Innovation ─ The Five Disciplines for Creating What Customers Want

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


When it comes to innovation, Curt Carlson and Bill Wilmot of SRI International know what they are talking about—literally. 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 innovations—and literally hundreds of others—created new value for customers. And that’s 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 innovation—a network—that 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 disconnected—the managers who make decisions and the people on the front lines who create the innovations—onto 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 Wilmot’s 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.

Curtis R. Carlson is the president and CEO of SRI International, working with leading companies in a wide variety of industries, including pharmaceuticals and health sciences, computers and communications, energy and the environment, and national defense. Dr. Carlson started and led the team that set the U.S. standard for HDTV, for which his team shared an Emmy. He lives in Menlo Park, California.

William W. Wilmot helped create the SRI Discipline of Innovation workshop and is director of the Collaboration Institute, a group specializing in workplace communication and collaboration. Dr. Wilmot, an emeritus professor at the University of Montana, lives in Georgetown Lake, Montana.