The Aspen Institute Roundtable on Institutional Innovation, formerly named the Roundtable on Talent Development, is a private seminar of top level executives and thought leaders. The concept behind this roundtable comes from the work of John Hagel and John Seely Brown, co-chairs of the Deloitte Center for the Edge. Its purpose is to engage high level executives, mostly from large organizations, to address (and where appropriate reframe) approaches to institutional performance through innovation. The aim for this series is to develop those and other insights into plans for action.

The 2013 Roundtable, Structural Tensions and Synergies in the New Digital Environment, is scheduled for July 8-10, 2013 in Aspen, Colorado. For more information, please contact Kiahna Williams, senior project manager at (202) 736-5818 or at kiahna.williams@aspeninstitute.org.

The 2012 Roundtable, Connecting the Edges, took place in Aspen, Colorado July 29-31, 2012.

Connecting the Edges is the report from the 2012 Roundtable on Institutional Innovation. In the current economic environment, growth and underemployment are two outstanding national, indeed international, problems. While technological advances and globalization are often cited as instigators of the current plight, they are also beacons of hope for the future. The report concludes that by integrating the core of an organization with the edge, where innovation is more likely to happen, we can create dynamic, learning networks.

Download or purchase copies of the report here.

The 2011 Aspen Institute Roundtable on Institutional Innovation took place July 16-18 in Aspen, Colorado. Participants explored various models for operating and innovating, seeking new ways to bring about recurring and productive innovation in an organization.

Institutional Innovation: Oxymoron or Imperative? is the report of the 2011 Roundtable on Institutional Innovation. It explores the consequences of the growing disconnect between the fundamental design of most firms and the capabilities of the business infrastructure in which they operate. The report captures the insights of the participants with a focus on identifying conditions that are favorable to institutional innovation and maximizing the effectiveness of institutional leadership.

Download or purchase copies of the report here.

The second annual Aspen Institute Roundtable on Talent Development took place from July 29-31, 2010. The theme of the Roundtable was "Solving the Dilbert Paradox". The Roundtable addressed how firms and organizations can overcome the Dilbert Paradox, to maximize the innovation and productivity that talent – inside and outside of the organizational walls – can offer. To do this, 20-25 top-level executives and thought leaders explored issues of organizational structure, technology, culture, leadership and policy.

Solving the Dilbert Paradox is the volume resulting from the 2010 Aspen Institute Roundtable on Talent Development. This "Dilbert Paradox" finds expression in wasted opportunities for organizational learning, collaboration, and access to knowledge and ideas outside the corporate hierarchy. The report captures the insights of the participants during the conference and details how some large organizations, as well as start-ups and small companies, are experimenting by giving employees new opportunities to maximize innovation.

Download or purchase copies of the report here.

The Inaugural Roundtable on Talent Development took place July 19-21, 2009 in Aspen, Colorado.  It brought together 19 top level executives and thought leaders to discuss how, during a time of diminishing resources, firms and organizations can leverage their assets to increase learning. The report is available here:

Leveraging the Talent-Driven Organization details how a number of firms are using social networking tools to open up communication, collaboration and learning across boundaries, and leveraging these tools to develop new products and real-time solutions for customers. The report is the result of the Inaugural Roundtable on Talent Development.

Download or purchase copies of the report here.

Talent Reframed: Moving to the Talent-Driven Firm offers new rules for organizations seeking to attain and develop a talented workforce amid a rapidly changing and increasingly globalized business environment. The report, which sets the premise for a new series of Aspen Institute Roundtables on the Talent Driven Firm, explores how organizations can build talent by relying less on traditional command-and-control structure and more on horizontal collaboration and shared learning. The report, written by Richard Adler, also features a white paper by John Hagel and John Seely Brown.

Download or purchase copies of the report here.