Managing Global Innovation

[ CHAPTER ONE ]

The Innovation Challenge

Every so often, businesses face a seismic shift in the way they operate. One of those shifts is currently underway in how and where firms innovate. Take a product many people use every day, eyeglasses. People with bad eyesight once had to wear glasses with heavy, thick lenses. Not anymore, thanks to the ability of lens makers like Essilor to access and integrate innovations from around the world.

One of us, who has poor eyesight, recently bought a new pair of glasses in France. After choosing a frame and giving his prescription to a local optician, he was told to return at the end of the week to collect the new glasses. Little did he know the journey his lenses would take: the prescription was first sent ...