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Acknowledgements
I consider myself a fortunate person. This book is just one example of what luck has
enabled me to do as part of my professional career.
Innovation is, by and large, a collective endeavor, and the same is true about the
tenets and insights considered in this book.
First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every coauthor (Margaret
Zeigler, Ann Steensland, Cees Leeuwis, Noelle Arts, Mathias Müller, Per-Ola
Ulvenblad, Nick van der Velde, Niek van Dijk, Janet Macharia, Kwame Ntim Pipim,
Hiwot Shimeles, David Donnan and Steve Sonka) and the organizations they are
associated with, for selflessly sharing their most priceless asset: time. This book
would not have been possible without the gift of their time and commitment. I am
deeply grateful for their contributions.
Though my fascination with innovation started several years before, it received a
formal jumpstart when Mark Cooper, my former boss at Corteva Agrisciences, supported my professional development. He encouraged me to take a course that was
not directly related to my job (molecular breeding in maize in those years) on the
Management of Technology and Innovation at the University of Notre Dame. Later,
Miguel Alvarez Arancedo at Bayer was the main champion behind getting me
enrolled in the University del Desarrollo’s MBA program, focused on innovation
and entrepreneurship. The above described chain of events led me to an epiphany:
the realization that innovation is not only about technology, rather it is mainly about
behavioral change. Thanks also to Francisco Santibañez and Fernando Sanchez,
Directors of such MBA program. During their tenure, I had the privilege to serve as
a part-time professor of innovation management, business models design, corporate
entrepreneurship, and technology management. Through many discussions with
hundreds of talented MBA students, I was able to further refine and better articulate
my views on innovation. I am grateful to each of my former MBA students.
I also want to thank the International Potato Center (CIP), my current employer,
as well as Oscar Ortiz, my current boss, for his continuous encouragement and good
advice, for allowing me to work on this book, and for accepting my continuous challenge of the status quo.
Acknowledgements
I consider myself a fortunate person. This book is just one example of what luck has
enabled me to do as part of my professional career.
Innovation is, by and large, a collective endeavor, and the same is true about the
tenets and insights considered in this book.
First and foremost, I would like to thank each and every coauthor (Margaret
Zeigler, Ann Steensland, Cees Leeuwis, Noelle Arts, Mathias Müller, Per-Ola
Ulvenblad, Nick van der Velde, Niek van Dijk, Janet Macharia, Kwame Ntim Pipim,
Hiwot Shimeles, David Donnan and Steve Sonka) and the organizations they are
associated with, for selflessly sharing their most priceless asset: time. This book
would not have been possible without the gift of their time and commitment. I am
deeply grateful for their contributions.
Though my fascination with innovation started several years before, it received a
formal jumpstart when Mark Cooper, my former boss at Corteva Agrisciences, supported my professional development. He encouraged me to take a course that was
not directly related to my job (molecular breeding in maize in those years) on the
Management of Technology and Innovation at the University of Notre Dame. Later,
Miguel Alvarez Arancedo at Bayer was the main champion behind getting me
enrolled in the University del Desarrollo’s MBA program, focused on innovation
and entrepreneurship. The above described chain of events led me to an epiphany:
the realization that innovation is not only about technology, rather it is mainly about
behavioral change. Thanks also to Francisco Santibañez and Fernando Sanchez,
Directors of such MBA program. During their tenure, I had the privilege to serve as
a part-time professor of innovation management, business models design, corporate
entrepreneurship, and technology management. Through many discussions with
hundreds of talented MBA students, I was able to further refine and better articulate
my views on innovation. I am grateful to each of my former MBA students.
I also want to thank the International Potato Center (CIP), my current employer,
as well as Oscar Ortiz, my current boss, for his continuous encouragement and good
advice, for allowing me to work on this book, and for accepting my continuous challenge of the status quo.