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In Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators — from Idea to Execution authors Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble explain three central challenges of building breakthrough businesses within organizations that are already established and successful. You must forget some of what to this point has made your company a success. You must borrow some of your company's existing resources — the most important advantage you have. And, because experimental businesses rarely stay on plan, you must learn as you proceed.
A natural instinct is to create a separate organization - one in which a more entrepreneurial culture can flourish. But that leaves far too many questions unanswered. True, the new business unit must be distinct from the core organization. But what distinctions should there be? And how are those differences achieved? Further, distinct does not imply isolated. So where should there be interaction? And how can the natural tensions between new and old be overcome? Finally, how exactly do you learn as you proceed? You may already suspect that your existing planning system is your worst enemy — but what is the better approach?
Govindarajan and Trimble offer detailed advice on these questions and many more, based on years of in-depth field research in which they compiled the histories of several high-growth-potential businesses from launch to final outcome at companies like Corning and The New York Times Company. Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators — from Idea to Execution is essential reading for any executive within an established and successful corporation who wants to contribute to a transformational but risky new business endeavor.
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AMAZON • BARNES & NOBLES • CEO READ
- Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO, General Electric
Company
- Clayton M. Christensen, Professor of Business
Admin., Harvard Business School
- Ram Charan, coauthor, Execution and Confronting
Reality
- John B. Menzer, President and CEO, Wal-Mart
International
- Robert L. Nardelli, Chairman, President
& CEO, The Home Depot, Inc.
- Glenn A. Britt, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner
Cable, Inc.
- Leonard A. Schlesinger, Vice Chairman
and Chief Operating Officer, Limited Brands, Inc.
- Sir Christopher Bland, Chairman, British Telecom
Group
- Ray Stata, Chairman, Analog Devices Inc.
- Indra Nooyi, President, PepsiCo.
- Alan G. Hassenfeld, Chairman, Hasbro,
Inc.
- Robert W. Lane, Chairman, CEO and President,
John Deere Company
- Richard J. Harrington, President &
CEO, The Thomson Corporation
- N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board
and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies, Ltd.
- Christina L. Shea, Senior Vice President, External
Relations, and former President, New Ventures Division, General Mills,
Inc.
- Michael L. Tushman, Paul R. Lawrence MBA
Class of 1942 Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business
School
- Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of
Business, USC, and coauthor, Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values and
Defining Moments Shape Leaders
- Peter Lorange, President and Nestlé
Professor of Strategy, IMD International
- Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, S. W. Ascherman Professor of Strategy, Stanford University, and coauthor, Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos
In such a slowly growing world, strategic innovation is critical to success.
Govindarajan and Trimble offer concrete rules that managers can use to
drive growth. Their emphasis on "theory focused planning" is a good fit
with high-performance company culture. This book is a great addition to
your toolkit.
—Jeffrey R. Immelt, CEO, General Electric Company
"An extremely important book..."
"Govindarjan and Trimble show why disruptive innovations cannot be completely isolated from the existing organization."
"Forget, Borrow, and Learn are indeed the three central implementation challenges for leaders of disruptive innovations."
—Clayton M. Christensen, Professor of Business Admin., Harvard Business School
The slow-growth global economy creates opportunities for those who dare
to innovate and experiment with new strategy concepts. Govindarajan and
Trimble suggest a compelling approach for how to execute these concepts,
backed by real-life examples.
—Ram Charan, coauthor, Execution and Confronting Reality
This book provides specific examples of the themes of forgetting, borrowing,
and learning, highlighting them as key to innovation. Many companies get
lost in the middle of the innovation process, but these authors show how
to turn breakthrough ideas into breakthrough growth.
—John B. Menzer, President and CEO, Wal-Mart International
Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators makes a compelling case: In
today's complex marketplace, the survival of the fittest is determined
by a company's aggressive pursuit of growth—that is, creating, leveraging,
managing, and sustaining it. Govindarajan and Trimble's analysis shows
just how vulnerable established companies are, and how they can avoid
failure by unlocking themselves from a narrow and nostalgic business model.
—Robert L. Nardelli, Chairman, President & CEO, The Home Depot,
Inc.
Strategic innovation is the major source of economic value creation for
investors and for our society. Yet mature corporations often fail at this
very important activity—not because of the lack of ideas but because
of the lack of execution skills. Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators
is a wonderful primer on how to execute and is a must-read for any senior
executive interested in how to successfully grow and innovate.
—Glenn A. Britt, Chairman and CEO, Time Warner Cable, Inc.
Govindarajan and Trimble have produced an enormously important book! The
challenges of building growth businesses inside existing organizations
are well known; the solutions are not. In Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators
the authors have combined solid theory, relevant case examples, and simple
wisdom. . . . The notions of forgetting, borrowing, and learning will
likely become major bases of logic in our organization.
—Leonard A. Schlesinger, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer,
Limited Brands, Inc.
Innovation and growth are inextricably linked—a key to corporate
success. This book helps you get it, and get there.
—Sir Christopher Bland, Chairman, British Telecom Group
This insightful book asserts that established, successful companies must
become skilled in strategic innovation; that is, skilled in creating new
businesses that depart significantly from historic ideas and assumptions
about how businesses succeed. By analyzing strategic experiments in diverse
industries, the authors diagnose the root cause of failure and illustrate
how observing ten rules for strategic innovation will substantially enhance
the chances for success. Great reading!
—Ray Stata, Chairman, Analog Devices Inc.
Govindarajan and Trimble provide a common-sense roadmap for breakthrough
growth. Indeed, a new high-growth business within a large organization
will struggle if it cannot forget, borrow, and learn—the three central
challenges the authors identify. The rich and dramatic examples in this
book show the way.
