It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

A "new vision" of the innovation proces, 18 Jun 2007

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

A "new vision" of the innovation proces, 18 Jun 2007

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

Very helpful guide to go OR field-UT, Austin, 23 Sep 2000
This book could be the best book for someone who interested in operations research at their start line. It goes over most of the typical Operations Research topics and explain wordy but crystal clear plain explanation. As an experienced reader in OR like me, this book looks nothing but an introduction book. That's not true. If I confuse some point, I always go back to basic and refresh my mind with nice and clear explanation on each chapters. So I strongly recommend this book as a great motivational book who want to get into OR world. Math knowledge will not be helpful.

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

A "new vision" of the innovation proces, 18 Jun 2007

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

Very helpful guide to go OR field-UT, Austin, 23 Sep 2000
This book could be the best book for someone who interested in operations research at their start line. It goes over most of the typical Operations Research topics and explain wordy but crystal clear plain explanation. As an experienced reader in OR like me, this book looks nothing but an introduction book. That's not true. If I confuse some point, I always go back to basic and refresh my mind with nice and clear explanation on each chapters. So I strongly recommend this book as a great motivational book who want to get into OR world. Math knowledge will not be helpful.

The Punter's Guru, 19 Aug 2003
Martin Raymond seems to know something about everything, and one gets the feeling that with him, no question about the future would go unanswered. Not only does he possess phenomenal cultural insight and intuition, but unlike other 'experts' he generously shares the how's and why's behind his thinking--making him one of the most credible and user-friendly futurists of our times.

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's 'The Tomorrow People' is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery. I am in agreement with Jeremy Brown from Sense Worldwide who says of the book: "Martin has produced such a practical account of contemporary research and trend techniques that, if he is not careful, he'll be doing himself out of a job".

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's The Tomorrow People is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formaulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery.

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

A "new vision" of the innovation proces, 18 Jun 2007

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

Very helpful guide to go OR field-UT, Austin, 23 Sep 2000
This book could be the best book for someone who interested in operations research at their start line. It goes over most of the typical Operations Research topics and explain wordy but crystal clear plain explanation. As an experienced reader in OR like me, this book looks nothing but an introduction book. That's not true. If I confuse some point, I always go back to basic and refresh my mind with nice and clear explanation on each chapters. So I strongly recommend this book as a great motivational book who want to get into OR world. Math knowledge will not be helpful.

The Punter's Guru, 19 Aug 2003
Martin Raymond seems to know something about everything, and one gets the feeling that with him, no question about the future would go unanswered. Not only does he possess phenomenal cultural insight and intuition, but unlike other 'experts' he generously shares the how's and why's behind his thinking--making him one of the most credible and user-friendly futurists of our times.

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's 'The Tomorrow People' is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery. I am in agreement with Jeremy Brown from Sense Worldwide who says of the book: "Martin has produced such a practical account of contemporary research and trend techniques that, if he is not careful, he'll be doing himself out of a job".

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's The Tomorrow People is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formaulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery.

Good practical advice, 27 Feb 2005
I used an earlier edition of this book when I needed to undertake the thesis for my MBA - partly on the strength of rating Phil Johnson as a lecturer. It explained a lot of the terminology surrounding research that you need to be able to quote in your thesis - e.g. inductive versus deductive - and was very readable without being too simplistic. It worked for me and I think it added that professional edge to my research. My advice would be to read several texts on research but include this as one of them.

Simply excellent !!!, 04 Nov 2004
Got this book to give me a grounding in research methodologies for my MBA research project and whilst I was initially sceptical about the style when I first browsed through it, I was pleasantly surprised with it's in-depth analysis of different methodologies and the underlying philosophy. Really good book!!!

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic planning and especially budget reviews), resolving problems with customer service, implementing crisis management initiatives, and conducting performance reviews.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Stephen Denning's The Springboard: How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations and Kevin Hogan's The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking.

Good book-deceiving title, 08 Jul 2005
I read the book. It is really very helpful for
1. developing the content of your presentation
2. imporving your powerpoint slides

I rated it with 4/5 because it goes very little into how to give the presentation, and that is what I expected from the title.

Packed with Knowledge!, 20 May 2004
The lessons in this excellent book should be studied and applied by everyone who has to give presentations. In terms of audience connection and persuasive technique, Abe Lincoln must have known everything here (except, perhaps, the details of PowerPoint). And that’s good, because you don’t need anything new or fancy to give a great presentation, you just need a message and clear instructions on how to deliver it — so, here they are. The book is cleanly written with pop-out boxes, sample graphics and corporate examples. Anyone who ignores its powerful basic rules will fail at presenting. Failure means boring the audience and leaving them unconvinced and unwilling to hear more. This is your cure for those blues. The book’s flaw is the author’s tedious self-promotion, but he’s a former TV guy, so what the heck do you expect? The bottom line, we attest, is that what he says, you need to know.

