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Experiment more often and more cheaply

“The next big opportunity never looks that way at the outset. Big opportunities grow out of successive rounds of experimentation.”

To evolve more rapidly, organizations must experiment more frequently. Management processes that seek to arrive at the “one best strategy” through top-down, analytical methods must give way to models based on the biological principles of variety (generate lots of options), selection (find low-cost ways to test critical assumptions), and retention (ramp up spending once a strategy has started to gain traction). In the future, top management won’t “make” strategy but will create an environment in which there is lots of fast-paced, strategic experimentation.

42 Stories
62 Hacks
5 Barriers

Experiment more often and more cheaply

“The next big opportunity never looks that way at the outset. Big opportunities grow out of successive rounds of experimentation.”

To evolve more rapidly, organizations must experiment more frequently. Management processes that seek to arrive at the “one best strategy” through top-down, analytical methods must give way to models based on the biological principles of variety (generate lots of options), selection (find low-cost ways to test critical assumptions), and retention (ramp up spending once a strategy has started to gain traction). In the future, top management won’t “make” strategy but will create an environment in which there is lots of fast-paced, strategic experimentation.

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This article has been written as one of the requirements to obtain the Innovation Mentor Certification credential at iVia: a program founded by Notre Dame University, Whirlpool Corporation and Bea
Story by Raymond Tilkens on October 30, 2014
Accelerate the concept development process by “prototyping” your concept in 30 minutes or less!This article was written as one of the requirements to obtain the Innovation Mentor Certific
Hack by Jeff Dahl on May 1, 2015
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Hack by Sean Schofield on November 21, 2013
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Hack by Bill Johnston on October 22, 2010
"Lock in" of talent may squelch passion, demoralize employees and of course lead to worse fit of talent to problems.  Top down delegation of tasks utilizes fewer minds thinking about what pr
Hack by Gisela Jönsson on July 5, 2011
A collaborative business planning and execution approach holds the promise of increasing the success rates for achieving corporate goals.
Hack by Matt Johnson on April 29, 2012
Traditional Models of entrepreneurship are sequential and focus on steps and deliverables centered on the  business plan.
Hack by Declan Kavanagh on July 12, 2013
We know the lessons of Edison's light bulb.  He had to fail so many times to get to what would work.  We tell our kids to "fail and try again".  But in our organizations, we hate failur
Barrier by Howard C. Park on May 20, 2010
We’ve waged a personal vendetta against ‘the business meeting’ for the past year or so and have successfully come out on top.
Story by Jeremy Green on April 30, 2012
Idea Weekend ignites that inner passion within employees to step forward with their ideas, build connections and make an amazing impact in 27 hours.  Participants pitch their ideas, select finali
Story by Tim Huebsch on April 18, 2013

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