Managing innovation - creating value from ideas

Hosted by John Bessant

Business Technology Management

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Episodes

146

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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EN-GB

About the show

Innovation doesn't just happen. It's not like the cartoons - a lightbulb flashes on above someone's head and that's it. No - it's a journey and we need to understand how best to prepare for that journey, whatever kind of value we are trying to create. This podcast is about some useful lessons we might take on board to help develop our capabilities.For more, see my website:https://johnbessant.org

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60 recent

August 6, 202629 min

Making a big noise: How the lightbulb made rock'n'roll loud

How did we get from quiet acoustic strings in village squares to massive walls of Marshall stacks blasting at outdoor festivals? 🎸⚡In this episode, we explore the surprising, accidental, and brilliantly creative history behind guitar amplification. The journey to getting heard wasn't just about making bigger instruments; it required breakthroughs from completely unrelated industries—including Thomas Edison’s lightbulb experiments, telephone technology, and the invention of vacuum tubes. Join us as we chart the evolution of sound, tracing the path from the lute to lap steels, the birth of solid-body icons like the Stratocaster and Telecaster, and the birth of classic rock distortion. Plus, we break down the core lessons this history teaches us about how innovation actually works in the real world. In this episode, you’ll learn:Why acoustic guitars struggled to cut through early 20th-century bands. How Thomas Edison’s "sooty lightbulb" problem led to valve amplifiers. How user-innovators like Les Paul, Merle Travis, and Leo Fender reshaped the instrument. Why guitarists embraced speaker distortion—starting with a razor blade and a speaker! Key innovation frameworks: Dominant designs, user-led innovation, and ecosystem shifts. #ElectricGuitar #GuitarHistory #MusicTechnology #GuitarAmps #innovation #Fender #MarshallAmps #LesPaul #EdisonEffect #VacuumTubes #GuitarTech #AudioHistory #entrepreneurship

July 24, 202628 min

Pedal power - the surprising innovation journey of the bicycle

How did an odd wooden "walking machine" from 1817 evolve into a global industry with over 2 billion bicycles today? In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating history of the bicycle—from Baron von Drais’s pedal-less Laufmaschine (born out of a volcanic disaster!) to the High-Wheelers, the "penny-farthing," and John Kemp Starley's game-changing Safety Bicycle.More than just a story about two wheels, this episode explores some of the fundamental rules of innovation: - Why "first movers" don't always win (and how intellectual property loops alter history)- How climate events and economic crises drive breakthrough ideas- The phenomenon of "multiple independent innovation" - Why scaling an idea requires building an entire system, not just a productIf you're interested in history, engineering, or how brilliant ideas transform into mass-market adoption, tune in! You can find a transcript here------------------------------------ ---------------⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction: The 2 Billion Bike Industry00:45 - What Happened After the Wheel Was Invented?01:30 - 1817: Baron von Drais & The "Year Without a Summer"03:00 - The Laufmaschine (Draisienne) & The Early Business Problem04:15 - How London Dandies & Copycats Stole the Market05:30 - The Evolution: Treadles, Pedals, and Scottish Blacksmiths07:15 - Pierre Michaux & The Paris Bicycle Boom08:30 - The Penny-Farthing Era & High-Wheeler Hazards09:45 - John Kemp Starley & The Invention of the Safety Bicycle11:30 - Lessons in Innovation: Scaling Systems, Not Just Products---------------------------------------------------🔔 Don't forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and leave a comment sharing your thoughts on the episode!#BicycleHistory #Innovation #Podcast #HistoryOfTechnology #Entrepreneurship #Invention

June 29, 202625 min

Creating the innovation edge - the 400 year-old lesson that still applies today

The Real-Life "Valyrian Steel" That Built a Global EmpireBefore Silicon Valley, there was 16th-century Toledo, Spain. In this episode of Unlocking Innovation, we explore how an unlikely culture of co-existence allowed Christian, Muslim, and Jewish craftsmen to solve the ultimate blacksmith's dilemma and invent Toledo Steel.Think "open innovation" and "ecosystems" are modern tech buzzwords? Think again. In this episode we travel back to the 16th century to the fortress city of Toledo, Spain—the Silicon Valley of the renaissance. For centuries, sword smiths faced a fatal dilemma: how do you make a blade sharp enough to hold an edge, but flexible enough not to snap in the heat of battle? The answer didn't come from a lone genius or elven magic. It came from La Convivencia—a unique period of history where Christian, Muslim, and Jewish craftsmen combined their distinct traditions of chemistry, metallurgy, and battlefield design into a literal open innovation ecosystem.Discover how diversity became the ultimate competitive edge, how the Spanish Empire scaled its weapon procurement, and what modern business leaders can learn from the ancient masters of Toledo steel.

