Why is no one doing what works? – Board of Innovation

When companies look to innovate, they almost always start with ideation. The story goes like this: the more ideas you have, the better the innovation will be. Well, think again. After countless ideation sessions and working with the largest global companies, we can tell you that’s not quite how it goes.

At the ideation stage, 80% of ideas come from analogical thinking or finding inspiration elsewhere. Companies first look at other industries, competitors, existing business models, new tech and trends. But what this lacks is inward vision, looking within the company itself – especially in decentralized, global companies.

New ideas fail for plenty of reasons. Some fail due to a lack of validation. The go-to-market timing is off, or the business model doesn’t work. But in a corporate setting – if you are lucky and an idea gets developed –, it often gets stuck at local or corporate level once it has been commercialized.