How serial innovators transform product management
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TLDR

Navigating innovation in mature organizations requires a unique approach that goes beyond traditional business strategies. During my conversation with Bruce Vojak, PhD, a leading expert in breakthrough innovation, we explored the challenges and opportunities for product managers and business leaders seeking to drive meaningful organizational change. The key is understanding how serial innovators can transform business potential and overcome deeply entrenched operational mindsets.

• 
  
• Understand the concept of serial innovators and their unique value to organizations
  
• Learn strategies for overcoming innovation barriers in mature businesses
  
• Discover practical tools for fostering a culture of continuous innovation
  
• Explore real-world examples of successful innovation in different industries
  
• Develop a mindset that embraces creative problem-solving and organizational renewal
  

Introduction

Innovating is tough for businesses. Companies find something that works and gives them a competitive advantage and then tend to stick with it, limiting meaningful innovation over time. Since you are an innovator, you already know where your organization struggles with innovation. I have had the pleasure of coaching some of the best organizations in their industry and I can tell you every company can improve how it innovates. Let’s get some help and learn how to talk about the importance of innovation with senior leaders and the tools that can help organizations be better at innovation.

Joining us is Dr. Bruce Vojak, founder of Breakthrough Innovation Advisors. He helps companies survive and thrive in a volatile, complex, and increasingly ambiguous world. Bruce has a unique and powerful mix of expertise in product innovation, including as a Director at Motorola, and in academia and research, serving at the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and previously as a researcher at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. His research in innovation has been published in several places, including his recent book No-Excuses Innovation and his practice-changing book Serial Innovators.

The Challenge of Innovation in Today’s Business Landscape

Mature businesses typically have three strategic options when facing innovation challenges:

Strategy
Description

Extend Current Model
Optimize existing processes and incrementally improve current offerings

Lean Optimization
Focus on reducing costs and improving operational efficiency

Pursue Innovation
Develop breakthrough solutions and explore new market opportunities

The most successful organizations recognize that innovation is not a one-time event but a continuous process. It requires a unique approach that goes beyond traditional management techniques. Product managers and business leaders must create an environment that nurtures creative thinking, supports risk-taking, and values the unique perspectives of serial innovators within their organizations.

By understanding these challenges and adopting a proactive approach to innovation, businesses can transform potential obstacles into opportunities for growth and renewal.

Understanding Serial Innovators: The Breakthrough Difference

Serial innovators are a unique breed of professionals who consistently drive breakthrough innovations within organizations. These individuals possess a remarkable ability to see opportunities where others see roadblocks.

Bruce’s research, highlighted in the groundbreaking book Serial Innovators revealed fascinating insights into these exceptional team members. Unlike traditional employees who often work within established frameworks, serial innovators approach challenges with a fundamentally different mindset. They’re not just thinking outside the box – they’re reimagining the box entirely.

Characteristics of Serial Innovators

What sets these individuals apart? Bruce’s research identified several key traits:

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• Exceptional ability to understand unarticulated customer needs
  
• Willingness to challenge existing organizational assumptions
  
• Capability to reframe complex problems in unique ways
  
• Intrinsic motivation to drive meaningful change
  

The Value They Bring to Organizations

Serial innovators are not just creative thinkers – they’re strategic assets. Many of the most significant breakthroughs in business come from these individuals who:

Innovation Capability
Organizational Impact

See Patterns Others Miss
Identify new market opportunities before competitors

Navigate Organizational Challenges
Build bridges between departments and break down silos

Drive Continuous Improvement
Create sustainable paths for business renewal

One insight from Bruce’s research was the diverse backgrounds of these innovators. Interestingly, most serial innovators he studied did not have traditional business degrees. Instead, they learned business “on the street” – through direct experience, observation, and an innate ability to solve real-world problems.

The key for organizations is not just identifying these individuals, but creating an environment that nurtures and supports their unique approach to innovation. This means moving beyond rigid processes and embracing a more flexible, human-centered approach to product development and organizational strategy.

By recognizing and empowering serial innovators, companies can transform their innovation potential and create sustainable paths for growth in an increasingly competitive business landscape.

Overcoming Innovation Barriers in Mature Organizations

Innovation doesn’t happen by accident. Organizations often struggle to break free from the gravitational pull of their existing business models. Mature companies, in particular, face significant challenges when attempting to drive meaningful innovation.

