Connecting the Dots

Why innovation struggles to make the leap in enterprises

I am a big fan of podcasts. For someone that is on the go most of the time, being able to listen to a podcast is both a good channel for quality content and an easy way to consume content whether I travel by plane, train, or car.

I have shared some of my favorite episodes in past essays. Some like Reply All are both immensely entertaining and offer a good mix of Internet related content and pop culture. Others dive in deep into a subject, like Planet Money or Freakonomics that dig into economics. Still others explore the world of top performers like The Tim Ferris Show.

The common thread is that each podcast makes me think deeply about a topic. The best podcasts force me to think more broadly about how the knowledge shared can pertain to other domains of experience. I am mentally connecting the dots which leads to new ideas and solutions and often to new questions not previously pondered.

Enterprises try to facilitate this “connecting the dots” by creating innovation teams. The purpose of building these teams is to create groundbreaking products and services to remain competitive in the market and leapfrog competitors, both existing, known entities as well as emerging, unknown startups.