Disruptive Innovation Labs
Research also shows that Disruptive Innovation Labs benefi t from “soft integration” methods, such as social integration of senior teams, job rotations, collaborative planning, shared knowledge networks, and cross-functional teams and task forces. These methods help to focus the lab’s efforts on real-world problems. They also reduce confl ict, leverage existing assets and economies of scale, and encourage adoption and deployment of breakthroughs. Most management teams aspire to innovation “ambidexterity”— the ability to fully exploit existing assets while simultaneously exploring new capabilities required for future success. Disruptive Innovation Labs push organizations beyond incremental improvements. They are often deployed in three situations:
• When companies face new forms of competition that are stealing market share or reducing profi tability
• When traditional innovation methods are failing to deliver required results
• When management senses that the organization is growing complacent and needs concrete examples of bold innovations to raise its vision and transform the culture