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by James A. Euchner (Author)
Large corporations must become far more agile in implementing new products and new business models. The pace of technology change, the blurring of industry boundaries, and the agility and resources of startups in almost every industry segment demand it.
Many companies have begun to adopt the principles of Lean Startup in order to increase the pace and agility of their innovation initiatives, but most have had limited success in doing so. Although the principles seem intuitive and straightforward, there are challenges to using them inside an existing company, especially in a manufacturing environment. The biggest requirements, beyond those espoused for startups, are:
- Developing a business model for the new venture that not only works in the marketplace but also works within the constraints of the corporation
- Managing the conflicts that inevitably arise with the current operating business; every business that has operated over decades has well-established ways of doing things that may not fit the required pace and flexibility required of a new venture
- Conducting business experiments with physical goods as well as with software offerings
- Managing the risk of investing in a new domain for executives that are used to investing where the risks are more clearly understood
This book describes a systematic approach for implementing Lean Startup in large organizations. It builds on the principles of Lean Startup and adds additional practices required to manage the realities of the corporate context. The book describes how it is done, with examples from practice in companies that have successfully used the methods. It complements Lean Startup methods with elements of corporate innovation practices developed by leading academics and practitioners. It brings these practices together for the first time in a practical and integrated way.
Author Biography
Jim Euchner is an expert in driving growth inside large enterprises, with a track record of delivering top line and bottom line growth through radical process innovation, new product introduction, and the launch of new businesses. His experience includes senior leadership positions in the automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications and oil and gas industries. He was a pioneer in the use of design methods inside companies and has developed practices for the use of Lean Startup techniques that are effective in the corporate context. Throughout his career, Jim has focused on the practical application of emerging technologies, including AI, machine learning, cloud-based predictive analytics, operations research and the Internet of Things
Most recently, Jim was Vice President of Global Innovation at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, where he led the development of new businesses and incubated and launched four businesses on three continents. Prior to his work at Goodyear, Jim held positions as Vice President of Growth Strategy and Innovation at Pitney Bowes, Inc. and Vice President, Network Systems Advanced Technology at Bell Atlantic (now Verizon).
Jim is industry co-chair of the Advanced Services Partnership at Aston University (UK), where he is also a Visiting Professor. He was a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Nissan autonomous vehicle program and is a co-founder of the MIT Innovation Laboratory, a consortium of companies focused on user and community innovation.
Jim is Editor in Chief of Research-Technology Management, a peer-reviewed journal for practitioners of innovation, technology and research management. He has published and spoken extensively on innovation and technology management, including award-winning papers on Business Model Innovation and applied applications of artificial intelligence. Jim holds 13 U.S. patents. He is particularly interested in business model innovation and the effective use of Lean Startup approaches in large organizations.
Jim received his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University in mechanical and aerospace engineering and his Master's from Princeton University, where he was a Guggenheim Fellow. He also holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University.
