Insights
InnoLead case studies, interviews, book excerpts, and contributed columns.
Deploying AI at $28B Sun Life Financial: Learnings So Far
InnoLead interviews Sun Life exec Laura Money about how she prioritizes AI projects; some of the concrete outcomes they’re seeing so far; and why Sun Life has joined other Canadian companies to form the AI Consortium.
Fidelity, GM, and Best Buy Heath: Stories from the Front Line of Deploying New Technology
Speakers at our recent Impact conference share advice on getting new tech across the gap from demo to deployment.
A Practical Guide to Using AI to Identify Problems Worth Solving
How can AI be useful in business-to-business innovation? By identifying the right problems to solve, write Ranjan Dash and Suresh Chandran.
How Synchrony is Preparing for the Arrival of Agentic Commerce
Remember the emergence of e-commerce in the 1990s? Keep an eye on the horizon for agentic commerce, says Carol Juel, executive vice president and CEO of Synchrony Financial’s Digital Platform.
How to Think About Startup Engagement in 2026
In a session at the most recent Impact conference last month, we looked at some of the reasons why it might make sense to partner with a startup rather doing everything in-house — and a few metrics and indicators that can let you know whether or not your approach is working.
What Should Companies Do with All the Free Time that AI Creates?
If AI software is going to take over a bevy of repetitive tasks and processes, then what should organizations be doing with the time that frees up? We talk with business school prof David Schonthal.
How Perdue Farms is Pursuing Differentiation with AI
We talk with Perdue Farms CIO Mark Booth about the company’s AI journey, including what future concerns are keeping him up at night.
Rewiring the Way R&D Organizations Think
R&D teams tend to understand their products with precision — but not always the people those products are designed for. Deirdre Walters explains how to address that…
Why Digital Transformation Still Gets Stuck Inside Large Organizations
When digital transformation gets stuck, the reason is rarely a lack of technology, writes Marcus East. More often, new technology is being added to organizations that still operate through outdated systems, rigid structures, and old assumptions about how work should get done.
How Sweetwater Stays Connected to Customers — While Also Leveraging AI
We talk to the music retailer’s CEO and CIO about innovation and AI — and maintaining a strong connection to customers.
Five Steps That Make Change Easier
In this excerpt from the new book How Change Really Work, the authors caution that “take up” of change and new ideas among your colleagues is never automatic, but must be earned. Then they present five steps for earning it.
Why Mitsubishi Electric is Setting Up a New Innovation Hub
This month, Mitsubishi Electric U.S. is opening a new innovation hub in Boston. What’s the goal? We talk to two leaders…
Strategic Innovation Demands an Investment Thesis
To survive in an environment where average business model lifespans have collapsed, corporate innovators must move from unstructured ideation to the rigorous discipline of successful venture capitalists, write Ranjan Dash and Suresh Chandran
Here are the Winners (and Finalists) of InnoLead’s 2026 Impact Awards
From supersonic aircraft to heavy trucks to robotic surgical assistants, this year’s Impact Awards focus on companies that are moving their industries forward. Here are the 15 finalists…
Why Innovation Can’t Happen Without Playfulness
Innovation can’t exist in a culture that doesn’t allow for playfulness, says Piera Gelardi, author of the new book The Playful Way. Yet the environment in many workplaces today is shaped by plenty of non-playful dynamics. So what do you do?
Innovating With Agents: Two Months (and Counting) with OpenClaw on Our Team
Corporations are diverting resources from innovation to fund AI initiatives. What does this mean for innovation managers? The co-authors of a new book explain.
Is the Latest Wave of AI Leading to an ‘Innovation Winter’?
Corporations are diverting resources from innovation to fund AI initiatives. What does this mean for innovation managers? The co-authors of a new book explain.
What GenAI Changes for Leaders in Large Organizations
GenAI isn’t just about creating new efficiencies, writes Itai Green in this excerpt from his new book. It’s about shifting the company’s DNA toward an innovation mindset.
How to Survive the ‘Stakeholder Spiral’
Every project in a big organization projects attract layers of stakeholders, each with their own interests, fears, and mental models. In this excerpt from his new book, Misha de Sterk offers advice on managing that dynamic.
The Death of the Design Process (and the Rise of the Infinity Loop)
The design process as we knew it is most certainly dead, writes Todd Reily in his latest piece for InnoLead. What’s replacing it?
Stop Explaining — and Start Building More Prototypes
Because the cost of “making it real” has dropped to near zero, you can stop prototyping just the “best” idea, writes Todd Reily. Instead, you can prototype a whole portfolio of potential solutions.
