There is a common perception in business that innovation belongs to startups and disruption comes from the edges.

This may be true, but it overlooks an equally important reality: For an innovation to have impact, it must scale.

Travel is a good example. A successful trip depends on a complex network of accommodations, airlines, payments systems, local business connections, and technology platforms. Many times they operate across borders with different regulatory requirements and practices. Simplifying that experience requires orchestrating a global network of partners, systems, and data. Innovation creates new possibilities. Scale turns those possibilities into reliable, global experiences that people trust.  

Yet scale also creates a paradox. As organizations grow, they gain the resources, talent, and reach to solve increasingly complex challenges. However, this growth can also make innovation harder. Decision-making can shift from pursuing opportunity to protecting existing success.

The challenge for large organizations is to preserve the qualities that made them successful in the first place: curiosity, speed, and a willingness to challenge assumptions.

That mindset must be reflected in culture. The most innovative organizations create a shared sense of purpose. They empower teams to question the status quo and put customers at the center of decision-making.

Experimentation is equally important. Scale and experimentation don’t need to be seen as conflicting. In reality, the greater the scale, the greater the opportunity to experiment. Large organizations can learn from a wider range of audiences, markets, and behaviors. But they need to create the conditions for continuous learning. That includes testing and adaptation.

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