In reading the HBR Blog about Why Big Companies Can't Innovate and the Gerber example I tend to disagree with the post. While Gerber Singles failed I don't see it as a big company not being able to innovate; I see it as a branding and marketing problem. It is perfectly feasible for Gerber to introduce healthy food options for adults, but having the Gerber brand name on the packaging was the mistake. Gerber is a well know brand known only for making baby food. Although baby food tastes good, (I have a 1.5 yr old and have tried it) it is not visually appealing and is not appetizing to most adults. If they would have tried to re branded under a different name, I think they could have been successful.
I agree with he blog that larger more mature companies are always looking to drive costs out of the business by being more efficient and streamlining existing processes. There are also examples of large mature companies still being able to successfully innovate. Companies like 3M and DuPont have built innovation into their culture and are constantly coming up with new innovative products. I think the main issue for larger companies that have trouble innovating is that the culture of the company never fostered innovative spirit and it is not something that can be changed overnight.
