Joe Bower and Clark Gilbert - From Resource Allocation To Strategy
Release Date: 08/20/2025
Creativity Is a Skill: Jeff & Staney DeGraff on the C.R.E.A.T.E. Method (Clarify to Evaluate)
The Innovation Show
Description: Creativity isn’t reserved for geniuses—it’s a skill you can learn, practice, and compound over time. In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen sits down with Jeff and Staney DeGraff to explore their practical framework for everyday creativity: the C.R.E.A.T.E. method. Based on decades of research and real-world application, they break down how innovation actually happens—not through lightning bolts, but through small, iterative wins. From clarifying the real problem to evaluating ideas effectively, this conversation reframes creativity as a disciplined,...
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Innovation Isn’t Harmony—It’s Conflict | The Innovation Code Explained
The Innovation Show
What if the real driver of innovation isn’t alignment—but conflict? In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen is joined by Jeff and Staney DeGraff, co-authors of The Innovation Code, to explore a powerful idea: innovation emerges from the tension between opposing perspectives—not from consensus. Drawing on decades of research and real-world application, they introduce four archetypes that shape how individuals and organisations innovate: The Artist (creation & ideas) The Engineer (process & execution) The Athlete (performance & results) The Sage (values &...
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AI and the Octopus Organization: Autonomy, Distributed Intelligence, and Faster Decision-Making
The Innovation Show
AI is triggering a “big bang” in how organizations operate—and those that adapt fastest will win. In this episode, Stephen Wunker and Jonathan Brill explore the concept of the Octopus Organization, where intelligence is distributed, decisions happen at the edge, and workflows—not jobs—are automated. Drawing on biology, they explain how autonomy, governance, and visibility can coexist to unlock speed, resilience, and innovation. The discussion dives into overcoming organizational debt, avoiding groupthink and analysis paralysis, and shifting from rigid hierarchies to adaptive “kill...
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Split the Pie: Barry Nalebuff on Fair Negotiation, Game Theory, and Better Deals
The Innovation Show
How do you negotiate firmly, fairly, and effectively — without becoming a jerk? In this episode of The Innovation Show, Aidan McCullen speaks with Barry Nalebuff — Yale professor, entrepreneur, and author of Split the Pie — about a principled approach to negotiation built around one simple idea: identify the pie, the extra value created only when both sides reach agreement, and split it equally. Rather than relying on pressure, posturing, or arbitrary bargaining, Barry shows how negotiation can become a logical, ethical, and data-driven process. Drawing on cooperative game...
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Nokia Saw iPhone Coming - So What Went Wrong?
The Innovation Show
What if Nokia saw the iPhone coming and still couldn’t stop it? In this episode, strategy professor Timo Partanen, former Nokia market intelligence leader (2001–2009), reveals what was really inside Nokia’s internal iPhone threat briefing presented to senior leadership. Nokia had tracked Apple for years. They saw the signals like touchscreen innovation, strategic hires, and shifting user expectations. The iPhone’s hardware wasn’t the surprise. The real shock was Apple’s ecosystem. From its exclusive partnership with Cingular (AT&T) to alliances with Google and Yahoo, Apple...
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Nokia’s Comeback Explained: Emotion, Strategy & Boardroom Decisions
The Innovation Show
How did Nokia survive one of the most dramatic collapses in business history? In this episode, we explore the hidden driver of strategy under pressure: emotion. Drawing on research based on 100+ interviews inside Nokia between 2007 and 2013 , INSEAD’s Quy Huy and Aalto University’s Timo Vuori join Aidan McCullen to explain how large organizations can execute radical pivots—not just through analysis, but through structured emotion regulation. We unpack how Nokia moved from denial, fear, and rigid thinking to a disciplined, data-driven, and emotionally aware strategy process that...
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Everyone Thinks the iPhone Killed Nokia. They're Wrong!
The Innovation Show
Most people believe the iPhone killed Nokia. But the real story behind Nokia’s collapse is far more complex — and much more human. At its peak Nokia controlled nearly 50% of the global mobile phone market and had over one billion customers. Yet within a few years the company lost the smartphone war as Apple and Google reshaped the industry. In this episode we continue our deep dive into the research of Quy Huy and Timo Vuori, whose study reveals how fear inside Nokia distorted communication and decision-making. Senior leaders felt intense pressure from competitors and investors, while...
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Who Killed Nokia? How Fear and Emotion Derail Strategy, Innovation, and Truth-Telling.
The Innovation Show
Nokia didn’t lose the smartphone battle because it lacked smart people or a strategy deck. It lost because fear and shared emotions quietly reshaped attention, filtered information, and weakened truth-telling. Quy Huy (INSEAD) and Timo Vuori (Aalto University)—authors of the 2016 research on Nokia’s collapse—explain how leaders hid emotions behind “technology and finance talk,” how dissent was punished, and how misaligned fearformed: executives feared competitors and shareholders while middle managers feared their bosses. We connect the dots to psychological safety, power traps,...
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The Spectacular Rise and Fall of BlackBerry with Jacquie McNish
The Innovation Show
BlackBerry once ruled the business world. Presidents, CEOs, and Wall Street relied on its encrypted devices. Then the iPhone arrived — and everything changed. In this episode, Jacquie McNish, co-author of Losing the Signal, unpacks the untold story behind: • The improbable rise of Research In Motion • The 2011 global outage crisis • The NTP patent war • 9/11 and encrypted messaging dominance • The internal fracture between Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie • The Storm failure • The QNX pivot and BlackBerry’s second act A fascinating case study in leadership psychology,...
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Corporate Innovation Strategy: Return Maps, Managing Up & Forecasting with Chuck House
The Innovation Show
Why does corporate innovation fail so often — even with talented teams and strong ideas? In this episode of The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen, intrapreneur and innovation veteran Chuck House returns to explain why innovation dies when projects, programs, and strategy aren’t clearly connected — and why executives often misjudge innovation timelines because they’re optimizing established businesses. Chuck breaks down the 4 intrapreneur traits (curiosity, perspective, resilience, and comfort with data) and the overlooked career skill that makes or breaks intrapreneurs: managing...
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