Over 25 CEOs of American and European multinationals in diverse industries—manufacturing, service, B2B, B2C, high technology, consumer products, media and entertainment, energy, and financial services—have endorsed the book.
“The emerging economies are not only the growth markets of the next century, but they will also be a great source of idea making. Some of those ideas will be parochial, but many will be exportable. Successful corporations will figure out how to harness this idea making into profit making around the world. The truly gifted companies will take their superior knowledge of their customer needs and mix and match the innovations from the developing world and the developed world into patchwork of ‘perfect fits’ for each customer segment. A surefire way to get a jump on this opportunity is to plow through Tuck professors Govindarajan and Trimble's Reverse Innovation book.”
William F. Achtmeyer
Chairman and Managing Partner
The Parthenon Group
“I found the book Reverse Innovation to concisely express both the challenges and, more importantly, the opportunities associated with meeting customer needs in the rapidly developing high-growth areas of the world. The real-world examples provide instructive insights into how one can compete and the realities associated with choosing not to. At John Deere we are working hard to assure these challenges do indeed become opportunities.”
Samuel R. Allen
Chairman and CEO
Deere & Company
“Reverse Innovation superbly addresses a phenomenon that is shaping the global economy. As the world’s economic center of gravity continues to shift—and as new consumers continue to emerge—it’s clear that the logic and business practices that drove yesterday’s success won’t drive tomorrow’s. The concept of Reverse Innovation has value for any organization that has its eye toward the future.”
Ajay Banga
President and CEO
MasterCard
“The global community is now so networked that the spark of innovation can come from just about anywhere and make an impact everywhere. Innovators are solving problems and improving lives in developing countries, but the developed world benefits too. Reverse Innovation provides useful insights for business leaders who want to capture this opportunity to delight customers, unlock hidden value, and improve the quality of life.”
John T. Chambers
Chairman and CEO
Cisco Systems, Inc.
“At Campbell, we are constantly looking for ways to step up our innovation profile. This book advances compelling, fresh thinking on the subject in an approachable and meaningful manner. It is a worthy read.”
Douglas R. Conant
President and CEO
Campbell Soup Company
“Reverse Innovation reminds us that innovation can succeed only if it works on the ground, drawing on the needs and knowledge of local consumers. Sustainable emerging-market growth will require precisely the reinvention of mind-set, organization, and discipline the authors recommend. They don't pretend that it's easy to do, but our own experience shows its power and potential.”
Ian M. Cook
Chairman, President, and CEO
Colgate-Palmolive Company
“VG and Chris have tapped into one of the fundamental changes in global business today: innovation and breakthrough thinking does not simply occur in developed nations. They succinctly point out that one of the keys to unlocking competitive advantage in the fast-growing emerging economies is to innovate locally and then capitalize upon these new centers of innovations in a firm's global operations.”
Alexander (Sandy) M. Cutler
Chairman and CEO
Eaton Corporation
“Those familiar with innovation understand it's about curiosity, commitment to continuous learning, and improvement and humility. VG and Chris go well beyond innovation in this book—to reverse innovation. Reverse innovation requires everything we needed to innovate and then requires us to cast aside, at least in part, those things that made us successful. It requires us to fundamentally relook and requestion our products and strategies. The payoffs can be huge. They not only include opening whole new markets but also vast new opportunities in existing markets. A must-read for those who want to maximize growth.”
Peter A. Darbee
Former CEO
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
“Reverse Innovation is not only a hope for improving the lives of billions in this world, but an eye-opener for innovators in the developed world. VG and Chris show how if the innovators in the developed world stay in the bubble and ignore the happenings in the developing world, they will miss the target for the next few decades.”
Gururaj (Desh) Deshpande
Cofounder and Chairman
Sycamore Networks
“Steady, incremental growth in emerging markets is not enough; VG and Chris show us how to do nothing less than transform a business through reverse innovation. This is an important book for any company looking for breakout growth, and the bonus is that this innovation can transform established markets too.”
Thomas H. Glocer
Former CEO
Thomson Reuters
“Innovation is the driving engine of everything we do at Hasbro. As we grow our presence in the emerging markets around the world, we believe that tailoring innovation to these different markets is what will continue to set us apart from the competition. Reverse Innovation is a great playbook for companies looking to do the same thing.”
Brian Goldner
President and CEO
Hasbro, Inc.
“This book captures a profound and important insight that all leaders must understand and appreciate. Innovation knows no geographic boundaries. It flourishes at the intersection of opportunity, ideas, and courage. At Accenture, with our 220,000 employees serving clients in 120 countries, we see this at work every day. We should all embrace this as the opportunity to improve how the world works and lives. This book is not only a “must-read”…it is a defining work on how we invest and engage the future. Our best, as companies and as countries, lies ahead of us by embracing these learnings and principles.”
William D. Green
Executive Chairman
Accenture
“Both developed-world multinationals and developing country firms can use the principles of reverse innovation. This book is a must-read.”
