Why Innovators in China Stay Close to the Market

Most large companies take a similar approach to corporate innovation, running it out of centralized innovation groups. But companies in China, both domestic and foreign, are much more likely to turn to market-facing sources of innovation, including customers, competitors, and front-line employees. China’s fast growth is producing a disproportionately large share of new customers for many industries, which demands an orientation toward generating ideas closer to customers to drive more market-led innovation.