Innovation Answered
82 episodes - English - Latest episode: 13 days ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsInnovation at large, established companies is hard. So we made a podcast to help you overcome obstacles and create change at your organization. Welcome to Innovation Answered, the podcast for corporate innovators.
We've featured top leaders from companies like Walmart, Lyft, Google, Trek, Herman Miller, Anthem, Kellogg's, Wayfair, Royal Caribbean, FitBit, Lucasfilm, and CVS.
For more information and show transcripts, visit innovationleader.com/podcast/.
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Episodes
Innovating Coffee, with Starbucks Veteran Mesh Gelman
April 15, 2024 12:00 - 22 minutes - 30.6 MBFrom six years spent at Starbucks to designing a new countertop coffeemaker that cranks out cold brew, Mesh Gelman has been working at the cutting edge of coffee. During his time at Starbucks, he witnessed the rising popularity of cold beverages, a trend that his new startup, Cumulus Coffee Company, aims to capitalize on. In this podcast episode, we talk with Gelman about coffee trends; developing a new product from scratch; the difference between big organizations and start-ups; and hi...
Geoffrey Moore on Generative AI, Zone to Win, and Crossing the Chasm
February 20, 2024 18:18 - 25 minutes - 34.3 MBIn this episode, we catch up with Geoffrey Moore, the best-selling author, consultant, and venture capitalist whose groundbreaking work has shaped how we think about innovation strategy. If you’ve ever talked about a technology "crossing the chasm" from the realm of early adopters into the early majority, or your company has put a high potential project into the incubation zone, you’ve been using language given to us by Moore. His best-selling books including Zone to Win, Inside the Torna...
Driving Innovation in Biopharma and Other Regulated Industries
February 07, 2024 12:00 - 24 minutes - 56.6 MBIn this episode, we talk about the challenges of innovating in biopharma with a veteran of that industry, Dan Seewald. Seewald is the former Head of Worldwide Innovation at Pfizer, the $100 billion pharma giant headquartered in Manhattan, and now the founder and CEO of the consulting and training firm Deliberate Innovation. Among the questions that InnoLead CEO Scott Kirsner covers with Seewald: How do you create space for new ideas in a regulated industry? What's your advice on exploring...
Who's Leading the Charge on Gen AI in Big Companies?
January 29, 2024 13:00 - 11 minutes - 16.4 MBWho’s leading the charge on generative AI in big organizations? How are they managing the tension between moving quickly and not making major missteps? And what use cases are they moving forward with? In this episode, we dive into the rapidly-evolving world of generative AI with Paul Baier, the CEO and co-founder of GAI Insights. Baier talks about the vendor landscape and shares several examples of first-mover companies, including McDonald's and Walmart, that are making strides in depl...
Act 1 of Corporate Innovation is Over — It's Time for Act 2
January 09, 2024 13:00 - 18 minutes - 25.6 MB"For too long," says Todd Dunn, "many organizations have not developed innovation as a strategic and ongoing source of competitive advantage. Instead, some organizations have used it for reputational points in the public eye, but not to deliver measurable value to consumers, customers and the company." That's a big problem, argues Dunn, who was most recently the Vice President of Enterprise Innovation at Advocate Health. Advocate is headquartered in Charlotte, NC, and it’s the fifth bigges...
A Beginner's Guide to Design Thinking
March 27, 2023 12:00 - 14 minutes - 33.1 MBDesign thinking is a well-known concept in the innovation sphere — it often comes up in conversation, at conferences, or in passing. But for as much as people talk about design thinking, not everyone understands its full scope — and even fewer people use it in their day-to-day work. To help bridge the gaps, we created this "beginner's guide" podcast. For this episode, we wanted to ask some basic questions about what design thinking is, how non-experts can get up to speed, the challenges ex...
