Is innovative thinking simply a question of expanding ones comfort zone and confronting the unconventional?
Innovation consists in questioning taken-for-granted assumptions, which is certainly not a simple task. It requires a culture opened to debates and controversy, bold innovators and wise executives. Many corporations are too dependent from their established recipes to accept disruptions. Does the EMBA classroom provide an environment that kindles innovative thinking? By definition, the EMBA classroom gathers talented people from different origins, cultures, and backgrounds. This is a prerequisite to any innovation process. Of course, in order to leverage this unique context, professors have to prompt innovation thinking by creating positive tensions and challenges. Creativity comes from constraints. Do corporations expect EMBA participants to bring back innovative thinking to the workplace as an acquired skill? I am convinced top executives know that an army of clones is the surest pathway to inertia and failure. Long-term success implies a right to dissent. EMBA participants must be ch
