Blockbusters: The Five Keys to Developing GREAT New Products [Paperback]

Gary S. Lynn (Author), Richard R. Reilly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 14, 2003

What Makes a BLOCKBUSTER?

More than half of all new products fail in the marketplace. But companies can dramatically improve their odds of success by implementing five key practices -- all within their control. Drs.Gary Lynn and Richard Reilly share the results of a ten-year research study illustrated by the inside stories of nearly fifty of the most successful products ever created.

Lynn and Reilly explain the five keys for companies wishing to develop the next blockbuster. Without these crucial elements a blockbuster new product is virtually impossible:

Compelling Product Vision • Product Improvisation • Information Exchange • Senior Management Commitment • Teamwork

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A product development expert and a former research psychologist, now both professors at the Stevens Institute, combine their knowledge into a slim but useful volume illustrating their innovative approach to New Product Development (NPD). Two-thirds of new products fail in the market, the authors say, but those that go on to become "blockbusters" have five factors working in their favor: active leadership from the highest level of management; "Project Pillars," or clear, established parameters for the product; "Lickety Stick," or the flexibility and tenaciousness to market test until the product "sticks"; goal-oriented teamwork (no psychological tricks); and continuous exchange of information about everything among everybody. The authors demonstrate each of these principles with a case study, including Colgate's Total toothpaste (effective senior management practices) and the Powershot Staple Gun (early and frequent consumer testing). They go on to consider two more complex cases, Corning Glass's decades-long struggle to create the fiber-optic industry and the victory of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory over NASA's entrenched bureaucracy to create the Sojourner Mars lander. The authors recognize the complexity of most of the issues and the serendipity of the regulatory environment (such as the 1986 breakup of AT&T), and they manage to avoid jargon. This volume respects the intelligence of its readers and offers them insights into proven NPD methods. B&w charts and graphs.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Gary Lynn, Ph.D., is one of the leading scholars on new product development. Formerly a design engineer with high-security clearance at General Electric, he founded the Innovation Research Institute, a company that designed and launched new products in the medical field.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (August 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006008474X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060084745
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,355,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Blockbuster in itself!, October 28, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blockbusters: The Five Keys to Developing GREAT New Products (Hardcover)

Blockbusters brings home the key elements of bringing a true winner to the market. You will not be suprised at the elements they bring to your attention, but will be pleasantly reminded of the fundamental points that you often forget. Excellent business analogies make the reading not only informative and educational, but also enjoyable. Knowing the problems that some of these larger companies faced and overcome helps put other business problems into perspective. I have already implemented their Dirty Dozen questions into the team plan and I am building the War Room as we speak. I think they have created their own blockbuster and I look forward to further work from these authors

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid "How To" Book, May 28, 2006

By 

Dr. W. G. Covington, Jr. (Edinboro, Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blockbusters: The Five Keys to Developing GREAT New Products (Paperback)

Based on conclusive research, the authors teach you how to apply the keys they discovered for radical "blockbuster" products. The research component extended over a decade. Some of the things they found reinforce what one would expect, other finds show assumptions to be inaccurate. For example, having a specific "due date" pushed teams members to find a way to get things done. Positive interpersonal relations among team members, however, was not found to be that significant.

Lynn and Reilly do not advocate "management by walking around." Their research indicates that senior executives who are passionately involved in the day-to-day decisions of bringing a new product to market get the job done, not those who have a passive, casual interest in the team's efforts. Therefore, they say it involves a lot more than just popping in occasionally to see how things are going.

Particularly useful is the discussion they have on creating products so radical that customers don't even know they want them because nothing comparable exists. In such cases, they describe how to be your own customer in bringing such products into being. They cite a couple of examples of people who did so, and because very wealthy.

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare book combining "how-to" with real world examples, November 19, 2003

By 

David L Scheer (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blockbusters: The Five Keys to Developing GREAT New Products (Hardcover)

Blockbusters is one of those rare business books that once you start reading, you just can't stop. I read this book in maybe 2 sittings, because each chapter created a strong curiosity to learn quickly, "what is the next key step." I couldn't wait to finish so I could go into my company and begin implementing some of these steps.

Like most business books, Blockbuster has theory, but backed by solid data and many years of research; however, unlike other business books, it written in a very practical manner, particularly for the working business profressional.

The authors, Drs. Lynn and Reilly, seem to have a very good understanding of what goes on inside companies when teams work together to design and launch new products. In my opinion, they were able to successfully identify the key areas that all business leaders must be aware of if they are to be successful in product launches. The case histories of real product successes, both industrial and consumer, showed me the power of having a solid product development process.

I highly recommend Blockbusters to senior management or anyone that is involved in the new product development process, whether the products are consumer, industrial, or services.