A Beginner's Guide to Artificial Intelligence
February 13, 2023 13:00 - 28 minutes - 64.3 MBThis bonus episode of "Innovation Answered" features Matt Baker, Head of Corporate Strategy at Dell Technologies. AI has generated so much interest with the release of ChatGPT; the announcements from Google, Baidu, Microsoft, and Alibaba about chatbots and generative AI; and increased adoption of art-focused AI platforms like DALL-E and Midjourney. So we decided to explore the basics and background of the technology — and what happens next. This episode focuses on what AI is; generative AI...
A Beginner's Guide to Innovation Spaces
January 24, 2023 13:00 - 21 minutes - 50.2 MBIn this episode, we’ll dive into four questions: what is an innovation space? What are the pros and cons of physical versus virtual spaces, what are the qualities great spaces possess... and what common mistakes do people make in setting them up and running them. For expert perspective, we consult Michelle Cohen of CME Group, Andy Miller of AARP, and Michael Cross of Entergy. Our "beginner's guide" podcast episodes take on important topics at the 101 level, without jargon or complexity, as...
Who are the Unsung Persistent Innovators?
March 22, 2022 11:00 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBIn our Persistent Innovators miniseries, InnoLead and Wade Roush explored the cultures of four large companies that have pushed the innovation envelope for decades: Disney, Apple, Lego, and Novartis. But who else deserves recognition? From making pizza ever more convenient at Domino's, to finding new markets at FujiFilm, we dissect the practices and strategies at six more persistently-innovative companies, with input from guests like Bill Taylor, Braden Kelley, and Rita McGrath. Special than...
What Makes Novartis a Persistent Innovator?
February 28, 2022 12:00 - 56 minutes - 52.1 MBHow do big companies stay innovative across many decades, and in different industries? That’s been the driving question of our Persistent Innovators miniseries. In the fourth and final episode we turn to company in a very different kind of business: discovering and developing new drugs. And we focus on the global pharmaceutical giant Novartis, formed in 1996 from the merger of the venerable Swiss companies Sandoz and CIBA-Geigy. At its Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, opened in 2...
What Makes LEGO a Persistent Innovator?
February 14, 2022 12:00 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBLEGO is one of the world’s most famous and admired brands. The company’s colorful plastic bricks are the literal building blocks of an empire that spans a $5 billion annual toy business, hundreds of retail stores, 10 theme parks, and a series of hit movies. But what LEGO actually sells isn’t just the bricks, it’s a whole system of play: an endlessly expandable way for children (and adults) to combine hand, eye, and imagination. It was when product developers drifted away from that system i...
What Makes Disney a Persistent Innovator?
January 31, 2022 12:00 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBDisney isn’t the world’s largest media company—that title goes to Comcast. But it’s probably the one that has burrowed the deepest into our psyches. As it approaches its 100th birthday in 2023, The Walt Disney Co. not only dominates in its original field of feature animation, but also operates some of the world’s most famous film studios (Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century, Searchlight), television and streaming networks (ABC, ESPN, National Geographic, Hulu, Disney+), and theme park reso...
What Makes Apple a Persistent Innovator?
January 18, 2022 12:00 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBIf you want to understand how some large organizations manage to keep innovating, decade after decade, you need to study the companies that actually do that. And Apple is at the top of the list. Thanks largely to sales of its world-conquering iPhone, it recently became the first company in the world to reach a $3 trillion market capitalization. But Apple’s journey toward “persistent innovator” status started long before the iPhone’s introduction in 2007. In this first episode of our Persiste...
Sneak Preview: Our New Season on Persistently Innovative Companies
December 20, 2021 12:00 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBThere’s a great quote in David Robertson and Bill Breen’s book Brick by Brick, a look inside The LEGO Group. They write, “The most difficult challenge in business is not to invent an innovative product; it’s to build an organization that can continually create innovative products.” How companies can become innovative and stay that way is the focus of a special series coming soon from Innovation Answered, the podcast for corporate innovators. We’ll be looking at big, established companies lik...
