Creative Construction
The DNA of Sustained Innovation
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
This myth-busting book shows large companies can construct a strategy, system, and culture of innovation that creates sustained growth.
Every company wants to grow, and the most proven way is through innovation. The conventional wisdom is that only disruptive, nimble startups can innovate; once a business gets bigger and more complex corporate arteriosclerosis sets in. Gary Pisano's remarkable research conducted over three decades, and his extraordinary on-the ground experience with big companies and fast-growing ones that have moved beyond the start-up stage, provides new thinking about how the scale of bigger companies can be leveraged for advantage in innovation.
He begins with the simply reality that bigger companies are, well, different. Demanding that they "be like Uber" is no more realistic than commanding your dog to speak French. Bigger companies are complex. They need to sustain revenue streams from existing businesses, and deal with Wall Street's demands. These organizations require a different set of management practices and approaches -- a discipline focused on the strategies, systems and culture for taking their companies to the next level. Big can be beautiful, but it requires creative construction by leaders to avoid the creative destruction that is all-too-often the fate of too many.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pisano, senior associate dean for faculty development at Harvard Business School, convincingly argues that startups don't have a stranglehold on innovation. Large companies, contrary to the view of some, can innovate, he writes, but they must approach doing so differently. Pisano asserts that "through systematically creating an innovation strategy, designing an innovation system, and building an innovation culture," large organizations can spark the creativity they seek. He cites numerous instances of successful and innovative transformation by corporate behemoths, namely Amazon, Apple, Bell Labs, IBM, and Monsanto. While these examples, he states, prove that innovation is not incompatible with size, it doesn't mean that it is easily achieved. Pisano explores how to go about creating an innovation strategy, emphasizing the organizational discipline needed to develop a plan and map opportunities. He also offers strategies for staving off competitors such as by focusing on ideas that aren't easily imitated and stresses the importance of finding new opportunities outside of a company's core business. Pisano is particularly insightful on dealing with the uncertain initial stage of selecting one particular project to pursue from among different options. He concludes with possibly the trickiest task: creating the right culture for nurturing innovation. Incisive and relevant, Pisano's primer will give executives much to consider.)
