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.

Corporate Explorers Transform Disruption Into Opportunity With This Proven FrameworkInnovation 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 innovateThese 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.

Preface and Acknowledgments ixSection I Explore Aspiration 1Chapter 1 Innovation Advantage 3Beating the Odds 5Strategic Ambition 7Innovation Disciplines 10Ambidextrous Organization 14Explore Leadership 15Explorer, Not Entrepreneur 17Chapter Summary 19Chapter 2 Corporate Explorers in Action 21Explorer's Insight 22Purpose Driven 23Investor Support 27Manage Uncertainty 30Chapter Summary 34Chapter 3 Strategic Ambition 35Emotion, Logic, Aspiration 36License to Explore 39Social Movement 42Hunting Zones 44Manifesto 48Chapter Summary 50Section II Innovation Disciplines 51Chapter 4 Ideation: Generating Ideas for New Ventures 53Idea Addiction 56Solution Trap 58Customer Discovery 60High-Value Customer Problems 64Idea Generation 67Chapter Summary 69Chapter 5 Incubate: How Corporate Explorers Learn Through Experimentation 71Business Experiments 73What Needs to Be True? (Hypothesis) 75Run Experiments (Test) 78Make Sense of Your Results (Learn) 81Run a New Experiment (Iterate) 84Follow the Evidence (Decide) 85Chapter Summary 86Chapter 6 Scale: Assembling the Assets to Build a New Venture 89Combining Assets 92Customers, Capabilities, Capacity 95Scaling Paths 98Trigger Points 102Chapter Summary 104Section III Ambidextrous Organization 107Chapter 7 Explore Organization 109Structure Options 111Focused 113Bottom Up 115Top Down 118Structure Decision 121Chapter Summary 124Chapter 8 Explore Business System 127Team Design 129Sales Team Integration 132Corporate Functions 133Resource Allocation 135Feedforward Management System 137Executive Attention 140Chapter Summary 143Chapter 9 Risk and Reward for the Corporate Explorer 145Motivation Puzzle 145Venture Model 147Shadow Stock 148Long- Term Incentives 150Personal Risk 151Corporate Explorers Motivation 153Chapter Summary 154Section IV Explore Leadership 155Chapter 10 Silent Killers of Exploration 157Core Business System 159Preserve Professional Identity 161Avoid Risk 163Optimize for Short Term 166Maximize Comfort 169Change Leader 171Chapter Summary 172Chapter 11 The Double Helix: How Corporate Explorers Lead Innovation and Change 175Future Organization 177Storytellers 180Social Network Leader 183Insider or Outsider 188Reputation Manager 191Chapter Summary 193Chapter 12 Readiness to Act: Leadership and Scaling a New Venture 195Competing Commitments 197Both/And Leadership 199Productive Tension 202The Mirror 204Courage 207Passion 209Chapter Summary 210Appendix: Corporate Explorer Framework 213List of Figures and Tables 215Notes 217About the Authors 225Index 231