’t just a romantic startup myth. It’s a mindset shift that savvy leaders at every level can harness.

The Myth Of The Perfect Conditions

We’re conditioned to believe that big breakthroughs require perfect conditions. But that’s not how most innovative ideas are born. They’re born in the wild, on the fly.

Take Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. With no background in fashion and no access to manufacturers, she hacked her first prototype by cutting the feet off her pantyhose. Her first pitches? Relentlessly persuasive DIY. Today? Billion-dollar brand.

Research backs this scrappy spirit.

The University of Illinois found that moderate constraints actually boost creative output by forcing people to think more divergently than when they had unlimited options. Harvard Business School researchers discovered that resource scarcity drives teams to more innovative solutions, especially when compared to teams with endless options.

Think of constraints like bumpers in a bowling alley. They don’t limit you, they redirect you. They keep you moving forward by ruling out obvious routes and nudging you toward unexpected ones.

To discover what I learned during my time at Disney, and dig into my Playbook for Constraint-Led innovation, read the rest of my article over on Forbes.com.