Bridgers Wanted: A Skillset Companies ‘are Desperate For’
Innovation at scale requires three different leadership roles, says author Linda Hill: architect, bridger, and catalyst. One is in especially high demand…
Addressing the Corporate Antibodies That Attack Open Innovation
In this excerpt from their new book, Diana Joseph, Dan Toma, and Esther Gons discuss two kinds of antibodies that often emerge to attack open innovation initiatives.
How Levi’s is Finding High-Impact Applications for AI
We talk with Jason Gowans, Chief Digital & Technology Officer, about digital strategy and AI case studies at $6 billion Levi Strauss & Co.
Why Your Team Picks ‘Compromise’ Ideas (and How to Fix It)
Todd Reily explains why awarding badges to ideas can work better than dot voting.
How We’re Building New AI-First Businesses and Ecosystems for the Future at LG Nova
“We need a new paradigm for corporate innovation,” writes Sokwoo Rhee of LG Nova. “One that actively builds and scales new businesses and ecosystems, creating self-sustaining cycles of innovation.” More inside…
Why OpenClaw Signals a New Organizational Design Challenge
OpenClaw, and its creator Peter Steinberger, have been the stars of the latest AI news cycle. Here’s the significance of Steinberger’s recent move to OpenAI.
AI Gives You B- Ideas. Here’s the Way to Earn an A.
“Good enough” ideas are a death sentence, writes Todd Reily. So how do you get truly great ideas? Not by brainstorming…
How to Know if You’re AI Obsessed… or AI Enabled
“People react in two ways to Gen AI,” writes Mohan Nair in his latest book. “One is what I call AI-afraid, and the second is AI-obsessed.” The third way is learning how to be AI-enabled.
How Coursera is Adapting to AI-Driven Change
We talk with the Chief Product Officer at Coursera about recently-launched products — and how AI is impacting the business.
The Bobblehead Effect: How the Illusion of Agreement Can Kill Innovation
We’ve all been in that meeting: The strategy is presented. The team leader looks around the room and asks if everyone is on board. And then it happens… The Bobblehead Effect. Todd Reily explains how to avoid it.
If You Want to Build the Future, Stop Solving Today’s Problems
The first part of a six-part series on how the innovation process is evolving in the age of AI, by former Bose director of visioneering Todd Reilly.
Inside Look: How MetLife Built an AI Platform to be a ‘Force Multiplier’
The new AI platform, MetIQ, allows the insurance giant to plug in emerging technologies such as generative AI and agentic AI, to help the company scale its capabilities and serve as a force multiplier in advancing its strategies. We talk to EVP Bill Pappas.
Software Provider Profile: Qmarkets
Qmarkets helps large organizations move beyond fragmented innovation initiatives and deliver measurable business impact at scale. Built for the realities of enterprise innovation, the platform enables organizations to manage innovation end to end, from early exploration to execution and impact tracking.
Your Growth, Innovation, and AI Agenda for 2026: 10 Things to Consider
From bespoke software development to decentralized innovation, experts lay out 10 things that should be on the agenda of big organizations in 2026.
Pursuing Returns on AI Investment at T. Rowe Price
We talk with the CTO of the global asset management firm about AI training, use cases, measuring return-on-investment, and more.
Inside the Innovation Process at LEGO’s Creative Play Lab
Tom Donaldson, Head of the Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group, discusses the company’s culture; his belief in the importance of prototyping and “silent demos”; and how the company measures innovation.
The Most Useful Custom GPTs for Market Research, Patent Analysis, Corporate Innovation, and More
Here’s our collection of the 12 best Custom GPTs that allow you to use specific innovation-related datasets or methodologies on top of OpenAI’s ChatGPT platform.
Is AI a Bubble… or a Massive Opportunity?
Rana el Kaliouby talks about how she defines human-centric AI; how vibe coding is being used in large organizations; the sci-fi movie “Her”; and her biggest concerns about the AI age.
The 10 Best Anti-Innovation Quotes: Hollywood Edition
With the holiday movie-going season upon us, we assembled a list of anti-innovation quotes from notable Hollywood executives, inventors, and directors — just to show that no industry is without its nay-sayers who can rationally explain why change will never come.
How Google X Works to Systematize Innovation
Helen Riley of Google X talks about the organization’s mission; several current projects; how they deal with failure; and their efforts to systematize innovation.
