Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

—Thomas Edison

The same can be said of the development of new products. The challenge in developing new products is making the most of the 99%. The road from the patent office is strewn with good ideas that never made the leap from concept to market.

The light turning on is just the beginning. High-performance teams learn to break beyond the boundaries of the bulb to see things in new and fresh ways. Breakthrough products not only make the most of the 99%; they shatter the limitations of existing perceptions of what products can be.

During the last decade, it has now become clear that the light bulb can go on anywhere in the world. This development is complemented by the growth of consumer markets in every continent. Pace of technology advances shows no sign of slowing down. Products and services must now deliver value in a new interconnected continuum. Breakthroughs can occur at any scale—in a small, entrepreneurial startup, in non-profits, or in multinational corporations. The ideas in this book can help to guide breakthrough thinking at any scale to meet the emerging needs, wants, and desires of consumers in every part of the world.