Burning the Ships: Transforming Your Companys Culture Through Intellectual Property Strategy

Praise for Burning The Ships "Told with a litigator′s attention to detail, Burning the Ships recounts the journey that forced Microsoft to face its own ′succeed or die′ moment. It′s a powerful high–stakes lesson in strategy and survival that speaks volumes to business leaders of all stripes about the courage required to embrace radical business transformation." —William J. Amelio, President and CEO, Lenovo "Intellectual property does not show up on your balance sheet, and your board of directors would not recognize it if it were set out on a table in the lobby. But do not kid yourself: in an era of ever–commoditizing supply and distribution, IP is the essential fabric out of which your competitive advantage will be fashioned. Burning the Ships gives you an insider′s look into how this engine of economic returns operates and what you can do to maintain it." —Geoffrey A. Moore, author, Crossing the Chasm and Dealing with Darwin "It would be difficult to overestimate the influence that Marshall Phelps has had on corporate thinking in regard to intellectual property. Simply put, he is the one we look to for guidance in such matters. Burning the Ships will be widely read in Japan and Europe as well as America." —Michio Naruto, former vice chairman, Fujitsu Limited "Phelps and Kline offer us a first look at tomorrow′s business strategy, which of necessity involves the collaborative use of intellectual property. Don′t miss out on the chance to see what future business leaders will be thinking about." —Nathan Myhrvold, CEO, Intellectual Ventures "Academics have spilled a good deal of ink over the past fifteen years on the question of how intellectual property can be deployed to enhance innovation and enterprise success. Finally we′re getting the skinny on this vital issue—not just from someone who′s been in the trenches, but from Marshall Phelps himself, the man who revolutionized and set the standard for the management of intellectual property across the whole information technology sector." —Wesley Marc Cohen, PhD, Frederick C. Joerg Professor of Business Administration, Professor of Strategy, Economics, and Management, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fuqua School of Business, Duke University

About the Authors. Acknowledgments. Introduction. Chapter 1 The Collaboration Imperative. Chapter 2 Like Cortez Burning His Ships. Chapter 3 Money Isn′t Money Anymore. Chapter 4 A Very Secret Mission. Chapter 5 Leadership Starts at the Top. Chapter 6 The Road Ahead (with Apologies to Bill Gates). Index.