May 28, 202623 min

A 150 year overnight success - the surprising innovation history of the dishwasher

The appliance sitting in your kitchen is the result of 150 years of obsession, failure, and brilliance. And most people have never heard the real story. It starts in 1850 with a leaky wooden contraption patented by Joel Houghton, winds through dozens of competing inventors, and arrives at one remarkable woman — Josephine Cochrane, a debt-ridden widow in Illinois who declared: "If nobody else invents the dishwasher, I'll do it myself." She did. And she changed domestic life forever. In this episode, we trace the full innovation journey: why so many inventors swarmed around the same idea at the same time, how Josephine's 1886 patent became the "dominant design" that still defines modern machines, and what the dishwasher teaches us about how innovation really works — not as a lone-genius moment, but as a slow river of ideas gradually flowing together. Along the way: weapons engineers, soap chemists, a Great Depression, and the accidental chemistry discovery that finally unlocked the mass market. What you'll hear: The surprisingly long race from hand-cranked wooden box to kitchen staple How a socialite's broken china sparked a revolution Why electricity, hot water pipes, and synthetic detergent all had to arrive first The key innovation lesson hiding inside every dishwasher cycle You can find a transcript here

April 15, 202623 min

The gold in the mine - why your best ideas might already be on your payroll

You can find a transcript here Are you missing out on your organization’s greatest untapped resource? Many companies look outward for the next big idea, but the "smartest guys" might already be on your payroll. In this podcast, we dive deep into High Involvement Innovation (HII) —the strategy of engaging every single employee to drive continuous improvement. From Toyota’s 50 million suggestions to the concept of "LIFE" (Little Improvements From Everyone), we break down how to move beyond basic suggestion boxes and build a culture where innovation is "the way we do things around here." In this podcast, you’ll learn: The "Free Brain" Concept: Why every pair of hands comes with a creative mind ready to solve problems. The 9 Core Capabilities: From strategic direction to idea management systems, what you need to make HII stick. Technology as an Accelerator: How modern platforms are replacing clunky manual systems to enable collaboration and rapid feedback. The "Gold in the Mine": Joseph Juran’s classic philosophy on extracting value from internal creativity.

March 23, 202623 min

One night in Bangkok...

The Power of the "Innovation Mash-Up" Ever had a memory so vivid you’d swear it was true, only to find out you made it up? In this episode, we dive into the world of confabulation —the brain’s habit of "hallucinating" details to make sense of a complex world—and discover how this quirky human trait is actually a secret weapon for innovation. From the neon-soaked streets of Bangkok to the high-stakes world of organic chemistry, we explore how "remixing" existing ideas leads to world-changing breakthroughs. Whether it’s Henry Ford borrowing techniques from meatpacking plants or eye surgeons in India adapting the McDonald’s business model, we’ll show you why the best answers aren’t always "new to the world"—they’re just adapted from a different context. In this podcast, you’ll learn about: The Mandela Effect & Mondegreens: Why our brains are natural storytellers that love to fill in the blanks. Recombinant Innovation: How the "collision point" between two different worlds sparks creativity. The Science of Incubation: Why your best ideas often come when you’re dreaming or "switched off." Practical Creativity: How to use tools like "random juxtaposition" to force-fit new connections and solve hard problems. Stop waiting for a lightning bolt of original genius. Learn how to become an "Idea DJ" and start remixing your way to your next big insight. You can find a transcript here

