Opportunity recognition and breakthrough innovation in large established firms

Within the context of the large established organization, breakthrough idea s are frequently lost. This article details describes how breakthrough inno vations are captured through opportunity recognition. It is based on eviden ce from a six-year long study of twelve radical innovation projects in ten large U.S. firms. The article highlights inefficiencies in current manageri al processes and provides examples of organizational structures, mechanisms , and roles directed at reducing these inefficiencies. It presents a set of approaches for improving opportunity recognition capabilities and identifi es several mechanisms for senior management to encourage "radical innovatio n" people and processes.