The Innovation Edge with Merle Symes

Joe Pardavila sits down with Merle Symes, author of The Innovation Edge: How Large Companies Lose It and How to Get It Back, to explore the challenges and nuances of fostering innovation in established organizations.Merle breaks down the critical differences between incremental and strategic innovation, explaining why traditional project management methods often fail when applied to groundbreaking ideas. The conversation delves into the "S-Curve Paradox," where companies at their peak success are most vulnerable to disruption, and the concept of "intelligent failure"—how to fail purposefully and learn from setbacks without stifling creativity.Joe and Merle also discuss the cultural barriers to innovation, including short-termism, the "check-the-box" mentality, and the need for leadership to embrace an "ambidextrous" approach—balancing immediate goals with long-term vision. Through real-world examples like Kodak, Blockbuster, and Intel, they highlight the consequences of resting on past successes and missing emerging opportunities.Touching on the role of AI and the importance of organizational mindset, this episode offers actionable insights for leaders aiming to reignite innovation in their teams. Whether you're navigating corporate inertia or looking to build a culture of continuous reinvention, Merle’s expertise provides a roadmap for staying ahead in an ever-evolving business landscape. Merle Symes works with senior management teams to help them realize their aspirations through agile strategy, high-impact innovation, and business performance. He has assisted senior management teams in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to early-stage ventures.Mr. Symes has developed a number of leading-edge principles and tools for enhancing business success. It includes a process for creating Innovation by Design® in strategically targeted areas, project management methods and active risk management tools for managing high return/higher risk innovation, and business performance initiatives and guidelines for helping management teams develop a more entrepreneurial and innovative culture.In his 50-year career, Mr. Symes has held a number of executive positions and he brings real-world knowledge and experience to leading-edge methods and practices. Most recently he has served as CEO of the tech venture, Graematter. His previous positions include President of Ulrich Medical, a U.S. subsidiary of a German medical device company. Prior to that he held the position of Vice President, External Technology for Bausch & Lomb where his organization established a process for locating and acquiring external technology that was recognized by the Corporate Executive Board as being one of the top five best practices, as identified in their research of major companies.Mr. Symes has served in executive positions in both the U.S. and Europe, including turnaround situations. Prior to Bausch & Lomb, he held positions in Wyeth (now part of Pfizer), Monsanto and Dupont. He regularly advises boards of directors and has held board director positions on both public and privately held companies as well as university and charitable organizations. He is affiliated with and serves as a Managing Director of The Walden Group, a boutique New York investment bank specializing in M&A in the medical industry.Mr. Symes has an MBA from the Wharton Graduate School and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology where he has been honored with their Distinguished Alumni Award and serves as Chairman of their University Advisory Board.