The Innovation Factory : Taking The Plunge!

The Innovation Factory takes a fresh look at the fine art of breakthrough innovation. What makes it unique is that it brings together an experienced scholar and a serial entrepreneur who share the same passion for understanding the processes and theories needed to innovate over and over again. The book marries theory with practical examples focusing on the Concept-Knowledge (C-K) Theory developed by the prestigious school Mines ParisTech.

For the first time, you will discover the unknown story of the Swatch watch told by Elmar Mock, the creative engineering force behind the Swatch. In this book, he passionately tells how he helped to create this breakthrough innovation that saved the Swiss watch industry in the 1980s. Gilles Garel, a professor of management, relates this tale of epic innovation to C-K theory and both convincingly argue that organizations can channel creativity to develop breakthrough innovations that disrupt markets.

Innovation is not just a case of acquiring aptitude. It is also a question of attitude: Innovators strive to remain creative and active. The book provides an overview of the characteristics and essential strengths of the successful Innovation Factory, Creaholic, based in Switzerland. The example of Creaholic helps readers grasp what breakthrough innovation is truly all about.

The book’s use of vibrant metaphors helps readers easily digest the ideas and concepts presented. The book concludes with thoughts about future directions for the watch industry.

• Shares insights from Elmar Mock, co-inventor of the Swatch watch, about how he helped to create this breakthrough innovation that saved the Swiss watch industry in the 1980s
• Illustrates concept-knowledge (C-K) theory in action as Gilles Garel analyzes the birth of the Swatch
• Describes how organizations can channel creativity to develop breakthrough innovations
• Provides a practical, integrated strategy to innovative design

Dedication
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors

Chapter 1 : Nobody Goes Truffle Hunting on the Highway
Chapter 2 : The Hidden Side of the Concept of the Swatch
Chapter 3 : C-K : A Truly Practical Theory of Breakthrough Innovation
Chapter 4 : The Molecular Metaphor of Innovation : Gas, Liquid, Crystal
Chapter 5 : The Metaphor of the Matriarch

Epilogue : Watches to be Watched : Connected Watches, or the Innovation War Raging on Your Wrist
Conclusion : Innovation at Work
References
Index