Big enterprises don’t fail because they lack technology. They fail because they struggle to experiment fast enough—without breaking what already works. In this episode of Scouting for Growth, Sabine VanderLinden is joined by John Johansen, senior technology executive and operational leader, alongside Steve Abel, Partner at Oliver Wyman, to challenge some of the most deeply ingrained operational and technology mindsets inside large insurance organisations. Both guests bring decades of experience operating at the sharp end of enterprise transformation. John has been building software since the age of 13 and has spent nearly 30 years inside the insurance ecosystem. Steve has advised global organisations for over 25 years, helping them modernise operations, platforms, and decision-making at scale. Together, they share a refreshingly pragmatic view of what actually works when incumbents try to innovate. A core theme of the conversation is experimentation as a capability, not a side project. Startups, they argue, have mastered something corporates still struggle with: running small, fast experiments that produce tangible artefacts early—things people can touch, react to, and improve. Feedback loops are short. Learning is continuous. And progress is visible. The challenge is how to bring that mindset into enterprises that are built for stability, risk control, and long-term resilience. Crucially, this is not a startup-versus-corporate debate. John and Steve are clear: the “big corporate machine” exists for good reasons. It protects customers, manages risk, and delivers bulletproof reliability. The goal is not to dismantle it—but to evolve it. That means moving away from rigid silos (innovation teams here, BAU there, architecture somewhere else) and toward integrated operating models where experimentation feeds directly into production and scale. They dive deep into one of the most failure-prone areas in enterprise IT: the transition from development to beta, to launch, to production support. This is where momentum often dies. Instead of 18 months of requirements, followed by long build cycles and painful implementations, John and Steve advocate for carefully chosen experiments, aligned with real business problems, that demonstrate value faster, with less investment and far less drama. Measurement matters—but not vanity metrics. Success, they explain, starts with choosing the right experiments. From there, organisations should measure throughput and outcomes: Are we delivering better results faster? Are hand-offs smoother? Is the business seeing real change, not just activity? For enterprise leaders, this episode offers: A realistic blueprint for embedding experimentation into large organisations Guidance on balancing innovation with responsibility and risk Insight into how ecosystems—not just internal teams—enable scale A language shift from “projects” to learning systems For founders and scale-ups, it’s a rare window into how large insurers actually think—and what they need to adopt new technologies at speed. 🎧 If you’re trying to modernise a complex organisation, unlock digitally driven revenue, or make experimentation safe, scalable, and meaningful—this episode is essential listening. Because the future won’t be won by those who plan the longest. It will be won by those who learn the fastest—without breaking trust.