If we are not short of inventors, then we are lacking something else: entrepreneurs. It is the person who cultivates an idea who is an innovator, not the person who originates it. We believe that a fish decays from the head downwards – and we are not alone in this belief. According to a recent study by Switzerland’s IMD business school, Germany is no longer among the world’s ten most competitive countries – even though it occupied sixth place as recently as 2014. And where should one lay the blame for that situation, if not at the feet of the boardroom? The article sheds light on phenomena surrounding innovation culture and daily practice in German companies and large enterprises.