The Innovation Paradox

Praise

“Original and thoroughly researched, but pragmatic and accessible, this book will be a vital resource for executives, scholars, and even startups looking to keep the breakthrough ideas coming.”
—Soumitra Dutta, Dean, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University

“Davila and Epstein have crushed the prevailing mindset that business units, operational excellence, and traditional approaches to innovation can deliver sustained growth. Building and balancing the traditional and startup operating models is the top item for every company’s growth agenda.”
—Robert Shelton, coauthor of Making Innovation Work and a World Economic Forum Innovation Champion

“Davila and Epstein solve the perennial mystery that has puzzled many corporate leaders: what are the forces inside large companies that prevent them from developing breakthrough innovations? This book provides an insightful framework for diagnosing those forces and tools for overcoming organizational inertia to implement processes that result in breakthroughs.”
—Steven C. Currall, Dean and Professor of Management, Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis, and coauthor of Organized Innovation

“The Innovation Paradox sheds light on how large corporations can successfully innovate while creating shareholder value. It informs the reader on how different corporate cultures and management styles play a key role in being successful at different points of the innovation spectrum.”
—Laizer Kornwasser, Company Group Chairman, Valeant Pharmaceuticals

“Many organizations are structurally committed to the status quo. Davila and Epstein offer practical ideas to overcome this challenge while preserving existing success.”
—Srikant Datar, Arthur Lowes Dickinson Professor, Harvard Business School

“In boardrooms, one of the most critical discussions centers around innovation and how to leverage creativity in the marketplace—faster and better than in the past. The Innovation Paradox demonstrates how to overcome obstacles and create breakthrough innovation.”
—Blythe McGarvie, member of the board of directors of Accenture, Viacom, LKQ Corporation, and Sonoco

“Davila and Epstein have done it again. After their very successful first book (coauthored with Rob Shelton), Making Innovation Work, they introduce the insightful concept of the Startup Corporation, which combines two seemingly contradictory mindsets and skillsets: the ability of startups to create new business opportunities and the disciplined execution of large corporations to achieve profitable growth. This combination is required if the corporation is to develop the capability for continuously generating innovations. Davila and Epstein take the reader through a framework for creating the Startup Corporation that addresses both tangible factors such as strategy, systems, and incentives and intangible ones such as organizational culture and leadership style. The book is practical and engaging and provides numerous tools for creating an innovative organization.”
—S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, Professor of Entrepreneurship and Department Chair (Strategy and Entrepreneurship), China Europe International Business School

“Written by world-class authorities on innovation, product development, and startup life cycles, this book is a must-read for any entrepreneur. As CEO of a venture-backed startup, I’ve learned an immense amount from it.”
—Sunil Rajaraman, CEO, Scripted.com

“Breakthrough innovation is no longer a mystery—Davila and Epstein have broken the code. Now even the most established organization can come up with disruptive products and services.” 
—Klaus Peter Müller, Principal, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants GmbH, Germany

“Davila and Epstein have done impressive research to uncover the hidden impediments to innovation present in most established organizations. Their recommendations for overcoming those impediments while preserving existing success are well thought out and very practical.”
—Gloria Perrier-Châtelain, Senior Global Director, Digital Marketing Strategy, and Partner, SAP, France

“For the first time, Davila and Epstein offer a solution to the ‘startup envy’ experienced by so many organizations. They show that, with the right adjustments, innovations can flow from high-rises as well as from garages.”
—Bence Andras, Partner, Proventus AG, Switzerland