A "Fast Company" blogger and former McKinsey consultant profiles the next generation business strategists: the "Outthinkers"

"Outthinkers" are entrepreneurs and corporate leaders with a new playbook. They see opportunities others ignore, challenge dogma others accept as truth, rally resources others cannot influence, and unleash new strategies that disrupt their markets. "Outthink the Competition" proves that business competition is undergoing a fundamental paradigm shift and that during such revolutions, outthinkers beat traditionalists.

"Outthink the Competition" presents stories of breakthrough companies like Apple, Google, Vistaprint, and Rosetta Stone whose stunning performances defy traditional explanation and will inspire readers to outthink the competition. Core concepts in the book include: Discover the Eight Dimensions of DisruptionLearn to play by the Outthinker PlaybookDevelop the Five Habits of the OutthinkerImplement the Outthinker Process

It's time to buck tradition in order to stay ahead. Outthink the competition and uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight.

Conventional business wisdom tells us that entrepreneurs are society's main source of innovation. Young founders leave college with a big idea, get to work in a garage, and build something that changes the world. Typical corporate employees, strangled by slow-moving bureaucracy, are blocked from making transformative discoveries. In Driving Innovation from Within, strategist and advisor Kaihan Krippendorff disproves one of today's biggest business myths to highlight lessons for innovators and leaders. He reveals how many of the modern world's most impactful creations were invented by passionate employee innovators. If it were left up to go-it-alone entrepreneurs, we would not have mobile phones, personal computers, or e-mail. Distilling more than 150 interviews with internal innovators and leading experts along with insights from the latest research and today's most successful companies, from Tencent and Amazon to Mastercard and Starbucks, Krippendorff lays out a step-by-step playbook to unlock innovation from the inside. He maps the barriers that frustrate efforts to disrupt from within and provides tools to remove them, detailing how visionary leaders can create islands of freedom inside an organization to activate existing employees' potential and beat startups at their own game. Driving Innovation from Within is a practical and inspiring guide to leadership from all levels for those who want the fulfillment of changing the world without leaving their job in order to do it.

aFor the first time, someone has captured the essence of innovation and given us a truly fresh language to guide and enhance [the] process.aaVerne Harnish, founder of Entrepreneursa Organization (EO), CEO of Gazelles Inc., and author of "Mastering the Rockefeller Habits"

aKaihanas ability to reflect on history and keenly link to the current business environment displays his rich respect and creativity for businesses. This is a great read for those who love the game of strategy.aaMelinda Large, Regional Director, People, Wal-Mart

a[This book] . . . offers an extremely novel, fresh, and piercing perspective into how people in organizations can personally innovate.aaPhilip Berry, VP Global Workplace Initiatives, Colgate-Palmolive

Inside "The Way of Innovation," corporate strategist Kaihan Krippendorff explains how you can adapt and thrive by recognizing, understanding, and utilizing the ancient Asian approach to innovation. He illustrates how companies like Microsoft and Nokia use this powerful wisdom, and how you too can pass through the five stages of innovation: Metal (Admit you are stuck)Water (Conceive new winning options)Wood (Assemble your resources)Fire (Break out your innovation)Earth (Make it sustainable)With this book, you have the ancient strategies you need to lead the way to a more productiveaand profitableafuture.

Kaihan Krippendorff is a former consultant with McKinsey & Company and the author of "Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile: Use the 36 Ancient Chinese Strategies to Seize the Competitive Edge," He currently helps companies like Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, and Wal-Mart outthink their competition. Mr. Krippendorff is based out of New York City.