Mars President of Innovation on “innovation myth busting” and more
October 19, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBYou may know Mars Incorporated for the sweet and tasty treats you can find on store shelves – classic Twix candy bars, Juicy Fruit gum, and so much more. However, Mars is exploring much more than just candy and snack foods. Jean-Christophe Flatin, President of Innovation, Science, Technology, and Mars Edge at Mars, talks about "innovation myth-busting," the importance of connecting with consumers, and new patterns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Venture Capital — Silicon Valley Style
July 27, 2021 10:00 - 35 minutes - 48.2 MBVenture capital funds provide the gasoline startups need to get from an initial sketch on a cocktail napkin to a global-scale giant like Uber, Amazon, or Airbnb. With so much change over the last year, we drove out to Los Altos Hills, California to sit down with Hemant Taneja, one of venture’s power players to understand what’s on his mind half way through this year. Marcus Daniels, Highline Beta’s Founding Partner & CEO, also shares his insights.
Leveraging Design as a Competitive Advantage
July 20, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 42.1 MBBringing designers in early can help companies execute on big ideas more successfully and create smoother customer experiences. But how do you get that right, especially if design isn’t baked into the culture, or if other functions tend to dominate the innovation process? Phil Duncan, the Global Design Officer at Procter and Gamble, discusses his experience. Brett Lovelady and Andy Goodman of PA Consulting also share.
David’s Bridal CEO on Styling the COVID Wedding
June 08, 2021 10:00 - 22 minutes - 31.1 MBWeddings in the COVID-era look a little different. Many couples staged “minimonies” to celebrate their big day, sometimes with a Zoom link as a substitute for in-person celebrations. Just as celebrations have adapted, the way people shop for wedding wear also had to shift. David’s Bridal CEO Jim Marcum discusses how he’s navigating the future of the wedding business. That includes building an omnichannel experience to help brides shop from anywhere and industry trends to look out for in 2022.
Lundbeck's CEO on Developing Breakthrough Medications & Allocating Funding
April 27, 2021 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.2 MBHow do CEOs determine focus areas and allocate budget to R&D initiatives? In this episode, Deborah Dunsire, four-time chief executive of public and private companies shares her experience. Dunsire has been the CEO of Lundbeck since 2018 — overseeing teams that discover new medicines in Copenhagen and California, as well as others who market and sell the company’s products around the world. Get her tips for innovators looking to improve their relationships with their CEOs.
What Makes Chief Strategy Officers Tick
April 20, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBHow do Chief Strategy Officers balance the core business with new opportunities? And, what can teams do to build the right portfolio of activities? Megan Lyon, Chief Strategy Officer of Herman Miller, explains how she approaches crafting strategy for the furniture company. George White, Chief Innovation Officer of Cantina, also shares best practices for setting strategy.
Sonesta Hotels’ COO on Growth During a Pandemic
April 13, 2021 10:00 - 25 minutes - 34.8 MBHow did Sonesta grow from 58 hotels in November of 2020 to 1,200 locations today? Vera Manoukian, Chief Operating Officer at Sonesta International Hotels Incorporated, explains. Manoukian also shares how the team pivoted to meet guest concerns and keep rooms booked during the pandemic.
Takeda Pharmaceutical's CTO on Building Technology Roadmaps
April 06, 2021 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBHow do Chief Technology Officers build roadmaps to implement new technologies? Leo Barella, Chief Technology Officer at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, explains. He also discusses best practices for working with data and using data to inform digital strategy.
Exploring the Psyches of Chief Innovation Officers
March 16, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 42.3 MBHow do chief innovation officers they set priorities? And, what do they do to influence culture? Debbie Brackeen, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at CSAA, explores how she approaches the insurance company’s innovation portfolio, the metrics that matter, and disruption in the insurance space. Frazer Bennet, Chief Innovation Officer of PA Consulting, also shares insights.
The Portland Trail Blazers Chief Commercial Officer on Pivoting the Fan Experience
March 09, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.8 MBDewayne Hankins, the Chief Commercial Officer of the Portland Trail Blazers, shares how the basketball team shifted the fan experience in response to challenges created by COVID-19. During the conversation, he covers how the team kept fans connected to players in the NBA’s 2020 bubble, how the team is approaching empty seats this season, and storytelling tips. He also shares his past experiences at Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at the organization.
