The Game-Changer by A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan (Crown).

Institutionalized innovation is not an oxymoron. Entrepreneurs love to think they're more creative than the big guys, but even latter-day Thomas Edisons are no match for the invention machine that is Procter & Gamble. P&G CEO A.G. Lafley and consultant-to-the-business-stars Ram Charan take readers inside the focus groups, customer immersion programs, incentive strategies, and idea fairs that have brought us everything from disposable diapers to cling wrap that actually clings. They also explain the company's careful balance between home-growing ideas and plucking them from others' trees. Only a handful of P&G's practices scale for small companies, but readers will be motivated to create systems of their own.