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  • March–April 2013
  • Article
  • European Business Review

Unlocking Innovation Through Business Experimentation

By: Stefan Thomke
  • Format:Print
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Abstract

There is a downside to businesses that focus heavily on standardization, optimization, and driving out variability: Such organizations leave themselves vulnerable to underinvesting in experimentation and variation, which are the lifeblood of innovation. Good experimentation helps firms better manage myriad sources of uncertainty (such as, does the product work as intended and does it address actual customer needs?) when past experience can be limiting. And it is only through such experimentation, which might include structured cause-and-effect tests, informal trial-and-error experiments, and rigorous randomized field trials, that companies can unlock their true capacity for innovation.

Keywords

Experimentation; Innovation Management; Learning And Development; Research; Innovation and Management; Business Processes

Citation

Thomke, Stefan. "Unlocking Innovation Through Business Experimentation." European Business Review (March–April 2013): 55–58.
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About The Author

Stefan H. Thomke

Technology and Operations Management
→More Publications

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More from the Author
  • Capture New Value from Your Existing Tech Infrastructure By: Stefan Thomke and Anthony Rodrigo
  • Act Like a Scientist: Great Leaders Challenge Assumptions, Run Experiments, and Follow the Evidence By: Stefan Thomke and Gary W. Loveman
  • High Velocity Business Experiments By: Stefan Thomke and Jim Euchner
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