Empowering an AI-First Organization with Anthem’s Chief Digital Officer
March 02, 2021 11:00 - 22 minutes - 31 MBHow can AI and machine learning provide patients with personal, preemptive healthcare? Rajeev Ronanki, the Chief Digital Officer of Anthem, shares his experience. He also discusses how his team works with large data sets, the skills he looks for in employees, and how AI can improve telehealth.
Building a Culture of Innovation with Delta Dental's Chief People Officer
February 23, 2021 11:00 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBHow can organizations build a culture of innovation and effectively create buy-in for change? Sarah Chavarria, the Chief People Officer of Delta Dental, explains. Chavarria also shares how the dental insurance company developed its core values, the importance of gathering feedback from employees, and how the company responded to challenges caused by COVID-19.
Innovation Answered: Taking You Inside the C-Suite
February 02, 2021 11:00 - 2 minutes - 2.94 MBInnovation Answered, the podcast for corporate innovators, is back for its fifth season. And this season of our podcast is very special: We’re going to take you inside of the C-Suite of some very well-known, well-established organizations. In each episode, we’ll interview a different C-level leader to talk about their innovation priorities. That includes how to secure their support and how to push projects across the finish line. Subscribe for updates. New episodes debut starting February 23.
Tackling a Bike Shortage and Approaching Early R&D at Trek Bicycle
December 15, 2020 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.4 MBCOVID-19 has changed the way people get around. Instead of public transportation, cycling has become a preferred mode of mobility, as well as a way to safely exercise outdoors. A spike in demand might seem like a clear win for bike makers. But, more sales means greater stress on supply chains and longer wait times. To find out how the bike sector is dealing with the unexpected surge of interest, we talked to Chad Manuell, Director of Engineering at Trek Bicycle. Manuell also discusses how hi...
How Diversity Drives Innovation
December 01, 2020 11:00 - 34 minutes - 47.3 MB2020 has been a year of racial reckoning — with discussions about police brutality and systematic racism stretching from the streets to the dinner table to the virtual conference room. To take a deeper dive, we gathered a panel to discuss how to make DEI initiatives at big companies more effective. Our panelists include: Irina Kozlovskaya, a Director of Industrial Design at Fitbit; Alfred Jones, Head of Mechanical Engineering at Lyft Level Five; Jessica Hansen, Executive Director of the Alli...
Essential Data for Finishing 2020 Strong
November 10, 2020 11:00 - 33 minutes - 46.1 MBIn so many ways, 2020 has been defined by sudden, dramatic change — from the shift to remote work, to redesigning brick and mortar locations, to changing buying habits, to the national dialogue around racial reckoning, to the aftermath of the presidential election. To find out how big companies have been responding to it all, Innovation Leader’s Editorial Team released four research reports this fall. This episode of Innovation Answered explores the most important data points from that res...
Digital & Business Model Transformation at Rosetta Stone
October 06, 2020 10:00 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBYellow boxes with CD-ROMs made Rosetta Stone an iconic brand in the 2000s. Since then, the company has transformed itself into an educational technology powerhouse. Matthew Hulett, President of Language at the company, discusses how Rosetta Stone pivoted from a physical product to a subscription service. He also discusses the company’s approach to digital innovation and how his team is working through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Podcast: The Biggest Barriers to Innovation
September 15, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 21 MBWhile demand for shipping to office spaces is down, the team at UPS has seen an increased in customers shipping purchases to their homes. In this installment of Innovation Answered: Essentials, David Lee shares how his team has adapted to these new needs. He also discusses how his team has changed their approach to storage and gives best practices for innovators in 2020. After the conversation, Lee reads “The Biggest Barriers to Innovation”, an article he contributed to Innovation Leader’s m...
How Innovation Shaped the Fall Semester at Universities
August 25, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 38.9 MBAfter planning for hybrid classes all summer, this month the team at Barnard College pivoted suddenly to another semester of online learning. What goes into making these decisions? And how will today’s pivots affect the future of higher education? We gathered an online panel of higher education experts to share. This episode features Barnard President Sian Beliock, Len Schlesinger of Harvard Business School, and the co-CEO of edX, Adam Medros.
