The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge

Companies can't survive without innovating. But most put far more emphasis on generating Big Ideas than on executing them--turning ideas into actual breakthrough products, services, and process improvements.

That's because "ideating" is energizing and glamorous. By contrast, execution seems like humdrum, behind-the-scenes dirty work. But without execution, Big Ideas go nowhere.

In The Other Side of Innovation, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble reveal how to execute an innovation initiative--whether a simple project or a grand, gutsy gamble.. Drawing on examples from innovators as diverse as Allstate, BMW, Timberland, and Nucor, the authors explain how to:

- Build the Right Team: Determine who'll be on the team, where they'll come from, how they'll be organized, how much time they'll devote to the project, and how they'll navigate the delicate and conflict-rich partnership between innovation and ongoing operations.

- Manage a Disciplined Experiment: Decide how team members can quickly test their assumptions, translate results into new knowledge, and measure progress. Give innovation leaders a tough but fair performance evaluation.

Practical and provocative, this new book takes you step-by-step through the innovation execution process--so your Big Ideas deliver their full promise.


Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
Published: 09/02/2010
ISBN: 9781422166963
Pages: 220
Weight: 0.99lbs
Size: 9.53h x 6.45w x 0.89d

Review Citations: Choice 04/01/2011