Ex-CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo on Nokia Downfall

How Nokia lost its world-dominating position has been the subject of much debate. Is it an issue of stronger competitors (i.e., Apple and Google)? Did Nokia lack the right strategy, or the ability to implement strategy? With the benefit of hindsight, former Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo paints a picture of a once-pioneering company failing to rise to new challenges.

Kallasvuo says the usual stuff about volatility and competition to explain the downfall of a once-dominating company. But he speaks very tellingly about organizational cultural and human nature: The more successful a business is, the less willing people are to take risks, make changes, and innovate openly. It is, in part, the Innovator's Dilemma that Clayton Christensen spoke about.