—Indra Nooyi, President, PepsiCo.
Truly the primer for and advanced placement of a new paradigm within an
existing organization. Best practices, as well as worst potholes to avoid,
are explicitly detailed in this all important work on innovation. America's—indeed,
the world's—future is innovation, and Govindarajan and Trimble get
one to think outside the box.
—Alan G. Hassenfeld, Chairman, Hasbro, Inc.
As many of us know from experience, it is a daunting challenge for established
companies to breathe life into an entirely new business. Govindarajan
and Trimble do a terrific job of pinpointing key factors that can turn
potential into meaningful, sustained results.
—Robert W. Lane, Chairman, CEO and President, John Deere Company
Driving innovation is one thing for a start-up company—but it poses
entirely different challenges for a large, established corporation. Govindarajan
and Trimble not only map the differences but also provide a guidebook
for managing strategic innovation that leverages the benefits, while discarding
the baggage of being large and established.
—Richard J. Harrington, President & CEO, The Thomson Corporation
Drawing on a series of case studies, Govindarajan and Trimble's fascinating
new book explores the challenges corporations face while pursuing strategic
innovation. At the heart of Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators
is an actionable, systematic approach to business innovation. The authors
offer fresh, compelling insights into the opportunities and perils of
the innovation process. This book is essential reading for corporations
and entrepreneurs alike.
—N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor,
Infosys Technologies, Ltd.
Successfully building innovative new businesses is the critical challenge
for established companies that want to thrive. Ten Rules clearly
outlines many of the roadblocks to building breakthrough businesses and
creates a strong, practical framework for success. Through the novel concepts
of forgetting, borrowing, and learning, Govindarajan and Trimble have
developed a compelling, hands-on guide for business leaders driving growth.
—Christina L. Shea, Senior Vice President, External Relations,
and former President, New Ventures Division, General Mills, Inc.
Ten Rules for Strategic Innovators is a fabulous contribution to
the literature on innovation and organizational competitiveness. Govindarajan
and Trimble's research and synthesis of the dynamic-capability literature
provide breakthrough insights for managers interested in deeply understanding
the roots of innovation and organizational change. Better yet, they couple
their fresh ideas with a diverse set of detailed cases in which managers
put these ideas into practice. This book will be of great value to both
scholars and practitioners.
—Michael L. Tushman, Paul R. Lawrence MBA Class of 1942 Professor
of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
An original and powerful book! The authors demystify the process of how
promising, new ventures can fail or bring about breakthrough growth. This
is one of the best books, if not the best, on the management of innovation.
—Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business, USC, and
coauthor, Geeks and Geezers: How Era, Values and Defining Moments Shape
Leaders
The most difficult managerial challenge facing business leaders today
is how to grow through innovation! This book offers us true thought leadership
regarding this challenge, not the usual cookbook solutions! The authors
emphasize the critical dilemmas at hand to achieving innovation-driven
growth. The path-breaking research, so well reported, will provide guidance
and inspiration to all those coping with the implementation of innovation
and growth.
—Peter Lorange, President and Nestlé Professor of Strategy,
IMD International
Old dogs can learn new tricks. Govindarajan and Trimble tackle
the toughest challenge in business: They show executives of established
firms how to translate strategic dreams for growth into real business
realities. A wise, insightful read.
—Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, S. W. Ascherman Professor of Strategy,
Stanford University, and coauthor, Competing on the Edge: Strategy as
Structured Chaos
"This book is full of rich case examples and will be very helpful to any senior executive who wants to launch a new business venture within a corporate environment."
Wall Street Journal, July 2006
"...sensible suggestions offer innovators a better route map through the unknown unknowns of future competition."
Financial Times, January 2006
"... the best book we've seen on the 'how-tos' of creating an innovative new business, and thus the single best strategic book of the year."
Strategy+Business, Winter 2006
"...great primer for both big-company executives charged with overseeing a strategic experiment and entrepreneurial spirits striking out in a new direction."
BusinessWeek - SmallBiz BookShelf, March 2006
"The execution of a great idea is even more difficult and more critical than formulating the idea in the first place."
BizEd, November/December 2005
"There are only three fundamental principles for stewarding innovative projects within established companies: forgetting, borrowing and learning."
Publishers Weekly, December 2005
"A valuable read."
The Hindu Business Line (Mumbai), December 2005
"...complements Gary Hamel's Leading The Revolution and Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma, though more the latter than the former."
Business Standard (New Delhi/Chennai/Mumbai), January 2006
"Sometimes innovation is about breaking the rules. But I also know that you need some reference points for making innovation happen."
Chief Innovation Officer, February 2006
"...Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble have added to a growing lexicon about how to succeed at innovation."
CMA Management Review, February 2006
"...excellent chapters on the ways in which perfectly reasonable corporate behavior can inhibit learning."
Strategy + Business, Spring 2006
"...if there is no one who can tell you how to avoid the lions, tigers and bears that are seemingly attendant with the undertaking, then having these rules is essential."
Automotive Design & Production, March 2006
"If you’re an established company, this book is for you."
Business Innovation Factory, April 2006
"There is little doubt that this book is likely to be a major and path-breaking work in the areas of strategic management of change, managing cultures and developing theories of business."
VIKALPA - Manikutty Review, June 2006
"...I learned so much that I would recommend it to anyone who has even a passing interest in the topic of strategic innovation."
800-CEO-READ Blog by Paul Scott, June 2006
"I'd recommend it wholeheartedly to everyone struggling to fit strategy, innovation and execution together in their organizations."
800-CEO-READ Blog by Arun Sadhashivan, June 2006
"The methods presented here are uncomplicated and can be applied to consumer products and, with minor modifications, to industrial products."
Journal of Product Innovation Management, September 2006
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