tailieunhanh - BEST PRACTICES IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE by Louis Carter, David Ulrich, Marshall Goldsmith

Corning Incorporated, responsible for at least three life-changing product innovations—the light bulb envelope, TV tube, and optical waveguides— celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001. Known for shedding old, mature businesses while establishing its leadership in innovative new product lines and process technologies, the company was awarded the National Medal of Technology for innovation in 1993. The drive to remain innovative and reinvent itself is at the crux of Corning’s identity and has been since Amory Houghton, Sr. (Jamie’s great-great grandfather) founded the company in the 1850s as a small, specialty glass manufacturer | 22 BEST PRACTICES IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIZATION CHANGE INTRODUCTION Corning Incorporated responsible for at least three life-changing product innovations the light bulb envelope TV tube and optical waveguides celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2001. Known for shedding old mature businesses while establishing its leadership in innovative new product lines and process technologies the company was awarded the National Medal of Technology for innovation in 1993. The drive to remain innovative and reinvent itself is at the crux of Corning s identity and has been since Amory Houghton Sr. Jamie s great-great grandfather founded the company in the 1850s as a small specialty glass manufacturer. In the 1870s Houghton s sons Amory Jr. and Charles established Corning s tradition of scientific inquiry and emphasis on specialty glass products. They believed very strongly in creating unique products for mankind and in staying away from the mundane and the ordinary. They believed therefore in innovation and research and development. The next generation Alanson and Arthur institutionalized research by bringing under management the company s collective ingenuity. In 1908 they set up one of the earliest corporate research laboratories in the United States one of four at the time. Corning s experience since then offers countless examples in which innovative activities aimed at one objective have borne fruit in many arenas. Employees have responded to business challenges by finding new and innovative uses for specialty materials. The company s best business successes have resulted from its ability to tailor specialty materials for particular applications. We will focus on one such example EAGLE2000TM in some depth later in the case one that used the innovation process to achieve a great result. Starting with a semiformal six-plus-stage process used in the 1960s and early 1970s Corning s innovation process has evolved through five iterations to its current manifestation as