Most companies launch “innovation initiatives.” They build portals, run hackathons, buy whiteboards.
Google did something smarter: it gave permission – and framed it as freedom.
“20% Time” wasn’t just a policy. It was a behavioural nudge. An invitation to act without asking.
The genius? It felt like autonomy. But it was behaviourally engineered for output.
The Behavioural Problem: Innovation Feels Risky
Innovation doesn’t fail because of bad ideas. It fails because:
- No one wants to go first;
- People fear wasting time;
- They think they need permission;
- Real work gets rewarded. Side projects? Not so much.
Even brilliant people wait for someone else to move first.
The Intervention: Frame Innovation as Ownership
Google’s policy gave employees “20% of their time” to work on anything they believed would benefit the company.
There was no formal process. No approval flow.
The behavioural magic?
- Autonomy framing: It felt like freedom, even though it served the business.
- Endowment effect: Once people owned their ideas, they became more motivated to deliver.
- Norm signalling: Innovation was normalised, not exceptional.
- Loss aversion: Not using your 20% started to feel like a wasted opportunity.
The Results: Products That Weren’t “Side Projects” For Long
Out of 20% Time came:
- Gmail
- Google Maps
- AdSense
- Google News
People didn’t do it because they had time. They did it because the system made it safe to act like an innovator.
The Takeaway for Business
Innovation isn’t about the idea. It’s about the behaviour that makes the idea happen.
- Do your people feel permitted?
- Do they know it’s safe to explore?
- Are they incentivised to act before asking?
You don’t need to run an innovation sprint. You need to remove the behavioural brakes.
That’s how autonomy – when framed well – creates billion-dollar products.
