Ten years ago, you'd have been hard-pressed to find a chief innovation officer on any company's leadership team. Today such leading companies as AMD, Citigroup, Coca-Cola, DuPont, Humana, and Owens Corning each have one. Many others, including Johnson & Johnson, have senior leaders who are tasked with heading innovation in effect, if not in name.
Not that innovation is new: Organizations have been innovating as long as companies have existed. Why the new role now? There are many reasons. Three stand out.
