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Innovation Portfolio Balance (Core/Adjacent/Transformational)

Distribute innovation investment roughly 70/20/10 across core (improving current), adjacent (nearby extension), transformational (future bet) — not all in one bucket.

40 min Advanced

Goal

Diagnose and correct a common imbalance in organizational innovation portfolios: full focus on improving the current (core) with zero investment in future bets (transformational) that might protect the organization from later disruption.

Steps

1

List all innovation or development initiatives currently running in your organization or department.

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Expected Outcome

Immediate

You see with numeric clarity that all your innovation investment goes to small improvements on the current, with no real future bet.

Evidence base

School: Innovation Portfolio Management / Strategy

Founders: Geoffrey Moore · Bansi Nagji · Geoff Tuff (2012)

Bansi Nagji and Geoff Tuff formulated the "70/20/10" innovation-portfolio-balance model in their Harvard Business Review article (2012), extending Geoffrey Moore's "Zone to Win" work on managing innovation alongside core business.

Frequently asked questions

How long does "Innovation Portfolio Balance (Core/Adjacent/Transformational)" take?

This exercise takes about 40 minutes, practiced solo in a Action format.

When will I notice the effect of "Innovation Portfolio Balance (Core/Adjacent/Transformational)"?

You see with numeric clarity that all your innovation investment goes to small improvements on the current, with no real future bet. In the short term: Within a quarter, one small transformational bet actually begins, with limited resources that don't threaten core-business stability.

Is "Innovation Portfolio Balance (Core/Adjacent/Transformational)" evidence-based?

Yes — it draws on Innovation Portfolio Management / Strategy (Geoffrey Moore, Bansi Nagji, Geoff Tuff (2012)). Bansi Nagji and Geoff Tuff formulated the "70/20/10" innovation-portfolio-balance model in their Harvard Business Review article (2012), extending Geoffrey Moore's "Zone to Win" work on managing innovation alongside core business.

Is "Innovation Portfolio Balance (Core/Adjacent/Transformational)" suitable for beginners?

Its difficulty level is: Advanced. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.

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