Teaming to Innovate

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School, where she teaches courses in leadership, organizational learning and operations management in the MBA and Executive Education programs. Her writings on organizational learning and leadership have been published in more than 60 articles in academic and management journals, and she has consulted widely on these topics for organizations around the world.   Before her academic career, she was Director of Research at Pecos River Learning Centers, where she worked with founder and CEO Larry Wilson to design and implement change programs in large companies including General Motors, DuPont, Sears and others. Her recent consulting activities include projects on organizational learning and team effectiveness in such organizations as Federal Express, The Monitor Company, Nortel, American Heart Association, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

• Executive Summary 1Introduction 3What It Takes to Innovate 3Situating Innovation on the Process Knowledge Spectrum 12A Recipe for Innovation 19Aim High 26A Worthy Goal 27Engaging Hearts and Minds 34It’s a Stretch 44Worthy Aspirations That Motivate Innovation 47Team Up 48Strange Bedfellows 49Teaming Across Boundaries 54What It Takes to Team 60When Conflict Heats Up 67Embracing the Risks of Teaming 74Fail Well 76Unpacking Failure 77Failing Well—At the Right Scale 88Leading Failure 90Courage and Fear 94Learn Fast 96Learning as You Go 97How to Learn Fast 99Overcoming Barriers to Learning 104Leading Learning to Innovate 113Conclusion 115Recommendations for a Successful Innovation Journey 116Leaders Who Innovate 119Notes 123About the Author 129