A "new vision" of the innovation proces, 18 Jun 2007

I recently re-read Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models and then this book, first published in 2003. In the earlier work, Chesbrough explains that a business model "performs two important functions: it creates value and it captures a portion of that value. It creates value by defining a series of activities from raw materials through to the final consumer that will yield a new product or service with value being added throughout the various activities. The business model captures value by establishing a unique resource, asset, or position within that series of activities, where the firm enjoys a competitive advantage."

Having thus established a frame-of-reference, Chesbrough continues: "An open business model uses this new division of innovation labor - both in the creation of value and in the capture of a portion of that value. Open models create value by leveraging many more ideas, due to their inclusion of a variety of external concepts. Open models can also enable greater value capture, by using a key asset, resource, or position not only in the company's own business model but also in other companies businesses."

What we have in Open Innovation is a development of this concept in much greater depth. As Chesbrough explains, what he characterizes as "Closed Innovation" has a number of implicit rules such as "The company that gets an innovation to market first will usually win" and "We should control our intellectual property, so that our competitors don't profit from our ideas." As a result of several "erosion factors" that have undermined its logic, Chesbrough asserts, the Closed Innovation paradigm is rapidly becoming obsolete. (Please see Table 1-4, "Contrasting Principles of Closed and Open Innovation," on Page xxvi in the Introduction.) "When the innovation context shifts from Closed to Open, the process of innovation must change as well."

Chesbrough carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. In the first, he examines one of the most familiar examples of a company (Xerox Corporation) that selected technologies from its research laboratory (Palo Alto Research Center) that fit its business model, and rejected others. Apple was among the major beneficiaries of that process. "Xerox's management of its PARC technologies illustrates in a nutshell the transition from Closed Innovation to Open Innovation. Chesbrough examines the Closed Innovation Paradigm is analyzed in Chapter 2 and the Open Innovation Paradigm in Chapter 3, then offers a business model in Chapter 5 that illustrates how to connect internal and external innovation. For me, some of the most valuable material in the book is provided in this chapter. Then in the next three chapters, Chesbrough focuses on three major corporations: IBM and its transformation from Closed to Open Innovation (Chapter 5), Open Innovation at Intel, (Chapter 6), and the New Ventures Group within Lucent Technologies organization (Chapter 7).

In the last two chapters, Chesbrough first shifts his attention to a critically important subject, the management of intellectual property (IP) in the innovation process. "In a world of abundant knowledge, companies should be active buyers - and active sellers of IP." Earlier in his book, Chesbrough had explained why ideas that are not readily used could be lost. They and the people who create them "no longer can be warehoused until the companies' own businesses are ready to make use of them. Companies that do not use their ideas with alacrity risk losing them - and the people who thought of them - to outside organizations." Of course, as Chesbrough explains in Chapter 4, the value of an idea is determined by the given business model. "There is no inherent value in a technology per se. The value is determined instead by the business model used to bring it to market." Apple gratefully embraced technologies that Xerox had rejected.

How to complete the transition to a more Open Innovation system? Chesbrough responds to that question in the last chapter, providing a number of strategies and tactics. He recommends devising a strategic map that identifies the given organization's recent innovative ideas as well as those within its industry. On Page 178, he provides a list of questions to ask while completing the map, a document best viewed as "a work in progress." He then offers rock-solid advice on how to proceed with the "roadmap." As I absorbed and digested Chesbrough's brilliant insights on these and other key business issues prompted me to recall my own involvement with a number of organizations that struggled - with mixed success - to complete that process. I now presume to share some of the most important lessons I learned:

1. When designing and implementing an "open" business model, the first requirement is that everyone involved has both an "open" mindset (i.e. receptive to new ideas, whatever their source may be) and is not only willing but also eager to collaborate with others within and beyond her or his own organization. So-called "conventional wisdom" is often a justification for defending the status quo.

2. When setting objectives, focus on the most serious problems to solve and on the most important questions to answer.

3. With regard tracking progress, measure only what really matters...and do so with accuracy and consistency. Meeting deadlines, for example, as well as first-pass yield and cycle time. Be especially alert for variances.

4. Have "open" communication, cooperation, and collaboration at all levels and in all areas throughout what should be viewed as an extended enterprise. There is so much of value to be learned from associates, of course, (especially in other departments), but also from customers, vendors, strategic allies, and other stakeholders within the given value chain. Moreover, Chesbrough cites examples of situations in which valuable information was obtained (legally) from competitors.

5. Open Innovation is a journey of discovery. Therefore, view all problems as learning opportunities. Focus on determining their root causes rather than merely responding to their symptoms.

