The Three-Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation

Disclaimers: I did buy the book from Amazon; I do not know the author; I have no financial interest in this book. I attended a seminar on "Innovation" and then got interested in Three Box. My interest is information technology and how to manage transformation in today's turbulent times. Unfortunately, I couldn't spend more than 30 minutes reading through it. Running your business on the basis of three boxes seems too simplistic to me. There are many routes to business success and just highlighting those that fit the Three Box template doesn't really help. You may have a different strategy. I'm sure the author is a brilliant business thinker, but this book had little to offer for me.

If you are already working on innovation the model and the learnings he shares are too obvious and expected nothing really breaking through, or new to actually innovate in the process... the paradoxical desire to offer a book about innovation not offering any disruptive tool or techniques.

How do you align your organization on the competing agenda of simultaneously running the current business while dramatically reinventing it?The answer is The Three-Box solution.Box 1 – Manage the present core business, the performance engineBox 2 – Abandon practices and ideas that have lost relevance in the changed environmentBox 3 – Generate breakthrough ideas and convert them into profitable business.By balancing the three boxes, managers can resolve the inherent tension of innovating a new business while running a high-performing business at the same time.The author, Professor Govindarajan has the magic of turning complex issues into simple framework and articulating it in plain English, which makes reading this book an enjoyable journey.The author cited real examples of how other organizations are using this model and applying these principles:You should engage in both linear (Box 1) and nonlinear (Box 3) innovations to ensure leadership in the future.You must develop the discipline of selectively forgetting the past (Box2) or the past will prevent you from creating the futureOptimizing current business models in Box 1 and creating new business models in Box 3 must be pursued simultaneously, yet we call for different activities, skills, methods, metrics, mind-sets, and leadership approaches.After reading this book, I started to realize that this deceptively simply Three Box framework applies to the career management too.To have a successful career, you need manage the current career (Box 1 )to achieve the efficiency at current position but at the same time you should spend time thinking about our long term career goal which is Box 3. In the process, we need selectively forgetting those skills that have lost relevance - the Box 2.In a word, you need the Three Box, for a sustainable business and a successful career.

The Three-Box Solution is a great read and one I will bring to friends leading and managing start-ups and established Companies. However, the real excitement and opportunity will be to share the book and its lessons with undergrad students studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UNC and Duke. VG's simple but critical look at how to manage and optimize for the Present (Box 1), shed and forget the Past and its trappings (Box 2) and be ready for and create the Future (Box 3) is clearly the task ahead for CEOs and their teams. But also something worth sharing with those just starting their careers or launching their ideas.His retelling of Keurig's move from an Office coffee machine to one for the Home is a fantastic lens to understand Box 3 leadership and execution. The Chapter on Keurig is full of gems as he shares the stories behind making a brewer that would heat up fast enough to satisfy an impatient coffee lover at home in the morning as well as pack enough coffee in the K-cup to satisfy the demanding needs of Starbucks and the taste buds of its consumers. VG's abilities to help understand the critical components of a Box 3 initiative are so well captured in the Chapter around Keurig including the importance of creating a Box 3 culture and having courageous leadership which for most is very hard.The book is full of strong examples of company leadership, execution and simple but powerful strategies and considerations as he takes us through all three boxes with United Rentals, IBM, Willow Creek, Mahindra, Keurig and his own insights.Enjoy The Three-Box Solution and getting to know or reading more from the thinking and experiences of VG!

“The Three Box Solution” by Prof. Vijay Govindarajan is actually a gift to all the business owners in the world. The book contains a prescription of survival for all the businesses. Prof. VG has presented his case, in this book, in such an easy to read style that it gets easier for reader to grab and absorb the key ideas. This makes contemplation easier and application smooth. Various case studies presented in this book show the pragmatic application of “The Three Box Solution” strategy. In this book, Prof. VG linked this modern day business thinking to mythology in a beautiful way.In my humble opinion, this book is a must read for all business owners, students and scholars. And it is a best investment in terms of time and cost. It has so many things/ lessons inside that can be helpful to all the people who are somehow connected to business world. In short, it is another master piece from Prof. Vijay Govindarajan.Dr.Hafiz Imtiaz AhmadAssistant Professor & Director of PESchool of ManagementNew York Institute of Technology Abu Dhabi Campus

Like many who may read this review, my shelves have a range of books on the topic of 'innovation'. Over the years, I have learned what makes a good book on this topic:- Is it well written?- Does it add to my knowledge, or does it in some way codify my disparate experiences to help me do my work better?- Do I feel compelled to read this cover to cover?- Do I sit with a pencil in hand, making margin notes, scribbling on the inside of the cover, underlining valuable insights?This is one book that emphatically answers YES to all these.If this had been published 18 months ago, I would have given it to a client who was so wedded to Box 1 thinking that all attempts to introduce a Box 3 culture were almost doomed when the key manager left and my external inputs were not involved.This book should not just be on the shelves of senior (and ambitious) management of companies, it should be imprinted on their soul.

With chapter one being available for free on Google, the question is whether the other chapters are worth a read. They are.But the main reason for reading this book is to understand the three boxes. Chapter one does this - but if you’re moving from box 1 to box 3, then don’t think it’s an easy switch. You need the examples and the insight from others.A great read and very challenging if you begin to dissect how to move your own work from box 1 into a new box 3 paradigm.

Being part of a business that is embarking on what I now recognise as a Box 1 & Box 3 journey, this was a great read. Box 2 was the part I had previously overlooked. I have used the Box 3 terminology at the start of some of my team meetings to create the space for creative thinking with great results, both getting excellent ideas out of my team but also a renewed energy in everything else they do. A truly interesting read and one I recommend to you and all my colleagues!

Good ideas but reverts to type by using a few examples to justify the argument.In almost any circumstance you can find examples to support your argument.The thought process behind balancing the three boxes is a useful one

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