article thumbnail

How to Hand Off an Innovation Project from One Team to Another

Harvard Business Review

One major Asian electronics company built a design lab to develop new hardware product ideas. When sales of the Frankenstein product missed their mark, everyone shared the blame. Explorers work in teams like R&D, customer insights, or product development. They didn’t have a handoff, they had a drop-off.

article thumbnail

Why the Greek Yogurt Craze Should be a Wake-Up Call to Big Food

Harvard Business Review

Big Food has a proven formula for its products that involves controlling the message and the channel. Companies build consumer awareness through paid media and get products in front of customers by offering promotional dollars to supermarkets to display products prominently in the aisles. Put the product ahead of the brand.