""A fascinating study of creative teamwork. The final chapter on how to "turbo-charge" less-than-exceptional teams is worth the cover price of the book." "Director

""What a pleasure to read... the case studies are excellent." -"The Financial Times, July 2005

Lead a very special kind of team. The virtuoso team.

At the heart of a great change or creative breakthrough you will often find a dynamic team of inspired individuals who work together to break out of the common place and make something remarkable happen. A team that generates more creativity, more energy and the very best performance.

This is a book about those revolutionary teams that are catalysts for big change and breakthrough performances. Unlimited by the conventional approach to teamwork "Virtuoso Teams" are frequently contentious and always less comfortable, but if you can pull together the right people and manage them in the right way, the results can be extraordinary. Virtuoso teams don't last forever, but their members almost always go on to become leaders in their field's next generation.

The rules of the game are different for virtuoso teams and their leaders. This book will show you how to play to the standards of some of the greatest uncompromising, creative and catalytic teams of our times. Andy Boynton & Bill Fisher introduce you to some of the most compelling and wide-ranging stories of remarkable team leadership ever assembled, from Miles Davis, a serial innovator who surrounded himself with virtuoso talent at least three times, to change the face of jazz, to Thomas Edison, The Manhattan Project to West Side Story. Find out how these teams set out to revolutionize their worlds, and how you can build and manage a "Virtuoso Team" of your own.

Whether you're launching an innovative new product or service; entering into challenging new markets or simply trying to transform the way you operate, virtuoso teams can make the difference between achieving a high-impact success and just another modest outcome.

""I never thought I would be extolling the virtues of a book on Virtuoso Teams unless it specifically pertained to baseball. Nevertheless here I am praising a book on the advisability of developing Virtuoso Teams--regardless of the type of organization in which you belong."

"If you aspire to develop an organization of high-performers or take an organization of high-performers to an even higher "next level"-- Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer's Virtuoso Teams is a definite must read ""

"George Steinbrenner, Managing General Partner, New YorkYankees Baseball Club"

This book tells the story of how a team of colleagues at Boston College took an unusual approach (working with a design consultancy) to renewing their core and in the process energized administrators, faculty, and students to view liberal arts education as an ongoing process of innovation. It aims to provide insight into what they did and why they did it and to provide a candid account of what has worked and what has not worked. Although all institutions are different, they believe their experiences can provide guidance to others who want to change their general education curriculum or who are being asked to teach core or general education courses in new ways. The book also includes short essays by a number of faculty colleagues who have been teaching in BC’s new innovative core courses, providing practical advice about the challenges of trying interdisciplinary teaching, team teaching, project-or problem-based learning, intentional reflection, and other new structures and pedagogies for the first time. It will also address some of the nuts and bolts issues they have encountered when trying to create structures to make curriculum change sustainable over time and to foster ongoing innovation.

A different way of discovering and developing the best business ideas

Jack Welch once said, "Someone, somewhere has a better idea." In this myth-busting book, the authors reveal that great business ideas do not spring from innate creativity, or necessarily from the brilliant minds of people. Rather, great ideas come to those who are in the habit of looking for great ideas all around them, all the time. Too often, people fall into the trap of thinking that the only worthwhile idea is a thoroughly original one. Idea Hunters know better. They understand that valuable ideas are already out there, waiting to be found - and not just in the usual places.Shows how to expand your capacity to find and develop winning business ideasExplains why ideas are a critical asset for every manager and professional, not just for those who do "creative"Reveals how to seek out and select the ideas that best serve your purposes and goals and define who you are, as a professionalOffers practical tips on how to master the everyday habits of an Idea Hunter, which include cultivating great conversations

The book is filled with illustrative accounts of successful Idea Hunters and stories from thriving "idea" companies. Warren Buffet, Walt Disney, Thomas Edison, Mary Kay Ash, Twitter, and Pixar Animation Studios are among the many profiled.

This book tells the story of how a team of colleagues at Boston College took an unusual approach (working with a design consultancy) to renewing their core and in the process energized administrators, faculty, and students to view liberal arts education as an ongoing process of innovation. It aims to provide insight into what they did and why they did it and to provide a candid account of what has worked and what has not worked. Although all institutions are different, they believe their experiences can provide guidance to others who want to change their general education curriculum or who are being asked to teach core or general education courses in new ways. The book also includes short essays by a number of faculty colleagues who have been teaching in BC’s new innovative core courses, providing practical advice about the challenges of trying interdisciplinary teaching, team teaching, project-or problem-based learning, intentional reflection, and other new structures and pedagogies for the first time. It will also address some of the nuts and bolts issues they have encountered when trying to create structures to make curriculum change sustainable over time and to foster ongoing innovation.