Week 11 Reading Reflection

Gary Pisano: You Need an Innovation Strategy (Harvard Business Review, June 2015)

1) I was most surprised by the part of the reading that talked about how not one system can fit every company, and that these respective companies need to find their own way to have competitive advantages. You would think that previously successful methods would prove successful for every company, but I guess that just isn't the case!

2) I was very confused by the point the author made about how that even if there is a strategic business plan, conflict can still arise. It's strange to think about how if a clear plan exists problems can still occur, but this confusion helped me realize that different parts of a company can still confuse their priorities, and different mindsets and management styles may ultimately create conflict.

3) I would first ask the author why he felt the need to dedicate an article to innovation strategy, to get to know his motivation behind the piece. I would also ask what research he did to find out that the real problem with big companies not sustaining performance was due to lack of innovation strategy. I would like to know this to test how credible and reliable the information in the article is.

4) I don't think that the author was necessarily wrong but could instead change the part that lists a bunch of companies who went out of business. We all know of these companies, but blatantly calling them out may be found offensive to some.