IESE Insight - Innovation and Change

The creative odyssey of Stanley Kubrick

IESE Insight This year marks 20 years since the death of the visionary director, Stanley Kubrick. As a retrospective of his work tours the world, we revisit his groundbreaking classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, to discover some keys to innovation from the filmmaker's creative process.

The Amazon effect: ready for the next disruption?

IESE Insight Amazon, celebrating its 25th anniversary, has grown into an e-commerce giant capable of transforming any sector it touches. Here's how that happened (and what may happen next).

Technology transfer: how to commercialize discoveries via linked innovation

Siota, Josemaria; Dávila, Antonio A new report on technology transfer offers 18 best practices and 12 business models to help research centers commercialize their discoveries, for linked innovation that's economically sustainable.

How profitable are bike-sharing systems?

Martínez, Sergi; Tapia, Albert; Bernardo, Valeria; Rodríguez Planas, Miquel; Ricart, Joan Enric For every 1 euro invested in urban bike-sharing programs, cities are seeing as much as 1.72 euros in return. Will this golden era of cycling last? A look at the economics, well-being and future directions on two wheels.

London, the smartest city in the world in spite of Brexit

Berrone, Pascual; Ricart, Joan Enric; Duch, Ana; Carrasco, Carlos Despite the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, the capital of the United Kingdom reigns as the world's "smartest" city, according to the IESE Cities in Motion Index 2019.

What is holding back tech licensing?

Moreira, Solon; Cabaleiro, Goretti; Reichstein, Toke New technologies could be commercialized to a greater extent than they currently are. But when competition is fierce and sunk costs run high, technology owners are reluctant to out-license. How might this reluctance be overcome?

How to get peak performance out of an innovation tournament

Camacho, Nuno; Nam, Hyoryung; Kannan, P. K.; Stremersch, Stefan Innovation tournaments have become a popular way to crowdsource new ideas from outside a firm. A study by IESE's Stefan Stremersch and colleagues reveals a surprising metric for tournament success, and why moderators may need to be cruel to be kind.

Better access to basic research could lend firms a competitive edge

Cassiman, Bruno; Veugelers, Reinhilde; Arts, Sam Companies serious about innovation need to think about where, and how, they access the building blocks to developing new ideas. Partnerships with educational institutions may provide the right context.

The recipe for success of El Celler de Can Roca

IESE Insight Joan Roca, the celebrated chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant El Celler de Can Roca, reveals the ingredients necessary for achieving world-class innovation.

Corporate venturing: give your CIO the gift of a full night's sleep

Prats, Mª Julia; Siota, Josemaria; Martinez-Monche, Isabel; Martínez, Yair We know corporate venturing is important, but applying it is the hard part. Many chief innovation officers suffer sleepless nights. Here are some solutions and good practices from Adidas, Intel and others who have gone before.