The Innovation Nobody Can Measure

Why do the most promising innovation programs inside big companies keep getting killed — even when they're working? Host Kevin McGinnis shares the story of Hack Friday, a hackathon program he helped build inside Sprint that grew in popularity month after month, only to be shut down for not producing a "shippable" solution fast enough. In this solo episode, Kevin argues that story isn't unique — it's a symptom of how corporations structure innovation itself. He draws on research from sociologist Ronald Burt, author Frans Johansson, and the economic concept of absorptive capacity to explain why proximity to new ideas, not a defined ROI, is what actually drives breakthroughs. He closes with four practical shifts leaders can make to protect innovation from getting measured to death before it has a chance to compound. A candid, research-backed look at why innovation keeps getting killed for the wrong reasons — and what to do instead.