give innovation the right environment to survive
I recently listened to a Harvard Business Review podcast interview with Muhtar Kent the CEO of Coca-Cola.
Now, I have mixed feelings about the value to our society of the products that they produce. However this is not the forum for that discussion.
What did fascinate me was the insight that an organisation the size of Coca-Cola recognises that inside the company is not always the best place for embryonic ideas to flourish. To counter this the company has “incubation projects” outside the company.
This says some good things about Coca-Cola. Firstly, that it acknowledges the need for innovation, and secondly that innovation needs the right environment to thrive. In other words keep it away from the accountants, lawyers, and managers that live quarter-by-quarter.
Harvard Business Review Podcast – Featured Guest: Muhtar Kent, CEO of Coca-Cola
