Reverse Innovation Strategy

In her reverse innovation talk, Lisa Bodell discusses the concept of 'Kill the Company,' the ethos (and title) of her new book. While the name may sound counter-intuitive, the practice is simply about removing dead weight in order to make room for innovation. In fact, purging your company of tired and impractical rituals is, according to Bodell, integral to the process of innovation.

The idea of Kill the Company came about during a particularly painful workshop in which the leaders were having difficulty engaging the attendees. In an attempt to salvage the event, Bodell threw the agenda out the window: she had the participants gather according to their function, and together, they were to envision themselves as their own competitors, brainstorming ways to 'Kill' their own companies.

The experience proved to be cathartic, as people abandoned political correctness in favor of attacking the things that were really wrong. At its essence, Killing the Company is really about killing the rules and making space for innovation.