Dialogue @DukeCE: Dancing with Gorillas

All large global corporations face an imperative to innovate – and there’s never been a more important time for them to embrace the agile approach of their entrepreneurial disruptors.

For a decade and a half, I have been studying corporate-startup partnering, something I refer to as ‘dancing with gorillas’. By virtue of their very differences, large corporations – the gorillas – and innovative startups often have complementary capabilities that can be combined for mutual benefit through thoughtful collaboration and partnership.

In an article published in the most recent issue of Dialogue, I argued that corporate-startup partnerships aren’t just for Silicon Valley. They are vital for driving innovation in emerging markets around the world. Large companies fixated on Silicon Valley will miss valuable opportunities for collaborative innovation elsewhere in the world.

Meanwhile, emerging markets are some of the best places for companies to look for innovation and the rewards can be enormous. In the article, I listed THREE approaches to partnering with startups in emerging markets.

Whether for tackling global challenges or for turbo-charging innovation in the era of digital transformation, I believe there has never been a better time for large organizations to embrace the creative energy of their entrepreneurial disruptors. Gorillas can dance. They just need the right partners.

You can read more in my Dialogue article, Dancing with gorillas.