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Innovation is rubbish!
One of our family traditions at this time of year is the big clear-up. There’s a time limit on our tolerance for the accumulated junk,...
John Bessant
Jan 15, 20241 min read


Pathways to scale
Why planning your innovation expedition helps avoid a lot of windswept trouble on the journey… Taking an innovation from a small-sized...
John Bessant
Nov 25, 20231 min read

Grow up fast!
We talk a lot about learning by doing in the agile innovation process, especially in the context of start-ups. But it’s hard to capture...
John Bessant
Nov 20, 20231 min read

Tell 'em a story
Innovation is all about trying to convince others — people to help develop your idea, sponsors to back you, markets to buy in to your...
John Bessant
Oct 31, 20232 min read

Prove it to me!
Why evidence is so important for scaling innovation A good idea will sell itself, right? Unfortunately not – Emerson was spectacularly...
John Bessant
Oct 16, 20231 min read

The entrepreneur's journey - the musical!
I'm running a course on entrepreneurship and was looking for a way to help students remember some key milestones on the journey - value ...
John Bessant
Oct 4, 20231 min read

Working out at the creativity gym
Imagine: · An artist sitting in front of her easel, mind focused as she faces a blank canvas and thinks hard and long about where and how...
John Bessant
Sep 7, 20232 min read

The power of position innovation
How creating experiences for underserved markets can be a key innovation strategy It’s summertime, at least here in the northern...
John Bessant
Aug 22, 20232 min read

Crystallising the spirit of innovation
An interview with Hannes Erler, Strategic Director for Innovation Ecosystems, Swarovski You can listen to it here as a podcast Or watch...
John Bessant
Aug 14, 20231 min read


Scaling innovation through value networks
There comes a time in innovation when you realise you might have taken on something a bit too big. No matter how hard you throw yourself...
John Bessant
Jul 14, 20231 min read

Cracking the innovation code
An interview with Robyn Bolton It's hard to disagree with the idea that innovation-led growth is of paramount importance, but how often...
John Bessant
Jun 28, 202316 min read

It's about time
Why keeping an eye on the clock matters in the world of innovation On 29th September 1707 a fleet of 21 ships under the command of...
John Bessant
Jun 13, 20232 min read

Cooking up some innovation magic
How to manage innovation spaces for impact Once upon a time there was a Brazilian entrepreneur, Antonio Jacob Renner. Who in 1912 founded...
John Bessant
May 20, 20232 min read

Underground innovation
We know today that smart companies who care about innovation invest in the capacity for innovation — R&D and market research, future ...
John Bessant
Apr 25, 20231 min read

Making an IMPACT
Building values-based innovation cultures for sustainable business impact Sustainability matters - of course. You'd have to be living in...
John Bessant
Apr 12, 20238 min read

A flop is not a failure
Why innovation thrives on being able to reframe Mexico City, Olympic Games, 1968. The stadium is packed, the wider world looks on via TV...
John Bessant
Mar 22, 20232 min read

Innovation - we've got it taped!
Why the old ones are (sometimes) still the good ones Close your eyes and imagine for a moment a computer room in the early days of the...
John Bessant
Mar 13, 20231 min read

An innovation love story
Another innovation song, inspired by an article in the Journal of Product Innovation Management by Frank Piller and colleagues, in...
John Bessant
Feb 20, 20232 min read

Innovating innovation
How machine learning is transforming the innovation game Machine learning has its roots back in experiments with ‘artificial ...
John Bessant
Feb 2, 20231 min read


Delivering innovation
How the history of mail order can help us think about managing innovation at scale Image: @buravleva_stock on Freepik 2022 was a record...
John Bessant
Jan 9, 20231 min read
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