From Bench to Boardroom

Cliff Spiro received BS and PhD degrees in Chemistry from Stanford and Caltech. In 1980, Cliff joined GE's Corporate Research labs, where he worked as a research scientist and manager for 15 years. His research included projects in energy and fuels, synthetic diamonds, and advanced metallurgical and ceramic coatings. Cliff then went on to lead R&D groups in silicone rubber, halogen lamps, water, paper, energy chemicals, and semiconductor processes. Since leaving the corporate world in 2011, Cliff has written three books about research including Leading Innovation, and has coached several corporate clients in their innovation cultures, people, and processes.

Foreword.- Glossary.- Dedication.- Preface.- About the Author.- 1 What Do I Mean By "Innovation?".- 2 Can Anyone, and Should Anyone, Lead Innovation?.- 3 Do You Have What it Takes to Lead Innovation?.- 4 Putting a Good Innovation Team Together.- 5 Getting the Right Portfolio Mix of Projects.- 6 Innovation Project Execution.- 7 Creating a Culture of Creativity.- 8 Creating a Learning Organization.- 9 Human Resource Issues For Innovation Organizations.- 10 Globalization of Innovation and Leading Remote Teams.- 11 Measuring Innovation Effectiveness.- 12 Earning Followership.- 13 Patents and Intellectual Property.- 14 Acquiring and Integrating Technology.- 15 The C-Suite, the Boardroom, and Beyond.- 16 Closing Thoughts.