February 19, 202623 min

Fighting a Different Kind of War: Inside the WFP Innovation Accelerator

In a world that has moved beyond "VUCA" (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) to become BANI —Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible—the old ways of tackling global crises are broken. While world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference to discuss traditional defence, a few blocks away, the World Food Programme (WFP) was hosting its annual Innovation Forum to tackle a different security threat: the silent conflict of global hunger. In this episode, we dive into how the WFP is moving beyond "big hearts and good intentions" to build a high-performance innovation engine. We explore how they use a systematic approach—mapped to the ISO 56002 international standard—to transform "glimmers of ideas" from internal and external entrepreneurs into life-saving reality. We take a closer look at: Innovation as a System: How the WFP Innovation Accelerator uses venture capital models, incubators, and boot camps to reach over 104 million people annually. High-Tech vs. Frugal Tech: From Building Blocks (a blockchain-based aid system saving millions in fees) to Clean Cooking (heat-retention bags that cut energy needs by 70%). The Scale Challenge: Why most "promising pilots" fail and how the WFP’s Scale Enablement Programme helps them grow. Based in Munich, the Accelerator has supported over 500 ventures across 90+ countries and was recognized by Fast Company as one of the world’s "Most Innovative Companies". Amongst its success stories we look at: ShareTheMeal: The fundraising app that has shared over 220 million meals. H2Grow: Low-tech hydroponics allowing refugees to grow food in deserts using 90% less water. SMP PLUS: An AI tool that generates nutritious, cost-optimized school menus in minutes rather than weeks. SCOUT: A forecasting engine that has already saved $6 million in logistics costs.

January 21, 202620 min

The invisible man of innovation

Have you ever used a safety pin, a fountain pen, or a sewing machine? You might know the famous brands behind them, but you likely don’t know the man who actually invented them. Meet Walter Hunt, the "Yankee mechanical genius" who could solve almost any problem but struggled to profit from a single one. Perhaps the person who best deserves the title of 'the greatest inventor you've never heard of' In this episode, we dive into the incredible life of a man who changed the world with a piece of wire and a few hours of "hand-wringing". Learn about: The $15 Debt that Changed Everything: How the modern safety pin was invented in just three hours to pay back a draughtsman. The Sewing Machine Wars: Why Walter Hunt actually invented the lockstitch machine 12 years before Elias Howe—and why he refused to patent it until it was too late. A Legacy of Innovation: From the repeater rifle (the precursor to the Winchester) to disposable paper collars and even "antipodean apparatus" for walking on ceilings, Hunt’s imagination knew no bounds. Principles Over Profit: Why this "benevolent Quaker" often prioritized social concerns and the joy of problem-solving over building a Gilded Age fortune. Walter Hunt was a man who found joy in the quest rather than the goal. Join us as we uncover the story of the prolific inventor who holds hundreds of patents for items we still use today, yet remains a hidden figure in history.

January 4, 202626 min

A Winter's Tale

A seasonal story to inspire some New year's innovation (re) thinking... On a cold Christmas Eve, Jimmy Weston sits in a crowded wine bar with a crushing email in his pocket: his family business’s biggest customer has just walked away. Facing the "rocks" of potential bankruptcy and the weight of three generations of legacy, Jimmy is visited by three "ghosts" who offer more than just nostalgia—they provide a blueprint for radical reinvention. In this podcast, loosely based on Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol' , we explore some of the challenges around innovation through a different lens. Whether you’re a business leader facing a "winter" of your own, an entrepreneur looking for a spark of New Year inspiration, or just looking for a good read this story is a reminder that the "pony" is always hidden in the pile—you just have to dig!

December 1, 202516 min

Murder on the dance-floor - why your organization needs innovation routines

Why does innovation often feel like awkward "dad-dancing" at a party? Because repeating success requires more than just luck—it demands disciplined innovation routines . This podcast uses the metaphor of dance to explain how organizations create value from ideas through practiced, shared behavior patterns , from searching for opportunities to developing prototypes. But the "music"—the external market environment—is constantly changing. When new technology or new rules emerge, static routines will fail. That's why organizations need 'Dynamic capability' —the meta-skill to step back and deliberately review, refresh, or completely replace their existing routines. We look at companies like 3M and P&G , who have maintained success by constantly upgrading their deep-seated routines. P&G famously shifted its routines to source 50% of its innovation externally, adapting to a changing landscape. We also examine two humanitarian heroes: Field Ready , which augmented its high-tech 3D printing routine with local, low-tech skills for co-creation , and Translators without Borders (TWB) , which switched from a manual, in-person model to a high-speed crowdsourcing platform. The lesson is universal: build strong routines, but build the dynamic capability to change them when the market demands a new move. Watch to learn how to choreograph your long-term success! (You can find a transcript here)