How Innovative is Google?

Scott Anthony has a striking take on the state of the Googleplex. The search phenom has thrown tons of dollars and resources at new projects (along with mega-perks for its employees), but few things beyond search have amounted to much.

The bottom line: companies can be as innovative and experimental as they want, but sometimes (like now, in tough economic times) that creativity can lead to setbacks.

That leaves Google facing, as Anthony puts it, a "moment of truth."

His post cites a Wall Street Journal article detailing how Google is scaling back in the face of the downturn.

Both are worth reading. But I'll make it easy on you.

Here are two key points from Anthony's blog post: "There's just one problem: Google's paradigm-busting approach hasn't delivered meaningful results."

And:

"There's a hidden lesson in Google's moment of truth. When a company's core business is on a roll, everything about that company looks great. However, that growth can often obscure underlying weaknesses."

All kinds of businesses struggle with innovation, and IT plays an obvious role in making it successful. But there's always a risk, and in these economic times, past innovative endeavors can backfire.

So tell us, IT execs: What sorts of obstacles have you faced with your innovation programs?

Previously: The Right Recipe for Tech Investments and Innovation a Must for Big Business.