Innovation

How can organizations avoid complacency and create catalysts for innovation? This program delves into survival strategies used by businesses that are constantly evolving and placing themselves at the frontline of the innovation battle. Expert guests include Sirius Satellite Radio CEO Mel Karmazin, Kodak Chairman and CEO Antonio Perez, LG Electronics CEO Yong Nam, and Novartis CEO Daniel Vasella. Also included are Jonathan Lord, Chief Innovation Officer of Humana; Esko Aho, former Prime Minister of Finland; and Randy Komisar, partner in Kleiner Perkins. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (47 minutes)

Home to thousands of IT-related companies, Silicon Valley generates approximately $200 billion in revenue annually. In this program, two icons of high-tech innovation-Scott McNealy, chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems, and Marc Andreessen, chairman of Loudcloud and co-founder of Netscape-talk about the CEO as superstar, facing the competition, organizing a team, and Silicon Valley culture. In addition, MBA students and faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business ask questions about fostering creativity, broadband wireless technology, and Microsoft's place in the future of computing. (57 minutes)

Based on John Kao's best-selling book, Jamming: The Art and Discipline of Business Creativity, this program explores the reality that creativity can be cultivated within organizations through innovative thinking. The point is clearly made that much of what passes for business on a daily basis can be compared to reading the sheet music"-sticking to the plan. Now, watch the creative process unfold in case studies featuring small entrepreneurial firms. What Kao proposes is flexible improvisation, which eventually leads to the kind of creative thinking that helps companies survive in today's fiercely competitive business environment. (41 minutes)About John KaoJohn Kao is academic director of the Managing Innovation executive program at Stanford. He is a former professor at Harvard Business School, where he taught MBA and Advanced Management courses and served as Program Chair for the Enhancing Corporate Creativity Program. Kao has founded several companies: Genzyme Tissue Repair, involved in advanced tissue engineering; Variagenics, a cancer diagnostics and therapeutics firm; and a film production company, Pacific Artists."

Chairman and CEO Gordon Bethune engineered the turnaround that moved Continental Airlines from worst to first. Former Honeywell International CEO Michael Bonsignore brokered a merger with Allied Signal to create a $26-billion colossus. In this program, these two masters of corporate reinvention share their views on customer service, mergers, and workforce inspiration. In addition, MBA students and faculty from The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University ask questions about crisis management, balancing long-term and short-term goals, and the differences between leading and managing. (57 minutes)

Providing a service is different from producing a product because service is produced at the moment of delivery-a one-time opportunity to satisfy the customer which, once lost, is often lost forever. This program shows what the customer expects in the way of service, and how he or she reacts to both good and bad service. The program also describes the service cycle and the techniques for empowering employees, and illustrates specific techniques for improving tolerance, patience, and helpfulness. (20 minutes)

A profitable business requires radical thinking, not only on a nuts-and-bolts level but in a way that connects with consumers. How does an organization make that happen? This program examines tools and methods that add value to businesses and enhance the customer experience. Expert guests include Xerox president Ursula Burns, Tata Consultancy Services Managing Director Subramaniam Ramadorai, Harley-Davidson CMO Mark-Hans Richer, and Telstra CEO Solomon Trujillo. Also featured are Andy Stefanovich, founder of Play, and Mark Ecko, fashion designer and entrepreneur. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (47 minutes)

Innovation is the lifeblood of any business. This five-part CNBC series explores the need for constant innovation and the best ways to build creative thinking and bold action into an organization. Featuring a bevy of management and marketing experts-including GE's former CEO Jack Welch, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, Kodak CEO Antonio Perez, and many others-the series sheds light on tools and strategies for business innovation while illuminating the pitfalls awaiting companies that don't innovate. Hosted by award-winning journalist Maria Bartiromo. Not available in French-speaking Canada. 5-part series, 47 minutes each.

Numbering Nike, Apple, and Procter & Gamble among its many big-name clients, it looks as if IDEO, one of the most influential product development firms in the world, is on to something. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and correspondent Jack Smith visit IDEO to see the company demonstrate its highly effective form of brainstorming called the deep dive." An enemy of planning done by a lone genius behind closed doors, this company uses its deep dive technique-a form of focused chaos-to creatively redesign a shopping cart through what it refers to as a process of enlightened trial and error. (22 minutes)"

How can a company assemble all the ingredients of true innovation and achieve marketplace success? This program gathers together the key issues and themes explored throughout the series The Business of Innovation, outlining actionable strategies that will drive a business forward. Expert guests include Google VP Nikesh Arora, FedEx CIO Robert Carter, former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher, ConAgra Foods CEO Gary Rodkin, Morgan Stanley Managing Director Carla Harris, and Hewlett-Packard Chief Strategy and Technology Officer Shane Robinson. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (47 minutes)

Corporate innovation begins and ends with people who have the vision and courage to push creative boundaries. But in today's global marketplace, it's no easy task to engage and motivate a workforce. This program explores ways for organizations to harness diversity and original thinking, unlocking the innovator in every employee or team member. Expert guests include GE's former CEO Jack Welch, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, RLJ Companies founder Bob Johnson, and Procter & Gamble CTO Gil Cloyd. Also featured are Frans Johansson, author of The Medici Effect, and management guru Peter Sheahan. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (47 minutes)

Today's corporate leaders increasingly recognize that doing good is good for business. But how does innovation fit into the 21st-century framework of social and global responsibility? This program looks at green business practices and management as springboards for achievement and profit. Expert guests include Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, IKEA North America president Pernille Spiers-Lopez, Clorox CEO Donald Knauss, and Treehugger.com founder Graham Hill. Also featured is Nobel Peace Prize laureate and micro-credit pioneer Muhammad Yunus. Not available in French-speaking Canada. (47 minutes)

This program offers techniques for hearing what the customer is really saying, in words and with body language. It stresses the importance of listening, shows common barriers to what seems like (but isn't) an ordinary skill, and explains how and when to express empathy, ask questions, paraphrase, and summarize. It further explains the interpretation of nonverbal signals from the customer; covers such problems as tuning out, interruptions, impatience, and contact overload; and shows when and how to change the subject. (20 minutes)