Name: Why corporate innovation fails
Uploaded: 2022-09-23T12:55:08.637Z
Duration: 1191.83
Description: Managing an innovation programme and deciding on the best strategy for it is one of hardest paths in a company's timeline. Mike Hatrick, Group Director of Intellectual Property Strategy and Portfolio at Volvo Group, not only created a map of his success during innovation programmes; but also points out the key elements of how to deal with resistance to change.

Why corporate innovation fails.vtt

English

He's the group director of IP strategy
and portfolio at the Volvo group.

Thank you so much for
joining us today, Mike

So I'm excited to kind of talk to
you today about corporate innovation.

I think, you know, you've got some
different ideas around the way that

you look at corporate innovation, sort
of from this traditional theory of, or

sort of using this innovation theory
as the kind of funnel and the route.

So, I think these sort of challenge
at times maybe what thought

leaders are saying around how
to be successful and how to do

I'd love for you to just kind of
talk about, you know what some of

This is a subject very
close to my heart.

I got involved with this whole
topic of driving innovation within

So I've been in the area
for quite a long time.

And of course you have good experiences
and bad experiences during those times.

And a few years ago, I was
reflecting on it a bit.

In fact, I was on my way to a
conference and thinking, you

know, what's, what's going
to be my topic for this year.

And I was reflecting on
previous conference visits.

And the fact that you often
hear the thought leaders talking

about, if you do X, Y, and
Z, everything will be great.

It's all about cultural
transformation and things like that.

And when I started, and we'll
probably talk a bit about your

highest started, I totally bought
into that a hundred percent and

that resulted in putting structures
in place in the organizations I

worked for of processes, platforms
and so on, which did generate a

But having done it twice in two
different organizations at the end,

I was sort of, I find myself kind of
looking at it and saying, well, that

was fun, but it's over and thinking
about, well, what was the result?

And I remember one particular time
actually, having a few drinks with the

team that I'd worked with a couple of
years after our program had finished.

In fact, I went back to visit and
you know we got a bit depressed.

We were kind of, yeah, you know,
we did all of that and it was good

while it lasted, but then it ended,
and we sort of looked at each other

sadly for a few minutes, and then
somebody said, yeah, but we did this.

So it was a little bit like in
the movie life of Brian by Monty

Python where they're saying what
did the Romans ever do for us?

And then they say, well, what
about sanitation and education

And we ended up feeling
actually quite positive.

It kind of started to grow this
feeling in me that, and especially

talking to my peers, people I would
meet at conferences and different

forums and groups, lots of people
seem to be having similar experiences.

And although the people who stand
up at conferences and talk about

success are great, there's also
a big sort of bedrock of people

And I started thinking,
well, why is this.

It's not as easy as doing X, Y,
Z, and everything will be great.

This is really, really complicated
and hard, and I've experienced that

Some of the conclusions I came
to is that, for example, I think

whenever a big company launches
an innovation program, it starts

There is huge excitement,
engagement goes through the roof.

People jump on board this initiative,
and then there's probably a period

where there's kind of, you know,
this kind of grief curve of, oh no.

A feeling of urgency and it can
eventually end up in a bit of a feeling

And I think that's partly why people
at the end feel a bit deflated.

Some people are already over
overachieving during that time,

Your organization doesn't
necessarily support that.

So you end up with this kind of
split of how people feel at the end.

So, you know, I was left with this
uncomfortable feeling and I remember

talking to some people about it and
they thought, oh, Mike is jaded.

Mike is kind of burning
out and had enough of this.

I don't think that was
the case or is the case.

So I started thinking, is
this really the right route?

Going back in history about, about
how I actually got involved in

It all goes back to one particular
night in London on a stage, where my

team and I were receiving a runner
up certificate for a thing called

the McRoberts award of innovation
and, in engineering, and you know it

literally it was a moment standing on
the stage, receiving the certificate

from prince Philip, in fact, and
thinking, how did I get here?

And I read all the books and I
did the trainings and I went to

conferences and started putting
these structures in place.

But when I look back how
we did get there, it wasn't

So Mike, what did make it
successful if it wasn't sort of

the traditional things you thought
made the the project success.

What I realized was that it
all started with an idea.

So a couple of us had an idea, and
then we took the step to realize

Expert Insight

Managing an innovation programme and deciding on the best strategy for it is one of hardest paths in a company's timeline. 
Mike Hatrick, Group Director of Intellectual Property Strategy and Portfolio at Volvo Group, not only created a map of his success during innovation programmes; but also points out the key elements of how to deal with resistance to change. 

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Mike Hatrick

Group Director IP Strategy and Portfolio  

Launching a new innovation programme that starts with high ambitions might turn into a "grief curve" and then to panic mode? 
Mike Hatrick explains how he decided to ask whether this is really the right route after he saw lots of people "burn out". 

Chapter 1: Corporate innovation

Mike Hatrick created a 10 step map to explain how he achieved success. 
He presents a 10 step map to success including: curiosity, big ideas, incubation, shock, taking action, naivety, playfulness and fun, brave chiefs, greybeards and finally luck.

Chapter 2: How did I get here?

In an innovation process there needs to be elements of control, predictability and flexibility. These work against serendipity.

Chapter 3: Innovation theory breakdown

According to Mike Hatrick, "Culture change is not the right strategy", he explains what the other option is. 

Chapter 4: Delivering in corporate environments

Hatrick shares how finding people who really need what you have to offer is an important step to combatting corporate resistance. All different levels of the organization might resist to change actively or passively.