How Suffolk Construction and Takeda Pharmaceutical Drive Innovation with Data and Startup Investments
One of the mainstage sessions at our recent Impact conference in Boston featured Jit Kee Chin, Chief Technology Officer at Suffolk Construction, and Gabriele Ricci, Chief Data and Technology Officer at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Here are seven key themes they discussed…
Success Factors: Insights from the 2025 Impact Award Winners
During a session at the 2025 Impact conference in Boston last month, five leaders from organizations that won Impact Awards shared how they are using artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to produce measurable business impact.
Advancing AI, Digital Twins, and Predictive Maintenance at $23B Johnson Controls
We talk with VP Tyler Smith to get his advice on driving innovation in the built environment.
SharkNinja CEO on Launching 25 Products a Year, and Avoiding ‘Innovation Mediocrity’
SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas explains how he fosters innovation at the company — and how they leverage social media as part of their marketing.
How Adecco Aims to ‘Disrupt the Staffing Industry’ with AI
Daniela Petronic, the head of AI Transformation for Adecco, discusses the company’s early AI deployments; employee training initiatives; and the five principles that guide the use of AI at Adecco.
Using AI to Support Innovation (and Iteration) at ServiceNow
Since its founding in 2004, Silicon Valley-based ServiceNow has been all about automating business workflows. So in the current AI era, the $11 billion company is focused on how various types of AI will support that automation. And often, ServiceNow’s own employees are “customer zero” for new offerings — early adopters for the products and services it builds.
11 AI Trends for Healthcare Heading into 2026
Healthcare AI trends according to the Mayo Clinic, Oracle, UCLA Health, and a former partner at Mass General Brigham’s AI and Digital Innovation Fund.
How ADP is Prioritizing AI Initiatives
With annual revenues of nearly $21 billion, the human resources software and services is looking to artificial intelligence to help it maintain — and build on — an already strong position in the market. We talk to the company’s Chief Product and AI Officer.
Moving Industries Forward: The Winners and Finalists for InnoLead’s 2025 Impact Awards
From supersonic aircraft to heavy trucks to robotic surgical assistants, this year’s Impact Awards focus on companies that are moving their industries forward. Here are the 15 finalists…
What the CEOs of Disney, Walmart, Amazon, and Other Companies are Saying About AI
“AI may be the most powerful technology that our company has ever seen,” and other quotes from CEOs about the impact of AI.
Ai4 Conference Recap: From Popsicle Fails to Superintelligence
The Ai4 2025 conference in Las Vegas was a good opportunity to take the temperature of the AI sector, including agentic AI, spatial intelligence, and AI-powered genetic engineering.
Is Your Company an ‘AI Scaler’?
According to Anna James, Research & Operations Lead at Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, companies that qualify as “AI scalers” are approaching AI as a new kind of infrastructure that is not optional to build. Here’s our interview…
Coding with GenAI: The Current Landscape
From Claude to Lovable to Windsurf, we take a look at the current market for “codegen” tools that can create software from scratch. What’s the ROI and what are the risks of using them?
How Berlin’s Airport Got an AI Customer Service Agent Off the Ground
The AI-based customer service agent Melli has reduced waiting time from several minutes to zero, increased the number of languages offered, and has an 85 percent approval rating from customers. Here’s what the Berlin Airport has in store for the second phase of the project.
With Bee Acquisition, Amazon Makes a Big Play in AI Wearables
This week, news broke that Amazon had acquired Bee, an AI wearables startup best known for a $50 wristband and companion app that records and transcribes nearly everything a user (and anyone within earshot) says. Here’s our take on what it means…
How Norfolk Southern is Using AI to Help ‘Move the US Economy’
Norfolk Southern is investing in artificial intelligence to reshape how it moves freight across its 28,000-mile rail network. And one of the people driving that train is Mabby Amouie, Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Data and Analytics, who oversees the company’s AI strategy — from making use of sensor data to deploying machine learning models that optimize safety and efficiency. Here’s our in-depth interview…
Top AI Conferences and Trade Shows for Enterprise Executives: 2026
We’ve been talking to the InnoLead community and scouring the web to assemble a list of the best AI events in 2025 and 2026 around the world. Here’s our list…
How Atlassian is Deploying AI Agents and Measuring Their Impact
The world of AI agents is still evolving, but Atlassian, a collaboration software company headquartered in Sydney, Australia, has been putting agents to work for more than a year, and offering agentic AI technology to customers since April. We talk to Shihab Hamid, Head of Product for Rovo Agents at Atlassian, about what they can do.




































































