From his new book Breaking Bad Habits, LBS's Freek Vermeulen explores the ten commandments your business must follow to reinvigorate your organisation. http://www.freekvermeulen.com/

1. Breaking
Bad Habits
Freek Vermeulen’s
ten commandments of
business innovation

2. Ten commandments of business innovation
Businesses and organisations are harming
themselves by the continued use of so-called
‘best practices’ which have outlived their
usefulness, says Freek Vermeulen of
London Business School.
It’s easy to become blind to the negative effects of
established practices, thinking: ‘That’s just the way
we do it here.’
So, to reinvigorate your organisation, pick some
longstanding business processes and review
their purpose and effectiveness.

3. Ten commandments of business innovation
1. Cut out the
benchmarking
The herd mentality creates
and perpetuates bad
practices

4. Ten commandments of business innovation
2. Reverse
benchmark instead
Consider why competitors
are doing things – if there’s
no good reason, do it
differently

5. Ten commandments of business innovation
3. Experiment
if you can
But make sure to do it well

6. Ten commandments of business innovation
4. Monitor entrants
and companies in
distress
Companies with less to
lose may be undertaking
bold experiments

7. Ten commandments of business innovation
feedback
5. Ask insiders
for concerns
Sometimes the best
vantage point is from
ground level

8. Ten commandments of business innovation
? ?
6. Ask outsiders for
suspicions
If they don’t know ‘how
things are done’, they will
be more willing to question
practices

9. Ten commandments of business innovation
7. Create bundles
of practices
Form a new business
model that connects a
set of activities that fit
together

10. Ten commandments of business innovation
8. Take aim at a chunk
of the market
Target a customer base
that has been under-served

11. Ten commandments of business innovation
9. Just stop the
practice
Focus on what’s really
important

12. Ten commandments of business innovation
10. Watch out for
‘that’s the way we do
things round here’
It’s an instant clue that
you’ve found a bad habit
that needs to stop

13. From Breaking Bad Habits: Defy Industry
Norms and Reinvigorate Your Business,
by Freek Vermeulen, Associate Professor
of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at
London Business School.
Published by Harvard Business Review
Press, November 2017
To read more visit www.london.edu/lbsr