Most organizations inadvertently create barriers that prevent breakthrough thinking. These barriers can be deeply ingrained in company culture, organizational structure, and management approaches. Functional departments often become siloed, with each team focused narrowly on their specific performance metrics, creating natural resistance to cross-functional innovation efforts.

Common Innovation Roadblocks

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• Comfort with existing successful business models
  
• Reward systems that discourage risk-taking
  
• Rigid organizational hierarchies
  
• Fear of failure and short-term performance pressures
  

Tools and Frameworks for Innovation Success

Having the right tools can make the difference between innovation success and failure. While processes alone don’t guarantee breakthrough innovations, they provide essential frameworks for structured thinking and exploration.

Bruce shared valuable insights about combining traditional innovation approaches with more unconventional methods. The key is understanding that these tools should enable rather than constrain creative thinking.

Essential Innovation Tools

Tool Type
Purpose
Key Benefits

Design Thinking
Customer-focused problem solving
Ensures solutions address real needs

Lean Innovation
Rapid experimentation
Reduces waste and speeds learning

Phase-Gate Process
Risk management
Provides structured decision points

Open Innovation
External collaboration
Accesses diverse perspectives

Strategies for Breaking Through

Bruce emphasized that successful serial innovators often practice what he calls “understanding unarticulated assumptions.” This means looking beyond surface-level problems to identify deeper patterns and opportunities. The most effective innovation tools support this kind of deep exploration while providing practical frameworks for moving ideas forward.

The key is remembering that these tools should serve as enablers rather than constraints. Whether you’re using design thinking, lean methodologies, or another framework, the goal is to support and amplify innovative thinking, not replace it with rigid processes.

Leading Innovation: Strategies for Success

Navigating organizational resistance to innovation requires a delicate balance of leadership approaches. Bruce shared several powerful strategies that successful innovation leaders use to drive meaningful change in their organizations.

Three Key Approaches to Innovation Leadership

Strategy
Description
When to Use

Direct Advocacy
Making compelling arguments for innovation
When leadership is receptive to new ideas

Strategic Maneuvering
Building coalitions and influence
When facing organizational resistance

Quiet Momentum
Working behind the scenes until projects become “too big to fail”
When direct approaches might face early rejection

The “quiet momentum” approach proved particularly interesting. Bruce shared examples of successful innovation leaders who chose to work quietly on breakthrough projects until they became too significant to ignore. This strategy often works well in organizations where traditional innovation processes might stifle creativity early on.

Building Innovation Support

Effective innovation leaders focus on:

• 
  
• Creating psychological safety for teams to experiment and take risks
  
• Developing cross-functional relationships to navigate organizational barriers
  
• Identifying and nurturing potential serial innovators within the organization
  
• Building credibility through small wins before pursuing larger innovations
  

One insight from our discussion was the importance of understanding organizational context. What works in one company might fail in another. The most successful innovation leaders adapt their approach based on their organization’s culture, structure, and readiness for change.

Bruce emphasized that innovation leadership isn’t just about managing processes – it’s about creating environments where breakthrough thinking can flourish. This often means protecting innovative teams from bureaucratic constraints while still maintaining enough structure to deliver results.

The key is finding the right balance between structure and freedom, between direct advocacy and behind-the-scenes work, and between short-term results and long-term innovation potential. Success often comes from knowing when to push forward and when to build quiet momentum for change.

Real-World Innovation Success Stories

In my discussion with Bruce, we explored several compelling examples of successful innovation in mature industries. These case studies demonstrate how organizations can achieve breakthrough results even in traditionally conservative markets.

Innovation in Action: Key Examples

Company
Innovation
Key Insight

Slice
Reimagined Box Cutter
Finding innovation opportunities in commodity products

West Tech Automation
Electric Vehicle Manufacturing
Breaking traditional supplier-client relationships

Midtronics
Battery Management Systems
40-year culture of continuous renewal

The Slice box cutter case particularly stands out. In a market where box cutters were seen as pure commodities, the company identified opportunities for meaningful innovation. They introduced features like:

• 
  
• Ergonomic handle design for better grip and protection
  
• Ceramic blade technology for longer life
  
• Enhanced safety features
  
• Improved user experience
  

West Tech Automation’s story demonstrates how companies can innovate in their approach to customer relationships. Rather than following traditional supplier specifications, they embraced a collaborative approach to solving complex manufacturing challenges in the electric vehicle industry. This required a fundamental shift in how they engaged with clients and managed projects.

