Innovation - Strategy and Organization

Learning from Sony’s Success	Sony is without a doubt one of the world’s leading companies. How many other companies can boast of having invented completely new markets, such as the transistor radio, the Walkman and the Compact Disc? Business the Sony Way tells the story of this success and reveals the underlying management principles – be patient without becoming paralyzed, clearly differentiate the offering, anticipate changes in the environment, etc. Many companies could learn a lot from these lessons!
Business The Sony Way, Shu Shin Luh, Capstone, 2003.

Blockbusters	Of the new products flooding the market every year, an exceptional few become blockbusters. For example, Colgate ended the 30-year reign of Procter & Gamble when it launched Total toothpaste, despite the maturity of the oral hygiene market. Blockbusters reveals that the drivers of such successes are different from the often-touted best practices in product development. The authors have identified five key success drivers based on a thorough statistical study of over 600 projects. From this study, they derive valuable tips for any company who wants to maximize its chances of getting a blockbuster the next time around.
Gary Lynn and Richard Reilly Harper Business, 2002.

Platform Leadership	Who drives technological innovation in the computer industry? Computer manufacturers would be a natural guess, as end product assemblers are usually the ones who control the pace of innovation. Surprisingly, the right answer is component makers, such as Intel and Microsoft. Platform Leadership analyzes how component makers can become the drivers of innovation in their industry. The authors underline the importance of the ability to convince other companies to invest in developing products that will add value to one’s own offering. They also provide readers with many useful tips on how to manage this delicate relationship.
Annabelle Gawer and Michael A.Cusumano, Harvard Business School Press, 2002.

New Ideas About New Ideas	The author of New Ideas About New Ideas, a consultant in innovation, interviewed one hundred corporate executives recognized for their creativity. From this study, she draws a plethora of ideas on just how they manage be so creative. She formulates her proposed thinking in colorful images, illustrated with numerous examples from both the business and artistic world. Create a “sizzling” environment to make ideas “bubble up”, learn to live in “spark soup”, don’t try to develop talent - hire it! These are just some of the provocative suggestions that deserve consideration.
Shira P. White, with G. Patton Wright, Perseus, 2002.

Corporate creativity	From training seminars to creativity techniques, brainstorming sessions, idea generation, etc., companies abound with recipes to stimulate employee creativity. Yet, Corporate Creativity notes that these methods are insufficient. A defining characteristic of creativity is the fact that it is effectively unpredictable. The author consequently advises companies to leave room for the unexpected, rather than trying to plan creativity artificially. He indicates how companies can organize themselves to benefit from the ideas of every employee.
Alan G. Robinson & Sam Stern, Berrett-Koehler, 1997.

Competitive Innovation Management	Innovation is a crucial corporate success factor. Yet, many companies are able to launch an innovative product at one time or another, few have managed to innovate sustainably. Competitive Innovation Management shows how innovation can be made systematic, provided that management systems are adapted accordingly. The author provides a detailed analysis of eight corporate innovation success stories to identify key drivers that can help improve innovative performance. This book offers an opportunity to create a sustainable competitive advantage.
James A. Christiansen, MacMillan Business, 2000.

The Innovator's Dilemma	This book, which focuses on the innovations that cause unexpected breakthroughs, uses prospective analysis to explain the characteristics of potentially revolutionary innovations and the mechanisms that upset the world order of existing market competitors.
Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business School Press, 1997.

Emerging Patterns of Innovation	This book analyzes the reasons that Japanese companies are so successful at technological innovation, and shows that this success is based on seven breakthroughs relative to Western practices, among which figure: innovate on low-end products; start with 'low-tech' markets and migrate toward 'high-tech' markets; invest more in R&D than in production equipment; combine different technologies.
Fumio Kodoma, Harvard Business School Press, 1996.

Serious Creativity	The author, a recognized creativity expert, presents major, highly-effective techniques to inspire creativity, and gives practical advice on how to develop creativity within companies.
Edward de Bono, Harper Collins, 1994.

Inside the Tornado	This book examines the challenge of succeeding on markets suddenly created through radical innovation. Using examples taken from high-tech industries, the author focuses on the changes in strategic priorities throughout the innovation adoption cycle: the need to focus on a niche from the time an innovation first emerges; how to stay on top of the market when demand expands exponentially; how to remain profitable in a newly-competitive market when the innovation becomes a commodity.
Geoffrey A. Moore, Harper Collins, 1997.

The Smarter Organization	This book proposes a model for the learning organization, defined as an organization capable of continuously adapting itself to a changing environment. The implications of this model are described in terms of four organizational dimensions: structure, people management, corporate culture, and openness to other companies.
Michael E. Mc Gill and John W. Slocum, Wiley, 1996.