Acknowledgments

The authors want to extend a sincere thank-you to those who contributed to this manuscript and without which it would never have been possible. First, thanks to Leah Spiro, a tireless project coach and editor that held our feet to the fire and still took all our copy at the latest possible moment. Confusing thoughts are all ours. She tried, and did the best with what she had to work with (sic). Case studies were assembled by Andrea Meyer and John Dila, which helped make our intervening text come to life. Anne Greenberg checked the facts. And duly warned us when she could not. And not least, we want to thank our publisher, Pearson Education and its team of editors and especially Jeanne Glasser who saw something in an early outline, now barely recognizable.

A special thanks to Eli Lilly and Company, and some key, risk-taking executives for launching and supporting what have become some of the most unusual “laboratories” in which novel innovation models are being tested and proven, InnoCentive, among them.

We could not begin to thank those friends, colleagues, InnoCentive board members and advisors, whose genius provoked us, challenged us and inspired us. It happened over decades and goes on to this very moment.