The Game-Changer: How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation

This book is definitely something... It is very well organized and interesting. I learned a lot about Procter & Gamble's history and achievements. I even learned about John Pepper's call to A. G. asking him whether he's prepared to be CEO. It was a quick phone call. Moreover, I learned about other companies' innovation initiatives that allowed them to be successful. Learning these is very helpful to my work. Innovation is the center theme of this book. And it's very interesting how simple improvements can provide a huge impact to the business. The book is very informative and it motivated me to do better at work.

I started my career at P & G in brand management. And while the learning was extraordinary, I always felt the company was old, bureaucratic and stodgy. I had the opportunity to work with A.G. Lafley quite a bit in my first assignment, as we were both in laundry brands. He always seemed to me outside the traditional Procter mold--wicked smart but a thoughtful, open-minded and really nice guy. Fast forward 25 years and what A.G. has done as CEO is incredible. Procter is one battleship that I didn't think could turn, much less on a dime. But reading Game-Changer one begins to appreciate what leadership and commitment can do, even in the largest and most traditional organizations. Game-Changer is an enlightening read. Lafley and legendary author, consultant and scholar Ram Charan often tag-team the writing, each bringing a unique point of view. Sometimes this gets awkward, as the P & G story is interrupted by examples from other companies (which skew a bit from India, making a noticeably unusual sample). But that's relatively minor criticism compared to the richness of the transformation story at Procter, which has become a leader in commitment to innovation and has reaped significant financial rewards as a result. The beauty of Game-Changer is that, unlike many business books, it is relevant to both mid-sized companies and corporate giants. For the Fortune 500, P & G's experience is a powerful example that radical and dynamic change is possible (see also GE, Whirlpool and IBM). For smaller companies, change is a lot easier, and the P & G model is full of ideas for potential initiatives. This is a quick and easy read that never comes across as arrogant or self-serving. It does present itself as an arresting example of a new era in corporate management. I would have never guessed that would have come from Procter & Gamble. In fact, here's the thing. P & G has had a legendary track record over its 170-year history. But frankly, it was never considered a great place to work, at least for the brand management folks. Even more impressive than the reignited financials, the company's commitment to innovation and change make it sound like a really terrific place for a smart marketer to ply his/her trade. Now that's an innovation that will pay long-term dividends. Bill Aho, www.atclevel.typepad.com

In the early 1990's P & G was the number two laundry company in the world with a 19 per cent share. Today, it has a 34 share - nearly double its next competitor. Not bad, not bad at all. This book will help you understand how this consumer behemoth was able to achieve this result and many others. I will be very surprised if THE GAMECHANGER does not become required reading in many Fortune 500 executive suites. It is not because there is anything dramatically new in it, but because it provides a good look at how Proctor & Gamble turned itself around from being a slow moving organization, poorly rated by analysts to one of the most respected consumer goods companies on the planet. Credit for much of this turnaround goes to Chairman and CEO A.G. Lafley who took office in June 2000. The co-authors, Lafley and Charan are corporate superstars. Lafley's contributions to the book are particularly interesting as he provides some excellent case study material on how innovation drove growth for key P & G brands. The most consistently captivating theme is the reference to "The Boss." No, not Bruce Springsteen, good and all as he is. The Boss is the consumer and if Lafley is to be believed, Proctor & Gamble spends its life trying to satisfy the Boss. I particularly like his phrase of placing a "laser-sharp focus on consumers." The authors tell us that Innovation is an integrated management process with the customer absolutely at the center. Eight drivers work together to fuel profitable, customer oriented growth. These are Motivating Purpose and Values Stretching Goals Choiceful Strategies Unique Core Strengths Enabling Structures Consistent and Reliable systems Courageous and Connected Culture Inspiring Leadership These eight drivers have fueled P & G's growth as the company focused on two "moments of truth," (Interestingly, no acknowledgement to former SAS CEO Jan Carlzon whom I thought was responsible for popularizing this concept in a book of the same name). These are at time of purchase and time of usage. Appropriately, as one of the most global of companies, P & G examples come from many different countries and product categories. Immersive in-store and in-home research has gained in popularity at the expense of the standard focus group. This deep dive research allowed P & G to dramatically grow share for Downy Single Rinse (fabric softener) in Mexico, Hugo Boss fragrances and SK-II skin care brand in Japan. I write about the Toyota concept of Genchi Genbutsu (Go to the source and learn) in my book Why Ireland Never Invaded America One of the underlying themes throughout the book is that Innovation is cultural. You either live it or you don't. P & G's commitment to innovation has even seen it create a joint venture with a major competitior - Clorox. The two got together to create improved product performance for the Glad brand of household bags. This book is not just about P & G. Other companies referenced in some detail include Nokia, Mar

This book is both intriguing and highly useful. Procter & Gamble CEO A. G. Lafley and business author Ram Charan draw examples from several large, successful organizations - GE, Honeywell, Dupont - but their primary focus is Procter & Gamble (P & G). They explore how P & G changed from a staid giant to an organization driven by innovation - and radically expanded its sales and profits along the way. They are candid about P & G's organizational methods and failed innovations, and they show how willing it has become to open up and connect. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone who is interested in innovation on a corporate scale and wants to know how to make it happen.

Authors A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan in "The Game-Changer" make the case that innovation - the conversion of a new idea into revenue and profits - does not have to follow conventional wisdom that small companies are better innovators because they are nimbler and have a more coherent sense of purpose. Lafley and Charan alternate throughout the book with Lafley, the operating executive, providing the "how' in how he turned around Proctor & Gamble by operationalizing innovation, and Charan, the organizational and business researcher, providing the "why" of its spectacular success. Lafley admits to some truth in the small company stereotype but he believes larger companies can be just as innovative as small companies, if not more so. Big companies have significant advantages - scale, management capability, and resources to take risks - that should facilitate innovation. But these advantages are wasted due to layers of management that stretch decision cycle times, internal vested interests to maintain the status quo, and the lack of a growth-through-innovation process. "Game-Changers" outlines the principles(1) of innovation Lafley developed, the how and why innovation changed P & G's game, and the steps Lafley took to operationalize innovation which has led to the consumer-industry's leading organic sales growth rate. He believes that a disciplined innovation process, like that at P & G, can be central to growth for any company, in any industry. He cautions, though, that one size does not fit all, and each company must adapt the principles to their unique circumstances. Having spent the past 20 plus years in Silicon Valley shepherding innovative medical technologies to the market, I can personally attest that the acceleration of change today is unprecedented. There are many more opportunities today for teams like mine to disrupt and create obsolescence for larger companies. It appears that Lafley and Charan have got the principles right, and P & G appears to have gotten their application right. The remaining questions are: Will this be sustainable? Transferable? Will game-changers(2) become the next "big thing" in operational excellence? Footnotes: 1. The principles of innovation include: motivating purpose and values; stretching goals; choiceful strategies; unique core strengths; enabling structures; consistent and reliable systems; a courageous and connected culture; and inspiring leadership. 2. A game-changer is: a visionary strategist who alters the game his business plays or conceives an entirely new game; a creator who uses innovation as the basis for sustaining profitable organic growth and consistently improving margins; a leader who understands that the consumer or customer - not the CEO - is boss; a catalyst who uses innovation to drive every element of business from strategy to organization, and from budgeting and resource allocation to selecting, rewarding, and promoting people; an integrator who sees innovation as an integrated