The final paragraph of the Introduction offers an appropriate conclusion to this commentary. By then, Chesbrough has shared a new vision of the innovation process. "This vision eagerly seeks external knowledge and ideas, even as it nurtures internal ones. It utilizes valuable ideas from whatever source in advancing a company's own business, and it places the company's own ideas in other companies' businesses. By opening itself up to the world of knowledge that surrounds it, the twenty-first-century corporation can avoid the innovation paradox that plagues so many firms' R&D activities today. In so doing, the company can renew its current business and generate new business. For the innovative company in a world of abundant knowledge, today can be the best of times."

Very helpful guide to go OR field-UT, Austin, 23 Sep 2000
This book could be the best book for someone who interested in operations research at their start line. It goes over most of the typical Operations Research topics and explain wordy but crystal clear plain explanation. As an experienced reader in OR like me, this book looks nothing but an introduction book. That's not true. If I confuse some point, I always go back to basic and refresh my mind with nice and clear explanation on each chapters. So I strongly recommend this book as a great motivational book who want to get into OR world. Math knowledge will not be helpful.

The Punter's Guru, 19 Aug 2003
Martin Raymond seems to know something about everything, and one gets the feeling that with him, no question about the future would go unanswered. Not only does he possess phenomenal cultural insight and intuition, but unlike other 'experts' he generously shares the how's and why's behind his thinking--making him one of the most credible and user-friendly futurists of our times.

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's 'The Tomorrow People' is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery. I am in agreement with Jeremy Brown from Sense Worldwide who says of the book: "Martin has produced such a practical account of contemporary research and trend techniques that, if he is not careful, he'll be doing himself out of a job".

A book of answers, discovery and ideas: a pure godsend, 19 Jul 2003
Martin Raymond's The Tomorrow People is an inspiration on how to observe and apply trends to all industries. From having the pleasure of attending a seminar presented by Sir Martin the book is written in a similar style as if eloquently conducted for your benefit only. The book was a pure godsend on a 6 hour trip from Scotland and will continue to be a book I will pick up to find answers and new ideas frequently. Metaphors such as the movement of slime to demonstrate how trends are formaulated are easily instructed and memorable. My only wish is that it had been written two years ago for use with my dissertation but now I have found it I am embarking on a new discovery.

Good practical advice, 27 Feb 2005
I used an earlier edition of this book when I needed to undertake the thesis for my MBA - partly on the strength of rating Phil Johnson as a lecturer. It explained a lot of the terminology surrounding research that you need to be able to quote in your thesis - e.g. inductive versus deductive - and was very readable without being too simplistic. It worked for me and I think it added that professional edge to my research. My advice would be to read several texts on research but include this as one of them.

Simply excellent !!!, 04 Nov 2004
Got this book to give me a grounding in research methodologies for my MBA research project and whilst I was initially sceptical about the style when I first browsed through it, I was pleasantly surprised with it's in-depth analysis of different methodologies and the underlying philosophy. Really good book!!!