Pivoting During a Pandemic
July 28, 2020 10:00 - 24 minutes - 34 MBThe sudden onset of a global pandemic shifted priorities at many large companies. Innovation teams have been tasked with facing new challenges that can help save lives and keep people safe. Colleen Hau of Carhartt discussed how her team worked quickly to make PPE for frontline workers. Firdaus Bhathena of CVS talks about how the company’s COVID-19 testing efforts and acceleration in digital health care. Rhett Alden, Chief Technology Officer of Health and Commercial Markets at Elsevier, share...
Leveling Up Your Customer Empathy
July 07, 2020 10:00 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBWhat does it mean to practice empathy? Teams need to think about end-users as real live human beings — not just a rectangle on a PowerPoint slide labeled “the customer.” To learn more, we sat down with Irina Kozlovskaya, Director of Industrial Design at Fitbit. Kozlovskaya shares how the team at Fitbit listens to customers and pairs the process with design thinking to build better products. Lisa Somogyi, Director of Business Development at Cooper Perkins, shares tips for practicing empathy i...
What Comes Back & When? Exploring Life After COVID-19
June 30, 2020 10:00 - 8 minutes - 12.3 MBWhat’s changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic? What’s likely to come back? And when? Innovation Leader’s What the Future Looks Like report seeks to answer that question. Kaitlin Milliken, Multimedia Editor at the publication, shares data from the report. Stephan Chase, a futurist and founder of the consultancy Chase Intel, discusses how the pandemic has affected life downtown and the hospitality space. Peter Berger, Director of Innovation for the aircraft manufacturer EmbraerX, explains why dr...
How R&D Keeps the CPG Industry on the Cutting-Edge
June 23, 2020 10:00 - 24 minutes - 33 MBConsumer packaged goods (CPG) describes any product that requires routine replacement — from personal care to food. Companies in this space have to create new offerings that shoppers will buy again and again. To find out how big R&D bets empower the process, we talked to Ranjani Varadan, VP of R&D at the meat alternative company, Impossible Foods. Jodi Benson of General Mills discusses how her team used customer insights to refresh the yogurt category. Jeff George of Hain Celestial Group als...
Innovation Essentials: Why Corporate Innovators are like Pirates in the Navy
June 16, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 18 MBSteve Jobs once said it’s better to be a pirate than to join the Navy. Pirates refer to startups, built by nimble teams. Large organizations, which are slower to innovate, are compared to the bureaucratic Navy. But how do corporate innovators fall into this metaphor? In this installment of Innovation Answered: Essentials, Tendayi Viki explains. Molli DeRosa from Innovation Leader also reads a passage from Viki’s most recent book, Pirates in the Navy.
Inside Innovation at AARP
June 09, 2020 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBHow does AARP use innovation to empower people as they age? During a conversation with Innovation Leader, VP of Product and Startup Engagement Rick Robinson explains how his team uses design thinking to solve unmet needs in the 50-years-and-older community. He also discusses the importance of testing products with end users and the dangers of over relying on data.
Changemaking in Government
May 26, 2020 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBInnovators in the public and private sectors face many of the same challenges: There’s resistance to change and internal politics that can bog down progress. However, teams in the government may have tighter budgets that come directly from tax payer dollars. These teams also face demands from both supervisors and constituents. To gather best practices for changemakers in government, we sat down with Tanya Hannah, the former Chief Information Officer of King’s County Washington. Steve Rader, ...
Running Innovation Labs
May 19, 2020 10:00 - 35 minutes - 48.8 MBPursuing new ideas can be difficult when employees bogged down with day-to-day business. To foster new processes, many companies created separate innovation teams and labs. But how have these labs shifted during this period of remote work? What sets labs up for success? Linda Elkins, Chief Technical Officer of W.L. Gore’s Silicon Valley Innovation Center, shares. Other guests include Frankie James from General Motors, Jeffrey Welser from IBM, and Sara Husk of Planbox.
