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There’s a crazy game played in Japan that looks like a cross between rugby, wrestling, and capture the flag. It is called "Bo-Taoshi" and the goal is simple: defend your pole while simultaneously attempting to topple the pole of your opponent. Sitting on the top of the pole is the "ninja," and it is his job to counteract the forces trying to bring him down. The game is not unlike business: the CEO is the ninja, with challengers seeking to disrupt the leader by being agile and attacking vulnerabilities. When you are at the top, the real challenge is being equally agile enough to stay there.

In his now classic 2004 book Why Big Companies Can't Invent, Howard Anderson argues that it is hard to innovate when you are on top because all your natural instincts urge you to preserve the status quo. That is why the model of the integrated R&D; lab as the engine of invention no longer works. Yet PwC’s recent CEO survey shows that 61% of CEOs consider innovation either their utmost priority or one of the top organizational priorities. So if the current model of innovation is broken, how can a large corporation invigorate its business?

Anderson’s advice is to replicate the environment of entrepreneur-led startups, which by their very nature have the inherent potential for invention and dramatic growth. But that’s easier said than done. How does an established company with tens of thousands of employees capture some startup magic?

Companies are focused on generating predictable results, so can they ever truly embrace risk and foster a culture of innovation?

The answer is "yes," but carefully.