"I don't like J work." That was Andy — a top serial innovator at SAIC — telling his manager Dennis what he needed to be protected from. J work, in Andy's field of computational electromagnetics, is the imaginary part of a number. To Andy, it meant the imaginary work: staff meetings, budget reviews, formal reporting. Dennis's job was to keep him in real work. Most managers do the opposite. In part three of our Serial Innovators series, Bruce Vojak closes the loop. After two episodes on who serial...
May 20, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 33Ep. 649
"I see dead people." That was Nancy Dawes' answer when Bruce Vojak asked her how she did it. The chemical engineer who took Olay from a dying brand to a billion-dollar product line wasn't being mysterious — she was telling him she saw patterns no-one else did. And the real burden, she realised, wasn't seeing them. It was getting an entire organisation to see them too. In part two of our Serial Innovators series, Bruce Vojak returns to unpack the chapter most innovators learn the hard way: the po...
May 14, 2026•56 min•Season 33Ep. 648
Most companies think innovation is a straight line. Bruce Vojak spent years studying the people who prove otherwise. Bruce Vojak is co-author of Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms (Oxford University Press). In this bonus episode of The Innovation Show, he joins Aidan McCullen for a focused look at the Hourglass Innovation Model — the descriptive framework that maps how serial innovators actually move from an interesting problem to a fla...
May 13, 2026•13 min•Season 33Ep. 647
"These are the most important people you've never heard of." After interviewing more than 50 serial innovators inside the world's largest mature companies, Bruce Vojak knows something most boards don't: a tiny minority of people — roughly 1 in 500 inside a large firm — quietly create the breakthrough products that fund everything else. They have no formal mandate. They are often almost fired. And without them, the S-curve flatlines. Bruce is co-author of Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create...
May 07, 2026•1 hr 25 min•Season 33Ep. 646
"Organisations love innovation, but they hate their innovators." Jeff and Staney DeGraff return to The Innovation Show to close out Aidan McCullen's DeGraff trilogy with their book The Art of Change. Their argument is direct: change rarely fails because of bad strategy or weak execution. It fails because leaders bring the wrong mindset — treating change like a linear project when change is actually a paradox to be held. In this conversation, Jeff and Staney reveal: Why the man who saved Operatio...
Apr 27, 2026•1 hr 23 min•Season 33Ep. 645
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...
Apr 22, 2026•51 min•Season 33Ep. 644
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 Engin...
Apr 15, 2026•57 min•Season 33Ep. 643
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 ...
Apr 08, 2026•44 min•Season 33Ep. 642
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 ...
Apr 01, 2026•58 min•Season 33Ep. 641
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 exclu...
Mar 24, 2026•57 min•Season 33Ep. 640
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...
Mar 18, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 33Ep. 639
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 ...
Mar 10, 2026•1 hr 5 min•Season 33Ep. 638
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 ma...
Mar 05, 2026•56 min•Season 33Ep. 637
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...
Feb 23, 2026•1 hr 20 min•Season 33Ep. 636
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 ...
Feb 18, 2026•53 min•Season 33Ep. 635
This week's guest is David Rogers, Columbia Business School professor and author of Digital Transformation Playbook . We discuss digital transformation strategy, AI in business, disruptive innovation, platform business models, network effects, and leadership in the age of AI. If you're navigating digital transformation or AI strategy, this episode is essential listening. 00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message 00:35 Meet the Digital Transformation Expert 01:38 Impact of the Digital Transformation...
Feb 11, 2026•1 hr 8 min•Season 34Ep. 634
In this episode, we explore the strategic brilliance of Taylor Swift with Kevin Evers, author of There's Nothing Like This . From genre-shifting reinventions to billion-dollar tours, Taylor's evolution isn't just musical—it's a masterclass in brand, resilience, and audience engagement. 🎯 We cover: The pivot from country to global pop dominance How Taylor handled public backlash & the Kanye/Kardashian controversy Her savvy response to the streaming revolution Ownership battles over her maste...
Feb 03, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 33Ep. 633
In this episode, Aidan McCullen welcomes Kevin Evers, editor at Harvard Business Review Press and author of There's Nothing Like This: The Strategic Genius of Taylor Swift . Together, they explore how Taylor Swift built not just a music career—but a global business empire. From fearless reinvention and blue ocean strategy to her mastery of fan engagement and brand evolution, Taylor Swift's rise is a masterclass in innovation, leadership, and vision. Learn how her career mirrors the strategic mov...
Jan 28, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 33Ep. 632
📘 Guest: Joel Schwartzberg, author of Get to the Point & The Language of Leadership In this episode, we cut through the noise and get straight to the point—literally. Communication expert and author Joel Schwartzberg returns to discuss the art and science of clarity in communication. Whether you're a leader, innovator, speaker, or simply want to stop rambling and start resonating, this episode is packed with practical, game-changing advice. We explore: Why having a clear point is the corner...
