Page 8 - Grow from Within Mastering Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Prologue: Origins

of This Book

row from Within grew from demand from corporate exec-
Gutives. Coauthor Robert C. Wolcott is the founder and
executive director of the Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN), a
unique invitation-only forum at the Kellogg School of Man-
agement. KIN members—executives and innovation leaders at
companies in a variety of industries—meet on an ongoing basis
to discuss business growth and innovation challenges and to
share solutions. Kellogg faculty members act as facilitators and
pursue research in collaboration with KIN members and their
companies.
In 2003, our executive colleagues expressed strong interest in
understanding how established companies can most effectively
build new businesses. Like most business leaders, they were
keenly aware of the requirement that they drive meaningful
growth beyond modest improvements within their core busi-
nesses. They were also well aware that within large, complex
organizations, building truly new opportunities outside core
businesses can be challenging. It can even feel futile at times.
Three KIN member companies—Motorola, PepsiCo, and
Cargill—funded a research project at Kellogg to benchmark

vii