The Moneyball Effect

Bruce highlighted the movie Moneyball as a metaphor for innovation in traditional industries. The story illustrates several key innovation principles:

1. 
   
2. Challenging deeply held industry assumptions
   
3. Using data to drive decision-making
   
4. Navigating organizational resistance to change
   
5. Creating sustainable competitive advantages
   

These examples show that meaningful innovation is possible in any industry, regardless of how mature or traditional it might be. The key is finding ways to challenge assumptions, identify unmet needs, and execute effectively on new ideas. Success often comes from combining deep industry knowledge with fresh perspectives on longstanding challenges.

Conclusion

The landscape of product innovation is continuously evolving, and the insights Bruce shared during our conversation reveal both challenges and opportunities for today’s business leaders. Organizations that want to thrive, rather than just survive, must embrace innovation as a core capability rather than treating it as a peripheral activity.

For organizations seeking to enhance their innovation capabilities:

• 
  
• Start by recognizing and supporting the serial innovators already in your midst
  
• Create space for experimentation and learning from both successes and failures
  
• Build cross-functional relationships that enable innovation to flourish
  
• Invest in tools and frameworks that support rather than restrict creative thinking
  

The message is clear: in today’s rapidly changing business environment, innovation isn’t just an option – it’s a necessity for long-term survival and growth. Whether you’re leading a small enterprise or a large corporation, the ability to innovate consistently and meaningfully will increasingly determine your organization’s success.

Remember, there are no excuses for avoiding innovation. Every organization, regardless of size or industry, has the potential to create breakthrough value. The key is combining the right mindset, tools, and leadership approaches to unlock that potential.

Useful links:

• 
  
• Check out Bruce’s website, Breakthrough Innovation Advisors
  
• Connect with Bruce on LinkedIn
  

Innovation Quote

“We have a guy like that; his name is Kevin.” – Steve McShane, founder and CEO of Midtronics, Inc., in response to Bruce sharing insights about Serial Innovators

“I see dead people.” – Nancy Dawes, retired Vic Mills Fellow at P&G and Serial Innovator, in response to Bruce’s question, “How do you know what to do?” describing her ability to see patterns and opportunities that others missed

Application Questions

1. 
   
2. How could you identify potential serial innovators within your organization? What characteristics would you look for, and how could you create opportunities for them to demonstrate their innovative capabilities?
   
3. Think about a recent innovation initiative that faced resistance in your organization. How could you apply the “quiet momentum” strategy to build support for similar initiatives in the future? What specific steps would you take to grow the project until it becomes “too big to fail”?
   
4. How could your team adapt Adobe’s Kickbox program concept to fit your organization’s needs and constraints? What resources and support would you need to include to make it successful in your specific context?
   
5. Looking at your current product portfolio, where could you find opportunities for breakthrough innovation in seemingly “commodity” products, similar to the Slice box cutter example? How could you and your team challenge basic assumptions about these products?
   
6. How could you better balance your organization’s need for structured processes with the flexibility required for breakthrough innovation? What specific changes to your current development process would help achieve this balance?
   

Bio

A leading authority on innovation, Bruce Vojak helps mature companies survive and thrive in a volatile, complex, and increasingly ambiguous world. Co-author of No-Excuses Innovation: Strategies for Small- and Medium-Sized Mature Enterprises (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2022) and Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), Bruce is a Senior Fellow with The Conference Board, he has served on the boards of JVA Partners, Micron Industries Corporation, and Midtronics, Inc. He regularly presents to, leads workshops for, and advises various other companies, having founded Breakthrough Innovation Advisors, LLC following and building on a career as an innovation practitioner and executive at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Amoco Corporation, and Motorola, and as an innovation researcher in the top-ranked Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana‐Champaign.

Thanks!

Thank you for taking the journey to product mastery and learning with me from the successes and failures of product innovators, managers, and developers. If you enjoyed the discussion, help out a fellow product manager by sharing it using the social media buttons you see below.