Claus Sehested

“This is the book we wish existed before establishing our first international subsidiaries, to share with headquarters and guide our expansion.” Do you dream of building an international business? Are you planning to open subsidiaries in other countries? Has your company struggled in its attempts to go abroad? Expanding into foreign markets is a dream for many businessowners and executives. However, the journey from dream to success is a long and complex one, with many critical considerations and tough decisions to be made along the way. Internationalisation - From Dream to Success reveals the secrets of turning your international aspirations into reality. It offers insights into what to expect when you take your business abroad, the key steps you must take and the challenges that can arise – not only during the early days of internationalisation, but also in the years ahead. It answers a wealth of questions about the internationalisation process, including: • Why go abroad? • Which country should you choose? • What do customers in new markets want? • Who should you partner with? • How do you navigate cultural and legal differences? • How can you create an effective collaboration between the headquarters and the subsidiary? • And what is your role in all of this? Through compelling examples, supported by research and their own experiences, Claus Sehested and Max von Zedtwitz offer a clear path for anyone seeking success abroad. With over 20 years of experience as advisors to companies seeking to enter foreign markets, and having personally built businesses abroad as expatriate managers, the authors share everything they wish they had known before venturing out for the first time. This book is ideal for businessowners, top executives, expatriate managers, leaders, and employees who are facing an internationalisation process. Claus Sehested is an entrepreneur with a background as a specialist, expatriate manager, and co-founder in the manufacturing and service industries, along with over 20 years of experience as a partner in management consulting. He has lived, worked and studied in Europe, the US, the Middle East and Asia. Claus holds a PhD in Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark, and has also studied at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. In addition, he participated in international executive programmes to further enhance his expertise in global business leadership. Max Von Zedtwitz is a professor of international business and innovation at Copenhagen Business School (CBS). An expatriate for nearly 30 years in countries such as China, the United States, Russia, and Denmark, he has worked in academia, consulting and startup entrepreneurship, including at Tsinghua University in Beijing, SkolTech in Moscow, AsiaCompete in Hong Kong, IMD in Lausanne, PRTM in Shanghai and Harvard in the United States. He is presently also affiliated with Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania and the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris. He has advised dozens of companies on internationalisation, especially in and from emerging markets, and has written extensively on global innovation, R&D and corporate incubation.

Within manufacturing, Lean has lead to significant results throughout the world. But what happens when Lean meets Innovation? Is the needed creativity destroyed, or can Lean make the results of the organization even better? In Lean Innovation, Claus Sehested and Henrik Sonnenberg reveal how a managed iteration between creativity and effectiveness can ensure that the visions of top management are realized through the innovation processes. Lean can elevate the innovation processes to a new level where they become a true strategic differentiator. The authors address the key challenges facing leaders of knowledge organizations, and present a number of principles which they can use to bring more leadership into the innovation work. They also discuss methods which can increase result focus and continuous learning in the core innovation processes. The book contains specific and practical examples from five companies who started on a Lean Innovation journey. Innovation Insights from Apple, Google, Toyota, IDEO and others are also included.

Within manufacturing, Lean has lead to significant results throughout the world. But what happens when Lean meets Innovation? Is the needed creativity destroyed, or can Lean make the results of the organization even better? In Lean Innovation, Claus Sehested and Henrik Sonnenberg reveal how a managed iteration between creativity and effectiveness can ensure that the visions of top management are realized through the innovation processes. Lean can elevate the innovation processes to a new level where they become a true strategic differentiator. The authors address the key challenges facing leaders of knowledge organizations, and present a number of principles which they can use to bring more leadership into the innovation work. They also discuss methods which can increase result focus and continuous learning in the core innovation processes. The book contains specific and practical examples from five companies who started on a Lean Innovation journey. Innovation Insights from Apple, Google, Toyota, IDEO and others are also included.