EPISODE · Feb 27, 2026 · 37 MIN
#20 - Breaking Innovation Barriers: Getting Management to Say Yes w/ Gijs van Wulfen (FORTH Method)
from The Corporate Venturing Podcast · host Davide Ritorto
In this episode, I'm joined by Gijs van Wulfen, founder of the FORTH Innovation Method, bestselling author, and keynote speaker named the #1 Design Thinking Thought Leader in the world by Thinkers360. His latest book, Breaking Innovation Barriers, is a practical guide to one of the hardest parts of innovation: getting management to say yes.This is not an episode about innovation theory or design thinking frameworks.It's about the uncomfortable reality that most innovation efforts die not from bad ideas, but from organizational resistance, misaligned incentives, and leaders who ask for innovation then block it at every turn.We go inside the FORTH method, built over decades of frustration in corporate environments, and explore why getting people to say yes matters as much as the idea itself. Gijs walks us through a live project in the Netherlands, from 173 customer frictions to 1,191 ideas to six business cases ready for funding.In this episode, Gijs shares insights on:🧭 Why innovation fails before it starts, fear cascades from the top down🐘 The difference between "innovators" and "innovators," and why urgency changes everything🗺️ How the FORTH method bridges business strategy and creative thinking in five phases🔍 Why frictions are your best source of ideas, and how to surface them fast💡 From 1,191 ideas to six fundable business cases: how the convergence actually works🦾 What exoskeletons taught a team about separating real trends from hype🤝 Why empathy for the most conservative people in your organization determines your speedWe close the episode by reframing innovation not as a creative challenge but as an organizational and human one. The slowest animals in the herd set the pace. The innovator's job is to bring them along.Resources:Open Road Ventures NewsletterGijs van Wulfen WebsiteBreaking Innovation Barriers (book)🎧 Follow the podcast for grounded conversations on what actually shapes innovation and corporate venturing, beyond the frameworks, beyond the hype.
What this episode covers
In this episode, I'm joined by Gijs van Wulfen, founder of the FORTH Innovation Method, bestselling author, and keynote speaker named the #1 Design Thinking Thought Leader in the world by Thinkers360. His latest book, Breaking Innovation Barriers, is a practical guide to one of the hardest parts of innovation: getting management to say yes.This is not an episode about innovation theory or design thinking frameworks.It's about the uncomfortable reality that most innovation efforts die not from bad ideas, but from organizational resistance, misaligned incentives, and leaders who ask for innovation then block it at every turn.We go inside the FORTH method, built over decades of frustration in corporate environments, and explore why getting people to say yes matters as much as the idea itself. Gijs walks us through a live project in the Netherlands, from 173 customer frictions to 1,191 ideas to six business cases ready for funding.In this episode, Gijs shares insights on:🧭 Why innovation fails before it starts, fear cascades from the top down🐘 The difference between "innovators" and "innovators," and why urgency changes everything🗺️ How the FORTH method bridges business strategy and creative thinking in five phases🔍 Why frictions are your best source of ideas, and how to surface them fast💡 From 1,191 ideas to six fundable business cases: how the convergence actually works🦾 What exoskeletons taught a team about separating real trends from hype🤝 Why empathy for the most conservative people in your organization determines your speedWe close the episode by reframing innovation not as a creative challenge but as an organizational and human one. The slowest animals in the herd set the pace. The innovator's job is to bring them along.Resources:Open Road Ventures NewsletterGijs van Wulfen WebsiteBreaking Innovation Barriers (book)🎧 Follow the podcast for grounded conversations on what actually shapes innovation and corporate venturing, beyond the frameworks, beyond the hype.
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#20 - Breaking Innovation Barriers: Getting Management to Say Yes w/ Gijs van Wulfen (FORTH Method)
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