Robert Burgelman - Strategic Dissonance and Resource Allocation
Release Date: 06/27/2025
Navigating the Age of Chaos Part 1 with Jamais Cascio And Bob Johansen
The Innovation Show
Episode Summary: In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Aidan McCullen is joined by futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio, co-authors of Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sensemaking Guide to a BANI World That Doesn’t Make Sense. The trio unpacks the BANI Framework — Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible — and explores how it helps us make sense of a world where traditional models like VUCA no longer apply. Discover how anxiety, complexity, systemic fragility, and incomprehensible change are reshaping our lives and futures — and what we can do to adapt and thrive in the...
info_outline
Chuck House The Odyssey of an Intrapreneur Permission Denied
The Innovation Show
On this episode of The Innovation Show, we welcome Chuck House, serial intrapreneur, author of Permission Denied, and former executive at Hewlett-Packard. Chuck shares hard-won lessons from inside one of the world’s most influential tech companies—revealing what it really takes to innovate from within. From helping pioneer the first commercial computer graphics display to earning HP’s only-ever Medal of Defiance, Chuck’s story is both a cautionary tale and a masterclass in intrapreneurial resilience. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, Thinkers50 Award recipient for Innovation and keynote...
info_outline
The Magic of Code with Sam Arbesman | The Innovation Show (Thinkers50 Award-Winning Podcast)
The Innovation Show
In this thought-provoking episode, Aidan McCullen — Thinkers50 Innovation Award Winner, author of Undisruptable, and host of The Innovation Show — welcomes Samuel Arbesman, scientist, author, and polymath, for the grand finale of their trilogy. Together, they explore The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World, diving deep into how code shapes our understanding of reality — from biology and evolution to artificial intelligence and the simulation hypothesis. Discover how code is the new DNA, the universal language linking art, philosophy, and technology,...
info_outline
Understanding the Complexity of Modern Technology with Samuel Arbesman | Overcomplicated
The Innovation Show
In this episode, we explore the intricate world of modern technology with Samuel Arbesman, author of Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension. Why did the New York Stock Exchange shut down in 2015? What caused Toyota vehicles to accelerate without warning? Samuel reveals how technological “accretion” and interconnected systems create outcomes that even developers, engineers, and executives can’t predict. We discuss: Why technology often evolves beyond human comprehension How “spaghetti code” and legacy systems create systemic risk The biological limits of...
info_outline
The Half-Life of Facts with Samuel Arbesman: Why Knowledge Keeps Changing
The Innovation Show
Facts change — and that’s a good thing. In this episode, Samuel Arbesman, complexity scientist and author of The Half-Life of Facts, joins Aidan McCullen to explore how what we know — and believe to be true — constantly evolves. Together, they unpack how facts have a “half-life,” why collaboration matters in a changing world, and how exponential knowledge growth reshapes science, strategy, and society. In this episode: Why facts and truths decay over time How science self-corrects — from the Brontosaurus myth to the spinach iron story The concept of “meso-facts”...
info_outline
The Great Reshuffle Why Adobe Couldnt Beat Figma Howard Yu Sangeet Paul Choudary
The Innovation Show
Why couldn’t Adobe—with all its resources—stop Figma? In this power-packed episode of The Innovation Show X, Aidan McCullen dives deep into disruption, transformation, and the future of work with Howard Yu (Leap) and Sangeet Paul Choudary (Reshuffle, Platform Revolution). You’ll learn why Adobe’s shift to the cloud was just Act 2, and why surviving in the new economy requires mastering Act 3—orchestration, data flows, and multiplayer collaboration. 💡 Topics include: Why collaboration isn’t just a feature—it’s a business model How AI is reshaping...
info_outline
The Power of Productive Failure with Manu Kapur (Part 3 Finale)
The Innovation Show
In this final part of our compelling trilogy, Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, returns to uncover the psychology behind effective learning. Discover why failing first can drive deeper understanding, greater retention, and lasting mastery. Hosted by Aidan McCullen, this episode explores real-world strategies rooted in research—from the Zeigarnik Effect to motivational boosts like loss aversion, endowed progress, and goal gradients. Whether you’re an educator, leader, or lifelong learner, this episode offers tools to rethink failure as a powerful ally in personal growth and...
info_outline
Expected Value xV - Revolutionizing Innovation Metrics with Simon Hill
The Innovation Show
Simon Hill, author of Expected Value (xV), reveals how to measure and prove the real value of innovation—avoiding theatre, zombie projects, and wasted budgets with his groundbreaking xV framework. Simon introduces his Expected Value (xV) framework, a new system that combines confidence, predicted value, time sensitivity, and strategic fit to prove innovation’s worth in terms business leaders and CFOs understand. From case studies to the role of AI, Simon shows how xV helps organizations escape wasted budgets, align innovation with strategy, and create lasting competitive advantage. We...
info_outline
Michael Raynor on Strategy RAP Model BCE Case Study
The Innovation Show
In this episode, Michael Raynor — author of The Strategy Paradox and co-author with Clayton Christensen of The Innovator’s Solution — joins Aidan McCullen to explore why most strategies fail and how leaders can fix them. From the RAP (Resource Allocation Process) model to the real-world case of BCE’s diversification journey, Raynor unpacks how strategy is shaped by resource allocation, risk, and CEO intervention. Learn how top leaders can navigate uncertainty, overcome divisional barriers, and unlock strategic synergies. 🔑 What You’ll Learn in This Episode Why strategies often...
info_outline
Manu Kapur: The Science of Productive Failure & The Four A’s of Learning
The Innovation Show
In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen welcomes back Manu Kapur, author of Productive Failure, to explore the science of learning through failure. We uncover the Basic Knowledge Fallacy, debate Direct Instruction vs. Discovery Learning, and introduce the Four A’s of Learning (Activation, Awareness, Affect, Assembly). Manu also explains why variability, struggle, and pretesting drive deeper learning, adaptability, and long-term success. Whether you’re an educator, business leader, coach, or lifelong learner, this conversation will transform the way you think about learning...
info_outlineIn this episode of The Innovation Show, host Aidan McCullen is joined by Stanford’s Robert Burgelman, one of the foremost thinkers in strategy and organizational evolution.
Together, they explore the idea of strategic dissonance—when a company’s day-to-day decisions conflict with its overarching strategy. Drawing from his research at Intel, Burgelman unpacks how induced and autonomous strategyinteract in complex organizations and how leaders like Andy Grove navigated high-stakes inflection points.
We cover:
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:42 Recap of Intel's History and Strategy
02:15 Intel's Early Innovations and Challenges
07:20 The Rise of Microprocessors
09:19 Strategic Shifts and Market Dynamics
14:36 Intel's Strategic Inflection Points
17:26 Internal and External Ecological Systems
24:55 Missed Opportunities and Strategic Inertia
30:23 Analyzing Strategy Models
37:06 Innovative Gel Product Failure
38:49 Forces in R&D and Management
39:30 Resource Allocation and Product Championing
40:50 Strategic Forcing and Market Growth
42:09 Challenges in New Business Development
44:05 Organizational Championing and Strategy
49:36 Cognitive and Political Dynamics
52:39 Navigating Corporate Innovation
01:00:28 Evolutionary Perspective on Strategy
01:01:47 Prospector, Defender, Analyzer, Reactor
01:06:28 Conclusion and Future Discussions