2. Ideas require intentional effort and oversight to become solutions. Our first three iterations of side projects were ideas that had been created by employees and worked on by teams without leaders.

Since its inception, Google has encouraged its employees to innovate with the 20% rule, providing employees with the time and space to complete personal projects.

Structure nurtures - rather than hinders - innovation. My colleague Kathy Gersch weighs in on Google 's new rules around their "20% time.". Now that Google has put some rules around “20% time ...