Jan 21, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 33Ep. 631
In this episode, we sit down with Gary Klein, author of Seeing What Others Don't , to explore the fascinating science behind insights and how organizations can foster smarter thinking and innovation. Klein dives deep into over 120 real-world stories he's collected—ranging from Daniel Boone to Napoleon—and explains the two powerful triggers behind most breakthroughs: connections and anomalies. Discover how organizations often suppress insights, and why a focus on predictability and perfection can...
Jan 14, 2026•1 hr 13 min•Season 33Ep. 630
In this timeless episode of The Innovation Show , Aidan McCullen sits down with Scott Galloway, Clinical Professor of Marketing at NYU Stern, for a prescient conversation that remains highly relevant today. Recorded nearly a decade ago, this episode dives deep into: The rise of the algorithm-driven economy How tech giants like Amazon and Facebook dominate using data and intelligence The decline of traditional media and the shift to subscription-based models The retail apocalypse and how Amazon c...
Jan 14, 2026•34 min
🔮 Navigating the Accelerated S-Curve with Paul Nunes | Big Bang Disruption & Shark Fin Strategy Welcome to episode 2 of our exclusive Harvard Business School series! 🎓 Join host Aidan McCullen as he interviews Paul Nunes, renowned as the King of the S-Curve , in a masterclass on navigating today's fast-evolving business cycles. 📈 Discover how exponential technology change is collapsing traditional life cycles and creating "Shark Fin" business models—where sudden success can be catastrophi...
Jan 06, 2026•49 min•Season 33Ep. 628
Based on a ten-year study, Teresa Amabile reveals why retirement—and any major life transition—requires far more psychological work than we expect. In this special episode of The Innovation Show , recorded at Klarman Hall at Harvard Business School, Aidan McCullen sits down with renowned psychologist and researcher Teresa Amabile to explore one of the most underestimated transitions we face: the move out of a long-held role and into what comes next. Drawing on a ten-year study of 120 professiona...
Dec 30, 2025•42 min•Season 33Ep. 627
Join us for a special edition of The Innovation Show, recorded at Harvard Business School, featuring Scott D. Anthony, Clinical Professor at the Tuck School of Business and co-author of Seeing What's Next with the late Clay Christensen. Scott joins us to discuss his latest book, "Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World." In this episode, Scott shares insights from his groundbreaking book, Epic Disruptions: 11 Innovations That Shaped Our Modern World . Through compelling his...
Dec 22, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 33Ep. 627
The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen | Guest: Chuck House How do you drive real innovation inside a large organisation—without getting shut down by hierarchy, process, or short-term thinking? In this episode of The Innovation Show, host Aidan McCullen is joined by legendary Hewlett-Packard intrapreneur Chuck House, author of Permission Denied , for a deep dive into intrapreneurship, corporate innovation, and innovation leadership. Drawing on decades of experience building breakthrough technol...
Dec 17, 2025•1 hr 15 min•Season 33Ep. 626
In this episode of The Innovation Show, Chuck House—legendary HP intrapreneur and author of Permission Denied —joins Aidan McCullen, host of The Innovation Show and a Thinkers50 Innovation Award recipient, to explore the real dynamics behind innovation inside large organizations. House shares how he repeatedly challenged assumptions, defied orders, built high-performing teams, and navigated the "corporate immune system" to create breakthrough technologies such as the logic analyzer and Pisces sy...
Dec 11, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 33Ep. 625
In this special Thinkers50 edition of Innovation Show X , sponsored by Kyndryl, host Aidan McCullen brings together three of the world's most influential management thinkers— Alex Osterwalder, Howard Yu, and Sangeet Paul Choudary —to explore how AI is transforming the architecture of business. What makes this conversation extraordinary is that, unknown to everyone at the time of recording, each participant would receive a major Thinkers50 recognition just hours later: Sangeet Paul Choudary — Thi...
Dec 01, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 33Ep. 624
Mastering Chaos: Navigating the BANI Future with Bob Johansen & Jamais Cascio 🎙️ Episode Title: Mastering Chaos: Navigating the BANI Future 👥 Guests: Bob Johansen & Jamais Cascio 💡 Sponsored by: Kyndryl | Reimagining the tech systems powering global enterprise innovation. In this episode, Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio return to explore their book Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sensemaking Guide to a BANI World . They dive into the evolution from VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Am...
Nov 27, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 32Ep. 623
Episode Summary: In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Aidan McCullen is joined by futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio, co-authors of Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sensemaking Guide to a BANI World That Doesn't Make Sense . The trio unpacks the BANI Framework — Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible — and explores how it helps us make sense of a world where traditional models like VUCA no longer apply. Discover how anxiety, complexity, systemic fragility, and incomprehensible change...
Nov 20, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 33Ep. 622
On this episode of The Innovation Show , we welcome Chuck House, serial intrapreneur, author of Permission Denied , and former executive at Hewlett-Packard. Chuck shares hard-won lessons from inside one of the world's most influential tech companies—revealing what it really takes to innovate from within. From helping pioneer the first commercial computer graphics display to earning HP's only-ever Medal of Defiance, Chuck's story is both a cautionary tale and a masterclass in intrapreneurial resi...
Nov 11, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 33Ep. 621
