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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278 Stories
4 Barriers

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@ Wipro We Cycle

"From small beginnings come great things. In the world of infinite possibilities, a small thought can pave the way for an incredible innovation. It is insurmountable faith that one... Read more

Story by Shreya Sinha on January 19, 2011 2 Comments

How to start a movement in your company - Part 1 - overcoming cynicism, skepticism, and resistance

Editor's Note: This is Part One of a three-part story. Click here for Part Two and Part Three. This is the story of how a team of highly engaged employees executed a large business transformation... Read more

Story by David Choe on February 16, 2011 64 Comments

Unleashing Corporate Agility through Bottom-up Experiments at If Insurance

We’re all aware that speed to market with new products and services can be a crucial business differentiator. This story is about an ongoing low-cost, bottom-up experiment conducted by a team at... Read more

Story by Måns Edsman on December 22, 2011 0 Comments

Boeing's Workplace Innovation Lab - Engaging 'Generation Y' as a powerful catalyst for productivity and change

Boeing has piloted a bottom-up approach to innovation in leadership, productivity and new ways of working. The Workplace Innovation Lab pairs 'Gen Y' employees with their manager and provides 90 days... Read more

Story by Jonathan Winter on September 20, 2011 2 Comments

Closing Whirlpool’s Innovation Process with a Bow

Whirlpool Corporation recently added the “bow” to the rock-solid and deeply embedded Double Diamond process which focuses on discovery and development of new opportunities in the front end. The Third... Read more

Story by Moises Norena on August 12, 2011 3 Comments

I’ve Learned from You: The Power of Appreciative Knowledge Networks!

Let’s make the (business) world a better place by appreciating the people we have learned from! Read more

Hack by Frank Habermann on September 12, 2011 21 Comments

Getting Rid of the Busy Work so You Can Get to Work

*In order for organizations to thrive in the 21st century global economy, knowledge workers must be allowed the flexibility and discretionary authority to offload their non-core busy work to help... Read more

Story by Jordan Cohen on July 5, 2011 32 Comments

Organizational Trust 2.0: 42projects

42projects is an initiative across several teams at Microsoft to innovate in the way we manage by focusing on building trust, using games to increase productivity, and encouraging grassroots... Read more

Story by Ross Smith on April 11, 2010 4 Comments

The Ghost of the Politburo

The process for resource allocation in too many organizations is highly centralized, creating a monopsony for new ideas within an organization, and favoring investment in projects that represent... Read more

Barrier by Gary Hamel on October 18, 2010 3 Comments

Experimenting in a difficult environment

A colleague who I worked with 4 years ago tried to use the company bar, an existing employee perk, to generate an internal market for new product ideas. When hurdles to implementing his idea became... Read more

Story by Daniel Pay on September 22, 2010 2 Comments

Web 2.0 Changing the Facet of Education Industry: Case Study on DU Admission Process 2011

University of Delhi, popularly known as DU is one of the premier Universities of India. With its global ranking under 400, courtesy THES-QS world university rankings and Asian ranking under 100,... Read more

Story by Rajan Gupta on July 18, 2011 0 Comments

Meetings Can be Tools to Turn Problems into Innovation – When Participants Participate

The meetings we endured and designed, added to frustrations and stress in an already caustic work place. Gary Hamel reminds us that only 20% of employees globally – engage fully in their work,... Read more

Story by Ellen Weber on August 2, 2010 5 Comments