Unleashing Innovation: How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry [Hardcover]

Nancy Tennant Snyder (Author), Deborah L. Duarte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0470192402 | ISBN-13: 978-0470192405 | Edition: 1

In publications such as BusinessWeek and Fast Company, the media have celebrated Whirlpool's transformation into a leading-edge innovator and Nancy Tennant Snyder's role as chief innovation officer. Ten years after this remarkable transformation, Unleashing Innovation tells the inside story of one of the most successful innovation turnarounds in American history. Nancy Tennant Snyder and coauthor Deborah L. Duarte reveal how Whirlpool undertook one of the largest change efforts in corporate history and show how innovation was embedded throughout the company, which ultimately lead to bottom-line results.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Unleashing Innovation

In 1999, Whirlpool was undergoing a company-wide reorganization to meet the demands of the post-globalization marketplace. To succeed in executing their transformative Brand-Focused Value-Creation strategy, Whirlpool needed to be both operationally excellent and innovative.

In publications such as BusinessWeek and Fast Company, the media have celebrated Whirlpool's transformation into a leading-edge innovator and Nancy Tennant Snyder's role as chief innovation officer. Ten years after this remarkable transformation, Unleashing Innovation tells the inside story of one of the most successful innovation turnarounds in American history. Nancy Tennant Snyder and coauthor Deborah L. Duarte reveal how Whirlpool undertook one of the largest change efforts in corporate history and show how innovation was embedded throughout the company, which ultimately led to bottom-line results.

Unleashing Innovation is filled with illustrative examples from Whirlpool and Whirlpool's cutting-edge brands including Jenn-Air, Bauknecht, KitchenAid, and Brastemp. Snyder and Duarte reveal the inner workings of Whirlpool's innovation machine, a framework that creates consistent and profitable innovation by involving all of Whirlpool's employees, and they debunk the myth that innovation comes only from the geniuses at the top. Rather than a cookie-cutter "how to" manual, Unleashing Innovation shows what happens when an organization creates a machine that involves everyone and fosters an environment that puts the emphasis on "learning and creating, dreaming, the mythology of heroes, and the spirit of winning." Unleashing Innovation shows how the engine of its innovation can be adapted to run in any business of any size and captures the steps the company took along the way, the key learnings, the tools used, the challenging setbacks, and the critical successes.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Unleashing Innovation

"I know of no other company that has embraced the challenge of innovation as completely and successfully as Whirlpool. Starting with the goal of making innovation everyone's job, every day, Whirlpool has worked systematically to embed the innovation gene in its employees, its executive ranks, and in every management process. Whirlpool's efforts have been widely celebrated, and now Nancy Tennant Snyder takes us inside to reveal exactly what it takes to make innovation a genuine core competence. Her detailed account, and the many, practical lessons she provides, is essential reading for twenty-first-century business leaders."
—Professor Gary Hamel, founder, Strategos; director, Management Lab

"This tell-all book will not only show you how to successfully reinvent a business through innovation, it will inspire you to write in its margins, preach its gospel, and hang its pages on the walls of your office. Snyder and Duarte masterfully capture not only the process of innovation but also the spirit of innovation. As witnesses to one of history's most successful business transformations, the authors tell it straight, from the inside out, and with just the right balance of theory and practice. You may buy this book for its practical applications, but you will remember it for its inspiration. Old dogs can learn new tricks."
—Andrew Razeghi, adjunct associate professor, creativity and innovation, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University; author, The Riddle: Where Ideas Come From and How to Have Better Ones

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (August 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470192402
• ISBN-13: 978-0470192405
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,934 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 The Bible on Innovation, March 11, 2009

By 

Terry Waghorn (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unleashing Innovation: How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry (Hardcover)

Though a voracious reader, I must confess that this is the first time I have reviewed a book; however, this book had such an impact on me I felt compelled to do so! I have been active in the innovation space for almost two decades now and have never before come across such a thoughtful and practical book. Unleashing Innovation is one of those rare business books that live up to what the title promises.

With the same profound insight, simplicity, and uncommon sense that propelled the authors' earlier book -- Strategic Innovation -- to worldwide acclaim, this paradigm-changing book details a seven-step approach that blends strategic, organizational, and emotional elements into a holistic and seamless process.

Unleashing Innovation shows readers how to embed innovation into an organization, thereby making it the responsibility of every employee in the company. More specifically, it explains: how to get the 'embedment' process started; how to give it purpose and direction (i.e., how to build a strategic architecture); how to align management systems to ensure they compliment and support the embedment initiative; how to gain and sustain momentum once the embedment process has taken root; how to use creativity and innovation to enrich the lives of all involved.

If ever there was a time when creativity and innovation was necessary for the survival and growth of any organization, it is now. This landmark book, more than any other I know, arms you with the tools to embed innovation into the DNA of your organization, and in so doing, ensure its long-term survival.

Read and enjoy!

5.0 out of 5 stars A how to guide for innovation, March 11, 2009

By 

Warwick "Warwick" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unleashing Innovation: How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry (Hardcover)

Dr Snyder and Duarte have written a fascinating "how-to guide" on developing and nurturing innovation. Most importantly the book highlights tips and techniques that can be applied to all companies not just high flying Internet firms (like Google) that are often too hard to replicate in other organizations.

I particularly like the chapter on Management Systems - the "invisible scaffolding that surrounds the innovation initiative". It provoked me to think more holistically about the levers available in my company and not just focus on the usual suspects.

I also found that it was not just a tale of success but tried to be realistic about failures and lessons learned as well.

Overall, a great quick read for those in the innovation field and who live outside of Silicon Valley.

5.0 out of 5 stars People Support What They Help Create, March 10, 2009

By 

Winston (Nevada, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unleashing Innovation: How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry (Hardcover)

No 'rocket science' here...Just plain old common sense applied to one of the country's iconic brands by the insider, Snyder (incidentally, one of the top innovation authorities on the planet) and an external advisor. Not management fiction, but an inthralling story from someone who was as the 'tip of the spear' writing about something real that actually happened. Results can be seen by anyone, anywhere Whirlpool is sold!

Solid, practical step-by-step information about how a sleepy brand was awakened by its people once they were asked to participate by an enlightened Chairman & CEO with the assistance of his 'Chief Organization Development Officer', Dr. Snyder.

Bravo, Whirlpool!