CHAPTER ELEVEN
MEASURING AND EVALUATING INNOVATIONS
SENIOR EXECUTIVES IN THE FORD Motor Company were ecstatic when the Edsel was unveiled in 1957. The development and launch of the Edsel had been carefully and skillfully managed, and the executives were confident the car would be a success. Yet as we all know, the car that was to be the key to Ford’s return to a position of power in world auto markets was an immediate market disaster. In many companies, this would be the prelude to finding scapegoats and cutting off heads. Ford’s senior executives did not waste time blaming irrational customers or poor internal performance, however, as these managers were convinced that the Edsel was close to being a perfect car—if the prevailing wisdom in the ...
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