A compelling account of technology revolutions, 13 Mar 1999
This is a fascinating and chilling account of technological innovation. It belongs on the recommended list of technology managers and staff alike. Utterback marshals compelling case histories that provide the objective foundations for more popular accounts of technology formation such as Geoffrey Moore's CROSSING THE CHASM (1). We gain insight into why it's so crowded at the bottom. Reasons exist in abundance why firms that epresent established technology are the least likely to perceive the threat represented by radical innovation. It is a slight exaggeration to say Utterback makes current management sound like the last Czar of Russia praising the happiness of the serfs. Yes, perhaps the serfs were happy; but the Bolsheviks weren't. In short, the technological discontinuity is not going to come from established competitors. All the electric typewriter manufacturer's were "taken down" by the Word Processor. But how then to recognize the radical innovation? The key to Utterback's argument is the idea of a "dominant design" of a technology It forms the center of a network of system features, user habits, collateral assets such as brand image, market channel and customer switching costs. By definition, the dominant design wins the market. It is the pattern to which both competitors and incremental innovators must adhere to if they aim at significant following in the current market. It is what radical innovation over-throws. Many case histories are provided. Each of the chapters illuminates an aspect of the dynamics of innovation by drilling down into a specific example. Thomas Edison came late to the race to produce a commercial electric lamp. He succeeded through ingenuity and systematic thinking. From the start, he planned for scalability, aiming to deliver electricity through the very illuminating gas conduits that formed his major competitors' delivery system. He also laid down a network of patents as he worked; and legally pursued those who tried to steal his mechanisms. Utterback's other examples include the Qwerty typewriter key board (an example as powerful as it is elegant and simple), the BM-compatible PC, the Cray computer, the INTEL-based massively parallel computer, the ball-point pen, the float process of making plate glass, celluloid (Kodak) film, the incandescent light bulb, the INTEL x86 chip, and a dozen other engaging from the history of economics. A fascinating account of cutting natural ice from the Lakes of New England in the mid 1800s should have a sobering - I almost wrote chilling -- effect on the complacent technology manager. Here radical innovation means one thing: refrigeration. Paradoxically, the ice industry, which efficiently transported harvested ice as far away as India, was unable to envision refrigeration. Industry outsiders were the ones. Why? According to Utterback, industry insiders have a heavy investment, both technological and emotional, in the existing system of infrastructure, distribution, and production. "...From a practical point of view, their managerial attention is encumbered by the system they have - just maintaining and marginally improving their existing systems is a full-time occupation." They are ripe for the process which the economist Schumpeter described (2) as "creative destruction." (Utterback's book exemplifies how Schumpeter is reborn as the intellectual god-father among the Silicon Valley - ideas-as-economic-drivers -- mind set.) Thus, innovation shows up as a game of chutes and ladders. A new technology represents a ladder to get off the slope of incremental progress and jump to another level. The chute is the path by which managers dedicated to the customers of the about-to-be obsolete technology follow it into oblivion and obscurity. This is a grim prospect, and, according to Utterback's cases, one that occurs about 70% of the time. In the case of David and Goliath, history is on the side of the sling shot. How do the lucky few reinvent themselves? This possibility is appreciated by Utterback, who provides the examples of HP and Motorola. But the examples of what doesn't work are legion. Discounted cash flow will rarely (never) fund risky, radically innovative projects. Compromises like DEC's simultaneous pursuit of VAX and MIPS chips, with one foot on each side of the chasm, helps to explain how DEC ended up its bottom. Assigning the new technology initiative to the establishment department is like asking the Philistine Goliath to be little David's mentor. If a state-of-the-art lab is established, then you may end up with XEROX PARC, which invented modern computing without benefiting XEROX. Of course, you may end up with Edison's Menlo Park work shop or Bell Labs. So this approach - though risky - is a gamble with pay-off prospects. A diversified portfolio of R&D projects is part of the equation. But equally important are top management's commitment, patience, and persistence. The enterprise-wide nurturing of core competencies in marketing and distribution, as well as product design and implementation, are on the critical path to firm-wide renewal. Finally, reading Utterback's text itself would be useful step for technology managers in understanding how to cross, instead of ending up at the bottom of, the chasm of technological discontinuity and innovation. (1) Moore, Geoffrey. CROSSING THE CHASM. New York: Harper/Collins, 1995. (2) Schumpeter, Joseph. BUSINESS CYCLES. New York: McGraw Hill, 1939. --excerpt from my review in COMPUTING REVIEWS, November 1997

It's A Winner!, 22 Aug 2006
Great book that teaches you how to structure a presentation based on a few simple but fundamental rules. Following Weissman's method, you are much more likely to put together a presentation that tells your story with a structured flow and is more likely to convince your audience. Additionally, these rules could be just as easily be applied to other forms of communications, especially where there is an element of persuasion required.

Please note that the author concentrates on the presentation rather than the presenter i.e. structure and flow rather than delivery techniques. I agree with this approach as effective delivery is down what he calls Verbalisation or simply practise, practise, practise.

In summary, highly recommended and I know I'll be reaching over to get it every time I have to prepare a presentation.

Invaluable advice for speakers, 21 Nov 2005
As a professional speaker, I know that the best way to get your message across in a speech is to tell a story.

This book is by a master of the art. Jerry Weissman's advice has been heeded by CEOs and politicians across the world (sadly by not enough of them).

If you ever make a presentation, particularly if you use graphics, you must read this book. You'll win more business, delight more audiences, and worry less about standing up and speaking.

Certain to Become a Business "Classic", 27 Sep 2005
It would be a mistake to assume that the benefits of this book will be of greatest value only to those who make formal presentations. On the contrary, as Weissman explains so thoroughly and eloquently, each one of us every day is almost constantly telling a "story" in one form or another to achieve one or more of these objectives: to explain with information (exposition)...or to make vidid with compelling details (description)...or to explain a process or sequence with information (narration)...or to convince with logic and/or evidence (argumentation). The most effective formal presentations are those which make maximum use of all four levels of discourse. It is also worth mentioning that, although percentages vary from one research study to another, the impact of a face-to-face encounter is estimated to be as follows: body language 60-70%, tone of voice 15-20%, and content (i.e. what is actually said) about 10-15%. Skilled recruiters claim that more often than not, they have already made a decision about a candidate before the interview formally begins. In fact, it begins at the initial point of physical contact.

So, I think this book can be of greatest value to literally anyone whose communication skills (both verbal and non-verbal) need to be improved. The strategies and tactics which Weissman shares have almost unlimited applications: when making formal presentations and during job interviews, as noted, but also when preparing reports, contributing to group discussions (e.g. strategic pl