Corporate Explorers Transform Disruption Into Opportunity With This Proven Framework
Innovation used to be seen as a game best left to entrepreneurs, but now a new breed of corporate managers is flipping this logic on its head. These Corporate Explorers have the insight, resilience, and discipline to overcome the obstacles and build new ventures from inside even the largest organizations.
Corporate Explorers are part entrepreneurs, using innovation disciplines to jump start cutting-edge ideas, and part change leaders, capable of creating support for investment. They see that corporations already own the ideas, resources, and—critically—the talent to build new ventures. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Bosch, LexisNexis, and Analog Devices enable managers to put these assets to use and gain an upper hand over startups that threaten to disrupt them.
Corporate Explorer is a guidebook to the practices that enable these managers to go from idea into action. It demonstrates how success is not only possible but may offer entrenched companies better odds than venture-capital backed startups.
This actionable and proven framework explains how managers can become successful corporate innovators; it includes tools to:
- Learn how to apply innovation practices with greater discipline
- Turn great ideas into a full-time job as an innovation leader
- Experiment with and scale original business models
- Transform innovation programs into a thriving source of new business
- Attract, retain, and motivate entrepreneurial talent
- Energize employees by creating a realistic way to innovate
These lessons come from the trailblazers of corporate innovation—Andrew Binns (Change Logic), Charles O'Reilly (Stanford Graduate School of Business), and Michael Tushman (Harvard Business School)—who have decades of experience helping entrepreneurial-minded executives activate employees to become Corporate Explorers.
Entrepreneurs take notice—it's time for Corporate Explorers to set the pace and chart the course for disruption.
Table of Contents:
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
Section I Explore Aspiration 1
Chapter 1 Innovation Advantage 3
Beating the Odds 5
Strategic Ambition 7
Innovation Disciplines 10
Ambidextrous Organization 14
Explore Leadership 15
Explorer, Not Entrepreneur 17
Chapter Summary 19
Chapter 2 Corporate Explorers in Action 21
Explorer’s Insight 22
Purpose Driven 23
Investor Support 27
Manage Uncertainty 30
Chapter Summary 34
Chapter 3 Strategic Ambition 35
Emotion, Logic, Aspiration 36
License to Explore 39
Social Movement 42
Hunting Zones 44
Manifesto 48
Chapter Summary 50
Section II Innovation Disciplines 51
Chapter 4 Ideation: Generating Ideas for New Ventures 53
Idea Addiction 56
Solution Trap 58
Customer Discovery 60
High-Value Customer Problems 64
Idea Generation 67
Chapter Summary 69
Chapter 5 Incubate: How Corporate Explorers Learn Through Experimentation 71
Business Experiments 73
What Needs to Be True? (Hypothesis) 75
Run Experiments (Test) 78
Make Sense of Your Results (Learn) 81
Run a New Experiment (Iterate) 84
Follow the Evidence (Decide) 85
Chapter Summary 86
Chapter 6 Scale: Assembling the Assets to Build a New Venture 89
Combining Assets 92
Customers, Capabilities, Capacity 95
Scaling Paths 98
Trigger Points 102
Chapter Summary 104
Section III Ambidextrous Organization 107
Chapter 7 Explore Organization 109
Structure Options 111
Focused 113
Bottom Up 115
Top Down 118
Structure Decision 121
Chapter Summary 124
Chapter 8 Explore Business System 127
Team Design 129
Sales Team Integration 132
Corporate Functions 133
Resource Allocation 135
Feedforward Management System 137
Executive Attention 140
Chapter Summary 143
Chapter 9 Risk and Reward for the Corporate Explorer 145
Motivation Puzzle 145
Venture Model 147
Shadow Stock 148
Long- Term Incentives 150
Personal Risk 151
Corporate Explorers Motivation 153
Chapter Summary 154
Section IV Explore Leadership 155
Chapter 10 Silent Killers of Exploration 157
Core Business System 159
Preserve Professional Identity 161
Avoid Risk 163
Optimize for Short Term 166
Maximize Comfort 169
Change Leader 171
Chapter Summary 172
Chapter 11 The Double Helix: How Corporate Explorers Lead Innovation and Change 175
Future Organization 177
Storytellers 180
Social Network Leader 183
Insider or Outsider 188
Reputation Manager 191
Chapter Summary 193
Chapter 12 Readiness to Act: Leadership and Scaling a New Venture 195
Competing Commitments 197
Both/And Leadership 199
Productive Tension 202
The Mirror 204
Courage 207
Passion 209
Chapter Summary 210
Appendix: Corporate Explorer Framework 213
List of Figures and Tables 215
Notes 217
About the Authors 225
Index 231
About the Author :
ANDREW BINNS is Co-Founder of Change Logic, a Boston-based strategic advisory firm. He works with CEOs, boards, and senior teams leading transformational business changes. He is a sought-after speaker and lecturer at companies and business schools.
CHARLES O’REILLY is the Frank E. Buck Professor of Management at Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Co-Founder of Change Logic. He is Co-Director of Leading Change and Organizational Renewal.
MICHAEL TUSHMAN is a Baker Foundation Professor; Paul R Lawrence, MBA Class of 1942 Professor Emeritus; and Charles (Tex) Thornton Chair of the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at the Harvard Business School. He is also Co-Founder of Change Logic.
