From the Back Cover
Praise for Collaboration and Co-Creation "In today's customer-empowered world, collaboration and co-creation competencies are critical to the future growth of a company...Gaurav Bhalla offers a concrete framework and specific examples that managers can use to implement value co-creation programs with their customers. A must-read for companies not wishing to get left behind!" --Vijay Govindarajan, Earl C. Daum 1924 Professor of International Business, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College "Collaboration and co-creation is the sweet spot for rethinking how companies should practice marketing and innovation...Gaurav Bhalla's book is very timely, and offers readers an effective way for building businesses around customers." --Nicolas Mirzayantz, Group President, Fragrances, International Flavors and Fragrances "Companies can't afford to fake it. Customer-driven innovation has moved from the edge to become a core business practice. Gaurav Bhalla helps you understand what it takes to make this shift, and not a moment too soon." --John Hagel III, Co-Chairman, Deloitte Center for the Edge, and co-author, The Power of Pull "If running your business seems more difficult lately, reading this book will help you understand why. It will also provide insights into how collaboration and co-creation can improve your company's performance." --Vince Barabba, Author, Meeting of the Minds, and Founder and Chairman, Market Insight Corporation "Gaurav Bhalla is after big game: how the world's leading institutions are connecting and collaborating with their most important asset - their customers - in novel and important ways...This book is an important one to read for any marketing, market research, or product innovation professional." --Steve Howe, CEO, Passenger "Based on my research it is clear that user co-creation is a strong driver for transforming the marketing and innovation programs of those companies that dare to listen and respond. Gaurav Bhalla provides a solid framework to guide this process and a rich set of case stories to explain why and how." --Jacob Buur, Professor of Participatory Innovation, Research Director of SPIRE, University of Southern Denmark
Dr. Gaurav Bhalla is a management professional with 30+ years of global experience helping companies implement innovation, strategy, marketing, and business growth programs. He has worked on three continents - Asia, Europe, and North America - and has consulting experience with companies in over 25 countries, in a variety of sectors, such as finance, technology, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, educational services, and consumer packaged goods. During this period he has experienced the business world as a corporate executive, business consultant, entrepreneur, and educator.
Some of the leading companies he has worked with are GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol-Myers Squib, Amgen, Astra Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, MedImmune, Texas Instruments, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Motorola, Hughes Electronics, Seiko Epson, Coca Cola, P&G, Heinz, Capital One and NASDAQ. Through his research, teaching, and consulting he has also had the privilege of working on some of the largest brands in the world, such as Zantac, Imitrex, Plavix, Vicks, Hershey, Nescafe, Coke, and Sprint.
Currently, Dr. Bhalla is the CEO of Knowledge Kinetics, a company focused on customer value innovation. He blogs frequently on topics related to customer driven innovation and value co-creation at www.gauravbhalla.com. Prior to this, he was the Global Innovation Director for TNS, where he helped develop processes and competencies for implementing innovative solutions across all TNS' commercial businesses. Previously he was the President of G. Bhalla & Associates, Inc., a strategy consulting and research firm, which he ran for over twelve years, before it was acquired by TNS in Feb. 2003.
Gaurav holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Strategy from the University of Kansas, an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA (Hons.) in Economics and Mathematics from Delhi University. He has published research papers in leading technicaljournals dedicated to marketing and strategy, and has presented to companies and professional audiences in several countries. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and is currently an adjunct professor at University of Maryland's R. H Smith School of Business. He travels globally and his physical office is located in Vienna, VA (a suburb of Washington, DC).
