The innovation marathon: lessons from high technology firms

Microelectronics firms in the U.S. face one of the most intensely competitive business environments in the world, leading the way for all industries. In automobiles, textiles, steel, and other basics as well as service businesses, intense global competition from increasingly skilled rivals is a fact of life. In such markets, success lies in repeated, successful innovation coupled with business control.Draws on extensive field interviews to look at how five top U.S. electronics firms--Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Motorola, National Semiconductor, and Texas Instruments--manage repeated innovation while controlling the most demanding mass production process ever designed. Provides a blueprint for managing innovation by showing where innovative ideas come from, how companies nurture an innovative environment, how successful firms organize for innovation, and most importantly, how innovation can lead to competitive advantage.