The Game-Changer
Book

The Game-Changer

How You Can Drive Revenue and Profit Growth with Innovation

A. G. Lafley and Ram Charan
Currency, 2008
Buy the book

Read, Listen, or Discuss

Amazon Kindle  Discuss
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

This book is both intriguing and highly useful. Procter & Gamble CEO A. G. Lafley and business author Ram Charan draw examples from several large, successful organizations – GE, Honeywell, Dupont – but their primary focus is Procter & Gamble (P&G). They explore how P&G changed from a staid giant to an organization driven by innovation – and radically expanded its sales and profits along the way. They are candid about P&G’s organizational methods and failed innovations, and they show how willing it has become to open up and connect. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone who is interested in innovation on a corporate scale and wants to know how to make it happen.

Summary

Innovation, Procter & Gamble and You

Procter & Gamble (P&G) integrates “innovation into everything” it does. This drives its business, and is the primary source of its profits and competitive edge. However, that hasn’t always been the case. In June 2000, when A.G. Lafley became CEO, the company was not doing well. Earnings were flagging and the stock price was dropping. P&G transformed itself under his guidance. Its changes provide models you can use to transform your company by using innovation as a primary tool.

Start by putting your customers at the center of everything you do. Pay attention to customers and treat them as the boss. Expand your horizons; P&G shifted from focusing on in-house development to being open to learning from a broad variety of experts and examples. Rather than growing through acquisitions or holding steady by clinging to old brands, prioritize “sustainable organic growth” and build your strategies around it.

Procter & Gamble started its reinvention by seeking “clarity and focus” and seriously examining its practices. Once the company’s leaders determined its priorities, they worked to make innovation an integrated...

About the Authors

A. G. Lafley is chairman and CEO of Procter & Gamble. In 2006, Chief Executive magazine named him CEO of the year. Ram Charan wrote Know-How and co-wrote Execution.

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

By the same authors

The Amazon Management System
Book

Julia Yang and Ram Charan

The Amazon Management System

The Ultimate Digital Business Engine That Creates Extraordinary Value for Both Customers and Shareholders
The Digital Leader
Book

Ram Charan and Raj Vattikuti

The Digital Leader

Finding a Faster, More Profitable Path to Exceptional Growth
Talent Wins
Review

Ram Charan et al.

Talent Wins

The New Playbook for Putting People First
The Talent Masters
Book

Bill Conaty and Ram Charan

The Talent Masters

Why Smart Leaders Put People Before Numbers
The High-Potential Leader
Book

Ram Charan

The High-Potential Leader

How to Grow Fast, Take on New Responsibilities, and Make an Impact
n=1
Book

John Koster et al.

n=1

How the Uniqueness of Each Individual Is Transforming Healthcare
The Attacker’s Advantage
Book

Ram Charan

The Attacker’s Advantage

Turning Uncertainty into Breakthrough Opportunities
Owning Up
Book

Ram Charan

Owning Up

The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask
Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty
Book

Ram Charan

Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty

Managing in a Downturn
Leaders at All Levels
Book

Ram Charan

Leaders at All Levels

Deepening Your Talent Pool to Solve the Succession Crisis
Boards That Deliver
Book

Ram Charan

Boards That Deliver

Advancing Corporate Governance From Compliance to Competitive Advantage
Know-How
Book

Ram Charan

Know-How

The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform From Those Who Don't
Execution
Book

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Execution

The Discipline of Getting Things Done
The Leadership Pipeline
Book

Ram Charan et al.

The Leadership Pipeline

How to Build the Leadership-Powered Company
What The CEO Wants You to Know
Book

Ram Charan

What The CEO Wants You to Know

Using Your Business Acumen to Understand How Your Company Really Works

    Learners who read this summary also read

    Mapping Innovation
    Book

    Greg Satell

    Mapping Innovation

    A Playbook for Navigating a Disruptive Age
    How to Assess and Measure Business Innovation
    Book

    Magnus Penker et al.

    How to Assess and Measure Business Innovation
    The Innovative Leader
    Book

    Stephen Wunker et al.

    The Innovative Leader

    Step-By-Step Lessons from Top Innovators for You and Your Organization
    Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire
    Book

    Braden Kelley

    Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire

    A Roadmap to a Sustainable Culture of Ingenuity and Purpose
    Innovation Excellence
    Book

    Stephan Scholtissek

    Innovation Excellence

    Creating Market Success in the Energy and Natural Resources Sectors
    The Design of Things to Come
    Book

    Jon Cagan et al.

    The Design of Things to Come

    How Ordinary People Create Extraordinary Products

      Related Skills

      Karriere voranbringen
      Anpassungsfähigkeit steigern
      Start-up aufbauen
      Karriere
      Wirksam kommunizieren
      Digitale Transformation
      Drive AI Transformation
      Enable Digital Organization
      Entrepreneurship
      Execute Digital Operations
      Personalwesen
      Strategisch führen
      Sich selbst führen
      Führung
      Manage Learning and Development
      Soziale Kompetenzen entwickeln
      Persönliche Entwicklung
      Diversity, Equity & Inclusion fördern
      Soft Skills
      Nachhaltigkeit
      Berufliche Kompetenzen
      Executive Leadership
      Fragen stellen
      Product-Market Fit herstellen
      Neugierig sein
      Strengthen Team Collaboration
      AI Transformation
      Drive Team Performance
      Als Gründer erfolgreich sein
      Lean Startup anwenden
      Annahmen hinterfragen
      Open Innovation anwenden
      Unternehmen entwickeln
      Ideen entwickeln
      Growth Mindset entwickeln
      Ambidextrie nutzen
      Zusammenarbeit meistern
      Build Digital Culture
      Kontinuierliche Verbesserung vorantreiben
      Innovation organisieren
      Practice Transformational Leadership
      Unternehmensperformance steigern
      Innovation
      Teamzusammenhalt stärken
      Projekte managen
      Kreativ sein
      Innovation Fallstudien
      Neue Ideen vorantreiben
      Zugehörigkeitsgefühl fördern
      Nachhaltig innovieren
      Offene Kommunikation fördern
      Inklusive Kultur schaffen
      Intrapreneurship betreiben
      Eigenverantwortung fördern
      Kreativität fördern
      Psychologische Sicherheit fördern
      Wandel von unten anstoßen
      Kreativ zusammenarbeiten
      Verletzlichkeit zeigen
      Unternehmenskultur beeinflussen
      Kreativität verstehen
      Innovationskultur fördern
      Lernkultur schaffen
      Projektrisiken managen
      Funktionsübergreifend zusammenarbeiten
      Strategisch innovieren
      Organize for AI
      Produktentwicklung vorantreiben
      Innovation verstehen
      Organisation agil machen
      Positive Fehlerkultur fördern
      Ideenfindung moderieren
      Foster Team Culture
      Produktinnovation managen
      Experimentieren fördern
      Innovative Produkte entwickeln
      Management