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What the world’s biggest companies are getting wrong about innovation.

FEATURED ON FAST COMPANY

If you’re a senior leader wondering why innovation feels stuck, don’t look at your idea funnel. Look at your culture. Look at your habits.

For companies with unlimited resources, you’d expect unlimited innovation. So, why do so many get it so wrong?

You know the ones: Global brands with innovation labs, million-dollar brainstorm budgets, and more Post-it notes than sense. Yet, despite their size and spending, they struggle to move beyond safe, incremental improvements.

Here’s the hard truth: Innovation isn’t a function of size or money—it’s a function of culture, mindset, and behavior. And ironically, it’s often the very structures designed to protect large organizations that end up stifling their creativity. Let’s talk about what’s getting in the way, and what you can do instead.

To dig into the following ideas or listen to the audio version of this article, check it out over on fastcompany.com:

  1. BUREAUCRACY KILLS BREAKTHROUGHS
  2. OVER-RELIANCE ON DATA, UNDER-RELIANCE ON INTUITION
  3. TURNING DOWN IDEAS TOO EARLY
  4. WHAT GREAT COMPANIES DO DIFFERENTLY

Photo Credit: Rido / Fast Company / Adobe Stock

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