Unleashing Innovation-How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry

Unleashing Innovation-How Whirlpool Transformed an Industry; Nancy Tennant Snyder and Deborah L. Duarte; Jossey-Bass, 2008; 272 pp. $27.95

The authors of this book are, first, an employee of Whirlpool with insights from inner workings of this great company, and second, a consultant on innovation strategy who has worked with many companies, including Whirlpool. While many books describe the structural components of innovation and give "how-to" descriptions for executing innovative ideas in a product category, these authors break the innovation process into rational and emotional drivers associated with Whirlpool's success.

I work for a large organization and appreciate the approach taken by this company. I also found the honesty of the employee, Nancy Tennant Snyder, in describing the successful and less than successful approaches to be very refreshing. The structural and cultural shifts within Whirlpool to become more innovative have taken nearly ten years to cultivate and they seem to still be in a learning mode while succeeding with some great new products and businesses.