Dealing with Darwin : How Great Companies Innovate at Every Phase of Their Evolution

Deregulation, globalization, and e-commerce are exerting unprecedented pressures on company profits. In this new economic ecosystem, companies must dramatically differentiate from their direct competitors—or risk declining performance and eventual extinction. But how do companies choose the right innovation strategy? Or overcome internal inertia that resists the kind of radical commitments needed to truly set the company’s offers apart?

Illustrating his arguments with more than one hundred examples and a full-length case study based on his unprecedented access to Cisco Systems, Moore shows businesses how to meet today’s Darwinian challenges, whether they’re producing commodity products or customized services. For companies whose competitive differentiation to the marketplace is still effective, he demonstrates how innovations in execution can help boost productivity, whether a company is competing in a growth market, a mature market, or even a declining market. For companies in danger of succumbing to competitive pressures, he shows how to overcome inertia by engaging the entire corporate community in an unceasing commitment to innovate and evolve.

For any business competing in today’s eat-or-be-eaten economic jungle, this groundbreaking guide shows not only how to survive, but also thrive.

---

All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

Darwin, or Intelligent Design?, 2007-12-26
Haven't read the book, so can't rate it, but have a comment anyway. While I'm sure Moore has delivered another excellent work, I'm a bit put off by the title. Do any of you "clear thinkers" recognize that, rather than adhering to Darwin's theory of natural selection operating on random mutation, Moore is instead advocating intelligent design as the response to competition?


2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

A cogent survival guide for the evolution of business, 2006-09-13
In a competitive, capitalist economy, nothing is more prized than the whiz-bang invention, the why-didn't-I-think-of-that product or service that defines a market, delights consumers and gushes profits. Yet for all the ink spilled over innovation, remarkably few businesspeople understand exactly how to mint revolutionary new products. Innovation expert Geoffrey A. Moore delves under the hood of the new economy to create this roadmap to creative thinking. Although the text at times bogs down in jargon and a dizzying degree of detail, he cites plenty of sharp real-world examples, including an inside view of Cisco Systems. We recommend this user's manual to innovation to anyone who thinks that survival is not an end goal, but just a place to get started.


1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A must read for technology companies , 2006-08-27
I have been an avid consumer of Geoffrey's books for many years and Dealing with Darwin provides a framework to organize an enterprise portfolio planning process. It takes the concepts in the "Discpline of Market Leaders" to a whole new level that can be used in planning and strategy execution. We use Geoff's ideas in many ways in the Stanford University Advanced Project Managment program. He is a gifted writer and thinker!


1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Exceeded My Expectations, 2006-07-23
This book provides a very useful model for evaluating a portfolio, identifying what's core and recommending strategies for how to balance resources between core and non-core projects and activities. Once you have identified your core projects and activities, the book also provides a framework for determining the best innovation strategy for maximum differentiation. These are extremely useful concepts and frameworks, especially for more established businesses that have diverse portfolios, are facing increased competitive headwinds and are looking for ways to compete more effectively.


3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

The big picture, 2006-07-03
This is a good big picture review of where the marketplace is today. After several decades of new product and new category introductions (especially in the high-tech area) we've reached a point where there aren't a lot of new new things. This is especially true in enterprise software where I make a living (www.beagleresearch.com). So the question begs to be asked, "What's next?" meaning if we aren't introducing new categories, how do we get customers interested in what we have to offer. Moore brilliantly answers the question with an array of innovation strategies which, while not as definitive as disruptive innovation, are nevertheless important. Our understanding of how and why product lines are extended, for example, is improved and with that Moore brings to close a circle that started with "Crossing the Chasm". Definitely worth reading if you are in business and have responsibility for charting what's next or if you are a customer and want to understand the next moves by your favorite vendor.

Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.