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I have been listening to the Killer Innovations podcast since the beginning. Phil McKinney, former VP of Technology for Hewlett-Packard, is an expert on innovation and his podcasts always illuminate the thorniest innovation problems.

After listening to this episode — Fighting The Corporate Anitbodies — I had to pass it on to you. This podcast comes from McKinney’s  new book, Beyond the Obvious, which includes many of the ideas he has discussed in his podcast over the years.

When we are trying to innovate, there are many different types of corporate “antibodies” that use their tried and true methods to prevent that innovation from happening. McKinney gives us some methods for counteracting these antibodies and, hopefully, move our innovations forward.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. Please share your comments and questions in the comments area. I think this is a great topic of conversation for career builders of all types.

Fighting the Corporate Antibodies by Phil McKinney

The antagonist of the innovator is the corporate antibody.

[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/philmckinney/KI_2012_02_Fighting_The_Corporate_Antibodies.mp3]

Much like antibodies in our immune system attack and destroy foreign objects that might harm the body, “antibodies” in your organization identify and neutralize forces that threaten to destabilize a company. And in much the same way as antibodies can damage the very thing they seek to protect — for instance when they cause the body to reject a transplanted organ — corporate antibodies can stunt a company’s growth (and not address the innovators dilemma) when the shut down the fresh ideas and unconventional thinkers it so badly needs.

Some of the types of corporate antibodies are:

• The Ego Antibody

• The Fatigued Antibody

• The No-Risk Antibody

• The Comfort Antibody

Antibodies are the roadblock to innovation.

So how do you fight the corporate antibodies? Listen to the podcast …

Note: This podcast presents the highlights from Chapter 3 from the book, Beyond The Obvious.