This week on The Innovation Storytellers Show, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Dr. Gina O’Connor, Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College. If you’re in the corporate innovation space and feel like you’re spinning your wheels or chasing moonshots that never lift off, this episode is for you.
I first heard Gina speak at the Innov8rs conference in Arizona, and I was blown away by how practical and grounded her research is. She doesn’t just talk theory. She shows exactly what it takes for large companies to build innovation functions that actually deliver. Her work spans decades, and she’s worked with companies like IBM and DSM to study how they’ve structured innovation to drive long-term growth.
We discussed why innovation teams often fail, how to structure a program that lasts beyond a single flashy project, and what it means to build something Gina calls a “domain of innovation intent.” It’s not about chasing shiny objects. It’s about being intentional, strategic, and deeply aligned with your company’s future direction.
What I loved most about our conversation was how she breaks down the three stages of innovation: discovery, incubation, and acceleration. Gina explains that each stage requires different kinds of thinkers, various processes, and substantial leadership support. We also got into why most companies aim too small, how to avoid what she calls “incrementalism creep,” and why so many innovation leaders burn out after just 22 months in the role.
This isn’t just an episode filled with great ideas. It’s a roadmap for anyone trying to build real innovation capability inside a mature organization. If you’ve ever felt stuck between big vision and slow-moving systems, this conversation will help you find a new path forward.
About: Gina
Name: Dr. Gina O’Connor
Title: Profession of Innovation Management
Company: Babson College
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Gina is a Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA, and Faculty Lead of the Strategic Innovation Practice in Babson’s Executive Education Division. She joined Babson after 29 years at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where she served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Director of MBA/MS programs, Director of the Severino Centre for Technology Entrepreneurship, and Academic Director of the Executive MBA program at RPI’s Lally School of Management.
Prof. O’Connor has been an active member of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) for many years and was named a Crawford Fellow in 2018. She’s also a member of the Academy of Management.
She has published more than 75 papers and book chapters, including articles in Sloan Management Review, Harvard Business Review, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Marketing, Organization Science, and Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, among others. Multiple of her papers have been selected or nominated as Best Paper of the Year in their respective journals.
Gina has co-authored three books on breakthrough innovation. The second of those: Grabbing Lightning: Building a Capability for Breakthrough Innovation, was named one of the top three business books of the year by Strategy + Business Magazine, and the third: Beyond the Champion: Institutionalizing Innovation through People was nominated for best book of the year by the Academy of Management.
Her research focuses on Corporate Innovation Capabilities, with a focus on breakthrough innovation in large, mature firms. Gina’s professional objective is to help large established companies learn how to renew themselves through organic growth via game-changing, strategic innovation.
Professor O’Connor earned her Ph.D. in Marketing and Corporate Strategy from New York University.
