Innovation - Curtis R. Carlson

Nothing is more important to business success than innovation . . . And heres what you can do about it on Monday morning with the definitive how-to book from the worlds leading authority on innovation


When it comes to innovation, Curt Carlson and Bill Wilmot of SRI International know what they are talking aboutliterally. SRI has pioneered innovations that day in and day out are part of the fabric of your life, such as:

The computer mouse and the personal computer interface you use at home and work

The high-definition television in your living room

The unusual numbers at the bottom of your checks that enable your bank to maintain your account balance correctly

The speech-recognition system used by your financial services firm when you call for your account balance or to make a transaction.

Each of these innovationsand literally hundreds of otherscreated new value for customers. And thats the central message of this book. Innovation is not about inventing clever gadgets or just creativity. It is the successful creation and delivery of a new or improved product or service that provides value for your customer and sustained profit for your organization. The first black-and-white television, for example, was just an interesting, cool invention until David Sarnoff created an innovationa networkthat delivered programming to an audience.

The genius of this book is that it provides the how of innovation. It makes innovation practical by getting two groups who are often disconnectedthe managers who make decisions and the people on the front lines who create the innovationsonto the same page. Instead of smart people grousing about the executive suite not recognizing a good idea if they tripped over it and the folks on the top floor wondering whether the people doing the complaining have an understanding of market realities, Carlson and Wilmots five disciplines of innovation focus attention where it should be: on the creation of valuable new products and services that meet customer needs.

Innovation is not just for the lone genius in the garage but for you and everyone in your enterprise. Carlson and Wilmot provide a systematic way to make innovation practical, one intimately tied to the way things get done in your business.


Teamwork isn't enough; Creativity isn't enough; A new product idea isn't enough

True innovation is about delivering value to customers. Innovation reveals the value-creating processes used by SRI International, the organization behind the computer mouse, robotic surgery, and the domain names .com, .org, and .gov. Curt Carlson and Bill Wilmot show you how to use these practical, tested processes to create great customer value for your organization.