Scientific Definition
Innovation programs designed to signal innovation, not to produce it.
Plain-English Definition
Innovation programs designed to signal innovation, not to produce it.
Feynman Explanation
We have an innovation lab. We just don't ship anything from it.
Core Principle
Innovation programs designed to signal innovation, not to produce it.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Innovation programs designed to signal innovation, not to produce it.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Optics replace outcomes.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
We have an innovation lab. We just don't ship anything from it.
Examples
- Innovation labs with no path to production.
- Optics replace outcomes.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Tie innovation budgets to shipped, scaled, revenue-producing outcomes.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Tie innovation budgets to shipped, scaled, revenue-producing outcomes.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
Awards reward visible novelty; quiet excellence goes unrecognized.
Return-to-office mandated for visibility, not productivity.
Visible presence stands in for measurable productivity.
Earn-outs designed to retain founders often demotivate the team they bought.
Funnels rewarded for new logos under-invest in retention and lifetime value.
Cuts that lift margin this quarter erode product quality and brand equity over years.
Narrowly tied bonuses get gamed; people optimize the metric, not the underlying goal.
Re-hires often get raises larger than internal promotions.
Pay tied to stock price encourages short-term price management.
CEO pay tied to size rewards deal-making even when acquisitions destroy value.
Sales forecasts under-set to ensure attainment bonus.
Capital tied to growth rates funds unsustainable scaling and unit-economics denial.