I had a manager tell me "it won't work" after I'd done a proposal that involved an algorithm taught in undergraduate computer science. I expected most of the t

I had a manager tell me "it won't work" after I'd done a proposal that involved an algorithm taught in undergraduate computer science. I expected most of the team would recognize the algorithm and see how it could be applied. No one one spoke up to disagree with him. In fact, the CTO was in the room at the time. This guy (the CTO) was always evangelizing about innovation. Not a peep out of him after watching someone's idea shot down. This event and others made me realize that "that won't work" was an integral part of my company's culture. I guess it's about risk. In a company culture like this, there is no upside for a manager to try anything new.