Joe Bower and Clark Gilbert - From Resource Allocation To Strategy
Release Date: 08/20/2025
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...
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Chuck House The Odyssey of an Intrapreneur Permission Denied
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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”...
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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...
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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...
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Expected Value xV - Revolutionizing Innovation Metrics with Simon Hill
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineWhat if everything you knew about strategy was wrong?
In this profound and candid episode, legendary Harvard Business School professors Joseph Bower and Clark Gilbertdismantle the myths of top-down strategy and reveal what actually drives innovation inside organizations — resource allocation.
Hosted by Aidan McCullen, this conversation connects over 50 years of organizational research with real-world disruption—from Clay Christensen’s disruptive innovation, to Intel’s strategic shifts, to why academic institutions resist change.
🔥 You’ll learn:
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Why strategy emerges from internal decisions—not just executive planning
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The role of middle management and customer capture in strategic failure
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How organizations can manage dual transformation
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The secret behind Harvard’s innovation blind spots
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Advice for innovators, executives, and scholars navigating complex systems
This is not your typical leadership podcast. It’s a masterclass in innovation thinking, organizational change, and deep system insights — directly from the architects of the field.
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:21 Introducing the Guests: Clark Gilbert and Joe Bower
01:02 Clark Takes Over as Host
01:33 The Connection Between Resource Allocation and Strategy
05:26 Challenges in Strategy Implementation
09:03 Case Studies and Real-World Examples
11:11 Issues in Academic Research
19:48 The Harvard Business School Case
28:10 The Teradyne Case Study
32:41 Elon Musk's Unique Management Style
35:21 The Power of Structural Context in Education
37:50 The Concept of Undermining in Business
39:23 Managing Cognitive Framing in a Changing World
44:06 The Importance of Deep Industry Knowledge
49:16 Advice for Future Scholars
55:56 Final Reflections and Gratitude
📚 Resources and People Mentioned:
- Book: From Resource Allocation to Strategy – by Bower, Gilbert & others
- Dual Transformation – by Clark Gilbert & Scott D. Anthony
- The Innovator’s Dilemma – by Clayton Christensen
- Case Studies: Intel, Teradyne, Kodak, Harvard Business School
💡 Featured Thinkers Mentioned:
- Clayton Christensen – Disruptive innovation pioneer, HBS
- Tom Eisenmann – Strategy & entrepreneurship expert, HBS
- Donald Sull – Former HBS faculty, expert on execution and volatility
- Yves Doz – INSEAD professor, known for multinational innovation research
- Howard Yu – IMD professor; explored tech disruption in Asia
- Tomo Noda – Japanese academic and innovator in business education reform
- Robert Burgelman - MIT professor and prolific author