Innovation at GlaxoSmithKline: is it the safest way?

Creativity, so business theorists say, is a firm’s most valuable asset. We’ve all heard the mantras: “ideas are the future!” “innovate or die!” Getting the message is easy enough but for a lot of firms developing and harnessing creative ideas is easier said than done. Creativity is a particularly difficult notion for managers to have to deal with and, more importantly, account for. How do we decide we can afford to change the way we do things and invest in developing new ideas without the proof they are going to pay off?