The 50 most innovative companies in the world

The pandemic has shifted priorities in most companies, or at least put them to the test. Innovation is nevertheless - or precisely because of this - more important than ever. The online magazine Visual Capitalist has now compiled a ranking of the 50 global corporations with the highest innovative power. (Only) two of them come from Germany. 

The article is based on an evaluation by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As in previous years, the management consultants asked more than 1,500 innovation experts around the world about the most innovative global companies in 2021. Four criteria were included in the ranking:

1. Global “Mindshare”: The number of votes from all innovation executives.
2. Industry Peer Review: The number of votes from executives in a company’s industry.
3. Industry Disruption: A diversity index to measure votes across industries.
4. Value Creation: Total share return.

In their article, however, the editors clearly differentiate between "research and development" (R&D) on the one hand and innovation (skraft) on the other: R&D was one of several possible innovation techniques that had helped the companies to earn their place in the ranking. Other corporations have innovated in other ways - for example, by streamlining processes to increase their efficiency. Coca Cola, for example, conducted an analysis of its beverage portfolio this year and reduced its range from 400 to 200 global brands as a result. "This ability to pare down and pivot could be a reason behind its 20 rank increase from 2020," the article says. 

You can read who leads the ranking and where the German companies landed here: