Innovate!

Six companies, Eli Lilly, IBM, Medtronic, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and Marvel Entertainment, offer the central case studies of this book. Each one was founded during a severe economic downturn, and the author examines how those beginnings unfolded and what they reveal about surviving a bad market.

The book draws out the philosophies, strategies and core principles that carried these founders through hard times, presenting them as a guide for readers facing a difficult economy of their own. It also looks at where innovative ideas come from, both in individual people and within organizations, and how that capacity can be put to work.

Rather than stopping at history, the author aims to give business leaders and organizations a practical framework for growing through adversity. The stated goal is to help readers chart a course toward lasting success, with the example of these companies serving as a model for the next generation of American enterprises.