What Corporate Venture Funds can Learn From VCs
May 12, 2020 10:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBWhat are the risks when large companies dive into the venture capital game? To answer that question and more, we sat down with Rudina Seseri, Founder and Managing Partner of Glasswing Ventures. Amish Parashar, Co-founder of the Yamaha Motor Exploratory Fund, also explains why corporate venture is like a two-tiered cake and how the venture capital world has responded to COVID-19.
Creating Culture at Wayfair
May 05, 2020 10:00 - 18 minutes - 25.3 MBCreating an innovative culture involves much more than fun activities and idea challenges. Building a healthy culture involves deliberate choices that create space for experimentation and risk. Wayfair Co-founder Steve Conine discusses how the online furniture retailer maintained its culture as it grew from a two person idea to a company with 16,000 employees. He also shares advancements in augmented reality and virtual reality at the company.
Coming Soon: Innovation Answered Season 4
April 07, 2020 10:00 - 2 minutes - 2.97 MBInnovation Answered returns for a fourth season on May 5, 2020. Producer Kaitlin Milliken and Intern Molli DeRosa share what listeners can expect in upcoming episodes. Upcoming topics include the future of food, inside Wayfair’s culture of innovation, innovation labs in Silicon Valley, and more.
Pursuing Innovation During COVID-19
March 31, 2020 10:00 - 16 minutes - 23.1 MBCOVID-19 has transformed the way teams across the globe work. Stock markets have been in turmoil, and companies across industries have announced layoffs and furloughs. In this episode of Innovation Answered, experts share best practices for teams as they navigate uncertainty. Topics of discussion include shifting innovation teams’ priorities, switching over to remote work, and cultivating a “service oriented” mindset. Russell Rogers, former Vice President of Global Innovations at Blue Shi...
Loonshots — Crazy Ideas that Just Might Work
March 10, 2020 10:00 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBIdeas that have the potential to shape industries may end up stuck in the corporate basement. So how can companies embrace risky — but potentially revolutionary — ideas? Authors Safi Bahcall and Hugh Molotsi tackle this question in a main stage session at Innovation Leader’s 2019 Impact event. Bahcall also discusses learnings from his time as the CEO of Synta Pharmaceuticals, a company focused on developing new cancer treatments. Molotsi shares his experiences as a CEO of a startup and Vice ...
Drones, Self-Driving Cars & the Silicon Valley Problem
February 11, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 44.2 MBWhile drones present a world of opportunities, these unmanned aerial vehicles face regulations across different levels of government. Chris Anderson — CEO of 3DR, a drone software company — shared his experience building and deploying drones at Innovation Leader’s 2019 Impact event. During the conversation, Anderson also discusses use cases for autonomous vehicles and the problems with corporate innovation in Silicon Valley. This session is moderated by Harvard Business Publishing’s Chief ...
Failure: The Other F-Word
December 17, 2019 11:00 - 25 minutes - 35.4 MBInnovators often repeat the mantra, “Fail fast, fail cheap.” But is that the right approach to projects that flop? To find out, we sat down with Rita McGrath, a professor of strategy at Columbia Business School. We also called Shaun Stewart, CEO of New Lab, to discuss how startups and entrepreneurs in the space approach failure.
Inside the Mind of Alex Osterwalder
December 10, 2019 11:00 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBHow should teams pursue business model innovation? Why should companies “professionalize” innovation? Alex Osterwalder, creator of the Business Model Canvas and co-founder of Strategyzer, explains. Osterwalder also shares insights from his recently published book, Testing Business Ideas. His next book, The Invincible Company, will be out in the spring of 2020.
Innovation Essentials: Revera Senior Living
December 03, 2019 11:00 - 16 minutes - 22.2 MBIn this installment of Innovation Answered: Essentials, we break down our article on co-creation at Revera Senior Living. Innovation Leader’s Producer, Kaitlin Milliken, shares what she learned from the company’s president of innovation. Want to read along? Get the latest issue of the magazine or visit our website.