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Corporate Explorer: How Corporations Beat Entrepreneurs at the Innovation Game
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.
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.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
Published February 2, 2022
32 people are currently reading
1410 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Binns
1 book6 followersAndy Binns is a management advisor, award-winning author, and speaker on innovation and change. He has over twenty-five years’ experience helping companies make and execute strategic choices to support business growth. He has been at the coalface of innovation, working alongside the leaders of IBM’s ‘Emerging Business Opportunity’ program, which created several multi-billion-dollar businesses. He now leads Change Logic, a Boston-based strategic advisory firm, which takes a hands-on approach to enabling firms to build new businesses. Andy is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer at companies and business schools and an award-winning business author. His article, ‘Three Disciplines of Innovation,’ co-authored with Professor Charles O’Reilly, was named Best Article in the California Management Review for 2020. He has also published in HBR and the MIT Sloan Management Review. He contributes to Fast Company and is a member of the Fast Company Executive Board.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 15, 2023
As a creative individual in the bureaucratic world of corporate business, I appreciated the ideas in this book. Even though a start up or small business sounds more exciting, being a leader and entrepreneur within a larger organization can achieve just as much, if not more. It was neat to see examples in how a corporate explorer can use existing assets and networks to create a innovative branch for a company. Being a corporate explorer minimizes the personal risks of a business venture since you are not utilizing your own capital but can also minimize the personal rewards as compared to a small business or startup. However, I loved the chapter discussing different ways corporations can reward a successful entrepreneur within their organization without putting themselves at risk.
October 10, 2023
Thesis: Big companies can out-innovate startups. Great start!
Unfortunately, the solution is misguided. The only people who get to be “Corporate Explorers” are managers. That’s bad enough. But then the advice is to *not* follow the example of innovators like Taiichi Ohno at Toyota who just start innovating. Instead, managers should spot opportunities and then get permission from above as step #1.
The problem: innovation does not work that way. IBM’s Life Sciences EBO took 1+ year of work by a small band of researchers before the managers in IBM Research took an interest. Then those managers spent 3 years working on it as an unauthorized project after their funding request was denied. Finally, after 4 years of quiet, under the radar effort, the corporate executives became interested and it became an official EBO project. That’s when Andy Binns left McKinsey to join IBM and got involved.
So yes, from Andy Binns perspective, getting official approval from above has huge benefits. But sadly, you can’t normally start there. It takes quite a bit of work to get an innovative project far enough along for executives to see the value. If the researchers and managers at IBM Research had followed the advice of this book, there never would have been a Life Sciences EBO at IBM.
Beyond the dangerously misguided advice, the stories are so scattered you don’t get nearly enough information to understand what really happened. Just a bunch of “inspirational” snippets.
We need a book that tells the true story of how big companies can out-innovate startups. Sadly, this is not that book.
Unfortunately, the solution is misguided. The only people who get to be “Corporate Explorers” are managers. That’s bad enough. But then the advice is to *not* follow the example of innovators like Taiichi Ohno at Toyota who just start innovating. Instead, managers should spot opportunities and then get permission from above as step #1.
The problem: innovation does not work that way. IBM’s Life Sciences EBO took 1+ year of work by a small band of researchers before the managers in IBM Research took an interest. Then those managers spent 3 years working on it as an unauthorized project after their funding request was denied. Finally, after 4 years of quiet, under the radar effort, the corporate executives became interested and it became an official EBO project. That’s when Andy Binns left McKinsey to join IBM and got involved.
So yes, from Andy Binns perspective, getting official approval from above has huge benefits. But sadly, you can’t normally start there. It takes quite a bit of work to get an innovative project far enough along for executives to see the value. If the researchers and managers at IBM Research had followed the advice of this book, there never would have been a Life Sciences EBO at IBM.
Beyond the dangerously misguided advice, the stories are so scattered you don’t get nearly enough information to understand what really happened. Just a bunch of “inspirational” snippets.
We need a book that tells the true story of how big companies can out-innovate startups. Sadly, this is not that book.
February 3, 2022
Having been a Corporate Explorer myself for several years, I strongly recommend this book to anyone who will recognize her/himself in the portrait made by their co-authors of Corporate Explorers and how those new leaders create a transformational movement within organization conducting to successful new ventures and company growth. It's a must read. Great job from their authors.
I've particularly appreciated the Scale chapter which offers you excellent practices, tools, and recommendations to define at a very early stage of your new business model it path to scale, knowing which assets you'll need to assemble to prevent Pilot purgatory.
I've particularly appreciated the Scale chapter which offers you excellent practices, tools, and recommendations to define at a very early stage of your new business model it path to scale, knowing which assets you'll need to assemble to prevent Pilot purgatory.
March 26, 2023
Where the conventional wisdom says that starting a new venture is good if there is a business idea, the book Corporate Explorer tells about the journey of ideation, incubation and scaling a new business within an organization.
With numerous examples from various companies such as Analog Devices, Nvidia, Intel, Amazon, NEC and more, we get to learn about what it takes to get started with a new venture in the midst of the core business of a big corporation.
The strategy to align with the core purpose of the organization, the ways to leverage the assets of the organization, getting aligned with the leadership team, running experiments, major pitfalls to avoid are few of the many important topics discussed in the book. The authors have done good research from which we get to learn useful stuffs about being a corporate explorer.
Overall, it's a good book to read for someone in a corporate job aiming to create their own mark by taking a different path and standing out from the crowd by defying the usual corporate ladder.
With numerous examples from various companies such as Analog Devices, Nvidia, Intel, Amazon, NEC and more, we get to learn about what it takes to get started with a new venture in the midst of the core business of a big corporation.
The strategy to align with the core purpose of the organization, the ways to leverage the assets of the organization, getting aligned with the leadership team, running experiments, major pitfalls to avoid are few of the many important topics discussed in the book. The authors have done good research from which we get to learn useful stuffs about being a corporate explorer.
Overall, it's a good book to read for someone in a corporate job aiming to create their own mark by taking a different path and standing out from the crowd by defying the usual corporate ladder.
February 7, 2022
A must read for managers launching new ventures inside existing corporations. This book uses engaging stories about Corporate Explorers to explain how to ideate, incubate and scale ventures inside an existing system. The authors provide compelling advice about how to build organizational support around your idea and get the resources you need to succeed in corporate innovation. A must-read for Corporate Explorers, and executives who want to know how to drive innovation and retain talented leaders.
February 10, 2022
This book is a must read for anyone wanting to build a new business within a corporation. The book clearly explains the differences between an entrepreneur and a corporate explorer. The real-world examples are engaging and insightful. In addition to the methods (e.g., ideate, incubate, scale), the discussion includes how a corporate explorer can address organizational dynamics to mitigate resistance and increase senior leadership support.
February 21, 2023
Good guide to entrepreneurship at work (commonly called intrapreneurship) but it's rooted in permission. Every single corporate explorer I know succeeded through LACK of permission. Chase your innovation and then use the rest of this book as a guide.
August 19, 2023
Great in theory, and possible to carve out little niches, but practically may be difficult to implement in many entrenched corporations, even though everyone has read the examples of what could happen if you don't innovate and adapt.
June 8, 2022
A comprehensive and updated guide to what Gifford Pinchot called "intrapreneuring" back in the 1980s.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews