For innovation to be successful in large organizations, I think you need a strategy that considers the end-to-end lifecycle of innovations. To me this means you need an ecosystem which spans several stages and provide capabilities that allow formal & informal innovation:

1. Get Ideas – where can we get ideas, how can we validate and rate them, can we stimulate innovative thinking in particular areas, etc.
2. Try Good Ideas – where and how can we try out some of these ideas, who funds prototypes & pilots, how do we know if they are good, etc.
3. Promote Winners – how can we get our promising innovations into the mainstream, who funds taking them to the next level, how easy can they integrate and/or scale, etc.
4. Productize – is this something we can sell, is there a market for this, etc.

Across each of these stages, you need to also be mindful of the dynamics and perspectives of who is involved. Each stage of the end-to-end innovation lifecycle brings a different set of interested parties.

• Motivations – What motivates the innovator? What motivates the early adopter? Why would a mainstream person be interested? Is this optional or required?
• Incentives – Do we need incentives to get ideas, to rate ideas, etc? How di we celebrate successes at each stage? What are the benefits for involved parties?
• Investments – Why should we invest time/money/resources/attention? Is the return tangible? How long before we see results?
• Risks – What happens if we fail? Are we willing to put our money where our mouth is?

I further believe you MUST ensure connectivity and flow across each stage of the end-to-end innovation lifecycle or you will only get pockets of success. In conclusion, the innovation ecosystem is more valuable than the sum of its parts.