An interesting point about technology innovation is that almost none is done by large companies. Small companies or small units that are autonomous of large companies do technological innovation. An organizational leadership scholar once told me it was effective span of control by the leaders. Vision and enthusiasm can only be pushed out by leaders to a certain number of individuals.

When was the last time you heard somebody in governmental or business leadership positions talking about vision and it didn't sound pedantic or hollow? When you can't create consensus in an organization (even at the platoon leader level) you are left with tools like fear and authority to get the job done. Those two tools being in direct contradiction to vision and innovation.

I was only a corporal in the Marines so my leadership was learned much in law enforcement and business. In once case running a 100 million dollar project my span of control was 15 subordinates with a team total of 135 or so on my project. The VP I worked for was an Army colonel and he laughed when i set up the project in teams of 5, with three teams of five being a section, and three sections per department... The organization ran lean, ran fast, and came in on-time and under budget.

I learned from that job the worst thing an organization can do is give you everything you ask for. A lean staffing profile is much better than bloated. It was a hard lesson but I learned that work is not done by the leaders and in general they just get in the way. Vision and mission is done by leaders and their effectiveness should be rated on their ability to communicate that to the leaves of the organization.

I know with the amount of military leadership here none of that would be much of a surprise.

Of course at the end of the project they disbanded the team and sent the CEO to jail but that is another story.