Raj L. Gupta
Retired Chairman and CEO
Rohm and Haas
“Reverse Innovation provides an invaluable insight into the paradigm shift that is occurring in the source of new innovation and the profound changes this could have for the world, its peoples, and its corporations. More than anything, this book inspires true hope that, when understood and allowed to flourish, reverse innovation can be a force for good for all, benefiting developing and developed countries alike. Every business leader should take the time to recognize its fundamental implications for their organization as we enter the next stage of globalization.”
Christopher R. Hyman
CEO
Serco Group plc, London
“VG and Chris give the readers a framework for the next phase of globalization, called ‘reverse innovation.’ Innovation for infrastructure, healthcare, and other industries is accelerating across the emerging world. This innovation can be applied to profitably solve problems, like affordable healthcare, in the developed world. Reverse Innovation creates a framework for accelerating growth through leveraging the intellect and creativity from emerging markets. It is a must-read for any global business leader looking for an edge in this era of economic growth.”
Jeffrey R. Immelt
Chairman and CEO
General Electric
“In this unique and important work, the authors have written a comprehensive ‘user's manual’ for all who aspire not only to meet the challenge of globalization, but to lead it. The book first presents the global context in compelling and easy-to-digest fashion, followed by hard-hitting examples combined with detailed, actionable steps and clear explanations of the pitfalls and hidden opportunities. Highly recommended, the book makes for both pleasurable and instructive reading!”
Omar Ishrak
Chairman and CEO
Medtronic, Inc.
“Reverse Innovation is a playbook for unlocking the growth potential of emerging markets in a rapidly changing world. As we have done successfully at Heinz, accelerating your company’s growth in developing countries requires innovation tailored to the different cultures, needs, and preferences of the local consumers. The authors share keen insights on building strong brands and businesses in emerging markets—the growth frontier of the twenty-first century.”
William R. Johnson
Chairman, President, and CEO
H.J. Heinz Company
“If necessity is the mother of innovation, more innovation will come from the developing world, validating this book’s unique hypothesis.”
Vinod Khosla
Cofounder
Sun Microsystems
“Reverse Innovation doesn’t simply describe a method of developing new products for emerging markets. It encourages development of a new business model for a changing global economy. Govindarajan and Trimble make a strong case for companies to ‘learn how to operate on a different axis’ in order to fully seize the opportunities in growing markets. Today’s solutions won’t meet tomorrow’s challenges…and tomorrow is already here.”
Richard J. Kramer
Chairman, President, and CEO
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
“At P&G, our aspiration is to touch and improve the lives of every person on the planet. We’re confident we can reach this demanding goal eventually, because we innovate for the way everyday life is lived—and we keep discovering that innovation for emerging markets often leads to improved products in highly developed markets. It’s a virtuous cycle that improves lives, rewards investment, and sustains growth. Reverse Innovation is a playbook for leaders who want to unlock this virtuous cycle as a driver of growth and advantage for their companies. I recommend it highly.”
Robert A. McDonald
Chairman, President, and CEO
Procter & Gamble
“Reverse Innovation will truly transform the way global companies must think about the opportunities and threats posed by today’s fast-growing emerging markets. Multinational companies need to quickly throw out the old playbook of incremental product adaptations for global markets and implement a new and somewhat counterintuitive approach of zero-based product design, pricing, and performance for today’s global economy. Reverse Innovation lays out a path to glory for multinational success and will forever change the way successful companies operate throughout the world. A company that does not develop these capabilities risks failure not only in emerging markets, but in its home markets as well. Reverse Innovation is a must-read for all multinational companies that want to sustain their global strategic competitive advantage.”
Steve Pagliuca
Managing Director
Bain Capital, LLC
“I can think of a dozen times where the approaches laid out in Reverse Innovation would have led to a better outcome for our company as we sought growth in emerging markets—better product, more share, better return to shareholders.”
Donald K. Peterson
Former CEO
Avaya, Inc.
“With key examples and keen insight, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble put forth a powerful business case for reverse innovation—explaining its profound impact on creating and sustaining competitive advantage in a rapidly changing global economy. Today, rethinking the fundamental institutional structures, arrangements, and relationships that harbor—or restrict—innovation is critical to every organization’s success.”
James H. Quigley
Former CEO
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
“In The Other Side of Innovation, Vijay Govindarajan and Christopher Trimble challenged senior leaders to aggressively manage the organizational barriers, financial metrics, and talent requirements that can impede innovation. In Reverse Innovation, they now extend their challenge to include the business teams leading innovation for global companies in developing countries. The clarity of their ideas will well serve leaders of global companies as they empower local leadership to manage both the opportunities and challenges of global innovation and growth.”
Michael H. Thaman
Chairman, President, and CEO
Owens Corning
“Reverse Innovation is a must-read for every globally acting CEO. It is a book rich with big ideas for becoming an innovation powerhouse. The book presents cutting-edge guidance to capture growth in emerging markets and practical hints to gain competitive advantage by moving emerging market innovations to other parts of the world.”
Michael R. Traem
CEO
Arthur D. Little
“Easier said than done’ is an apt characterization of the challenge those of us leading global, western-headquartered companies face in getting innovation right in the developing world. VG and Chris make a compelling argument for why getting it right is essential and, perhaps more importantly, they provide an executional framework by which to navigate. Wish I had this ten years ago.”
Peter F. Volanakis
Former President and COO
Corning Incorporated