Book Description | 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. |
Editorial Review | When Elmar Mock invented the Swatch, and when he launched Creaholic, he was unaware that he was applying a C-K method of reasoning. When Gilles adopted and spread the C-K Theory, he was unaware that the invention of the Swatch would be one of the most perfect examples of this theory. It was thanks to their meeting one another that they were able to share their thoughts in a harmonious, inventive, and accomplished fashion that will most certainly arouse the curiosity of the reader. Throughout all of the chapters we can only be in admiration of the talent of these two partners. The former has a penchant for vibrant metaphors, which help him share his approach, his vision, and his accomplishments with the reader. ... The latter is a fervent admirer of the rigor of well-built theoretical constructions, which he passes on to the reader with precision, passion, and a neat sense of examples. -From the Foreword by Yves Pigneur, Professor, Lausanne University, and co-author of Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challenges |