The Innovation Show

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 happen...

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 archetype...

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 sp...

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 equall...

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 expectati...

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 analys...

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 resear...

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 pun...

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 • Th...

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 busi...

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 Spo...

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/Kardas...

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...

📘 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...

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 . Dis...

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...

🔮 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 traditi...

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...

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 groundb...

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...

  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...

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 pa...

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 Gu...

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 V...

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...