EXTENDED CASE STUDY: ROCHE Original Source: Mix the wisdom of internal and external networks and you might just come up with brilliant and unexpected solutions to apparently intractable problems. Julian Birkinshaw and Stuart Crainer report on how Roche Diagnostics is exploring an experimental approach to harvesting bright Ideas. When it comes to innovation the stakes don’t come much higher than in the pharmaceutical industry. Innovative solutions for serious medical problems come with an enormous price tag. The Swiss company Roche spent 8.8 billion Swiss francs on R&D in 2008 alone - nearly 20 per cent of its sales. But, there is also a prize: drugs and diagnostics which help people live longer, healthier lives. “There is not economy of scale in research. In research its economy o

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