Innovation programs often fail due to internal obstacles, including a risk-averse culture, difficulty in prioritizing ideas, and the use of inadequate metrics for measuring innovation success. Employees and managers fear failure, leading to a reluctance to invest resources in new ideas, while functional barriers prevent alignment with organizational goals. Extended development timelines and a lack of visibility among teams exacerbate these issues, resulting in missed opportunities for growth and cost savings.

1. WHY
INN VATION
PR GRAMS
FAILFAIL

2. While external
forces can hamper
the performance
of an Innovation
Program...
WHY DO INNOVATION PROGRAMS FAIL?

3. The biggest obstacles
to successful innovation
programs come from
within the organization.

4. THE 4 BIGGEST OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS
Difficulty Selecting
the Best Ideas
Inability to Measure
Performance
Risk Averse Culture Extensive
Development Time
1
2
3

5. RISK AVERSE CULTURE
A risk averse culture is a culture
where new ideas sink to the bottom
of organizational priorities.

6. Why does this happen?

7. Employees would rather throw their idea out than risk failure
and jeopardize their career.
EMPLOYEES FEAR FAILURE

8. Employees would rather throw their idea out than risk failure
and jeopardize their career.
“ A few companies are experimenting, counterintuitively, with
switching the focus from success to failure, rewarding employees
who dare to stick their necks out.”
EMPLOYEES FEAR FAILURE
hbr.org/2014/06/dont-offer-employees-big-rewards-for-innovation/
HBR, Don’t Offer Employees Big Rewards for Innovation

9. MANAGERS FEAR FAILURE
Managers hesitate to put company resources on the line
for new ideas.

10. “As leaders see their risks to current operations increase, and expected
returns from planned investments decrease, it’s likely they’ll face larger
growth gaps than they had expected.”
MANAGERS FEAR FAILURE
Managers hesitate to put company resources on the line
for new ideas.
hbr.org/2014/12/calculate-how-much-your-company-should-invest-in-innovation
HBR, How much Your Company Should Invest in Innovation

11. FUNCTIONAL UNITS CAUSE BARRIERS
Functional units build barriers to innovation because they
are not aligned to the organization’s innovation goals.

12. FUNCTIONAL UNITS CAUSE BARRIERS
hbr.org/2005/10/the-office-of-strategy-management/ar/1
Functional units build barriers to innovation because they
are not aligned to the organization’s innovation goals.
“On average, 95% of a company’s employees are unaware of,
or do not understand, its strategy.”
HBR, The Office of Strategy Management

13. Employees don’t pursue new ideas
because they fear failure
Managers don’t invest in new ideas
There are functional divides within the
organization
Allowing ideas to sink to the bottom
RISK AVERSE CULTURE MEANS THAT

14. EXTENSIVE DEVELOPMENT TIME
Delays decrease the probability of success
Long implementation times results in missed opportunities
in the form of cost savings and new growth
FINISH LINE
1830

15. 1831
YOU
1830
The time to complete an idea is constantly being extended
The longer it takes to deploy an ideas, the more likely the team will
run out of energy before completing the idea
TIMELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING IDEAS
CHANGE FREQUENTLY
1832

16. 1831
YOU
1830
forbes.com/sites/suwcharmananderson/2012/07/17/secrets-of-success-hidden-in-kickstarters-numbers/
The time to complete an idea is constantly being extended
The longer it takes to deploy an ideas, the more likely the team will
run out of energy before completing the idea
“Pi and Mollick also confirmed other analyses which show that shorter
funding periods are better than longer ones, and that large goals are
harder to reach than small ones.”
TIMELINES FOR IMPLEMENTING IDEAS
CHANGE FREQUENTLY
1832
Forbes. Secrets of Success Hidden in Kickstarter Numbers

17. The longer it takes to execute ideas, the
more additional opportunities for cost saving
and new growth will be missed.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR COST
SAVINGS AND NEW MARKET GROWTH YOUR COMPANY
YOUR COMPETITOR
1830
1826

18. IDEA SELECTION
Leaders unable to prioritize which
ideas to invest in
Leaders are not aligned resulting in
conflicting interests
IDEA SELECTION

19. Leaders find themselves buried under a
mountain of ideas because they can’t decide
which ones will yield the most impact.
INABILITY TO PRIORITIZE IDEAS

20. Leaders find themselves buried under a
mountain of ideas because they can’t decide
which ones will yield the most impact.
“High-powered incentives do produce a flood of
ideas, but that’s not necessarily a good thing—a
flood can be overwhelming, leaving companies
unable to act on many of the ideas.”
INABILITY TO PRIORITIZE IDEAS
hbr.org/2014/06/dont-offer-employees-big-rewards-for-innovation/
HBR, Don’t Offer Employees Big Rewards for Innovation,

21. If leaders have different goals, they will fight over which ideas
are more important.
LEADERS ARE NOT ALIGNED

22. If leaders have different goals, they will fight over which ideas
are more important.
“Teams and departments struggle to find visibility with other teams and
departments. This lack of visibility makes it nearly impossible for business
leaders to get their arms around the work and projects that are being
undertaken and prioritized. ”
LEADERS ARE NOT ALIGNED
Inc.com
inc.com/eric-morgan/why-companies-can-t-get-aligned-and-how-you-can.html

23. INABILITY TO MEASURE THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF INNOVATION
Using the wrong metrics to
evaluate innovation

24. Like measuring the weight of water with
measuring tape, leaders often use the wrong
metrics to measure innovation.
USING THE WRONG METRICS
Use these 8 essential metrics for measuring
the effectiveness of your innovation program
D O W N L O A D M E T R I C S

25. Like measuring the weight of water with
measuring tape, leaders often use the wrong
metrics to measure innovation.
“Investments in different types of innovation affect
economies (and companies) in very different ways—but
are evaluated using the same (flawed) metrics.”
USING THE WRONG METRICS
HBR, The Capitalist’s Dilemma
hbr.org/2014/06/the-capitalists-dilemma
Use these 8 essential metrics for measuring
the effectiveness of your innovation program
D O W N L O A D M E T R I C S

26. Want to learn how
to run a successful
innovation program?

27. Read 5 Key Elements
for a Successful Innovation Program
E B O O K
D O W N L O A D E B O O K