Leading a Surgical Revolution

This book describes the 60-year history of the AO Foundation and its impact on the treatment of bone trauma. Originally founded by a group of Swiss surgeons, the AO has since established its osteosynthesis treatment approach to trauma, using surgery and implants, as the global standard. The AO successfully convinced the medical community that surgery of bone trauma was superior to the standard conservative treatment using plaster casts. This new technique meant that patients no longer had to spend long weeks at the hospital in traction, and prevented many disabilities.
This book describes the struggle with the medical community, explains how the AO surgeons enlisted the support of an entire industry for their advanced tools and their research and teaching efforts, and details the AO's evolution into a non-profit foundation that now trains more than 50,000 surgeons, on all continents, every year.
The efforts of the AO's affiliated surgeons, undertaken largely on a volunteer basis and with their own financial resources, serve as a stellar example of social entrepreneurship. Today the AO Foundation numbers over 20,000 surgeon members worldwide, and the industry that emerged to produce related implants and tools employs thousands of skilled staff. Professionals in consulting as well as in healthcare can use this book as a source of successful strategies, and as a blueprint for active social entrepreneurship. The AO journey through 60 years tells the amazing success of a group of determined Swiss surgeons which developed solutions to overcome traditional techniques of fracture repair that meant splinting or traction over a period of many hundred years. A must read for any orthopedic surgeon.
Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Florian Gebhard, Director Department for Orthopedic Trauma, Vice Dean Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Germany
Professor Jeannet's chronicle of the development of the AO Foundation's game-changing innovation inthe medical treatment of musculoskeletal trauma is inspiring and insightful. It illuminates a potential path forward to transformation of the global healthcare industry through the application of principles and practices of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Professor Mark Rice, Provost and Professor of Entrepreneurship, Babson College, USA
Jean-Pierre Jeannet has written an important book on an important organization. AO's story is a remarkable case of entrepreneurship-with-a-purpose, as well as an inspiring illustration of how a few determined individuals can end up positively impacting the lives of millions!
Jean-François Manzoni, President IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland The History of the AO Foundation is also a story of how the Canton of Solothurn turned into a Medtech hotspot with its unique concentration of leading orthopedic implant firms. This book is a testimony to the innovative impact of this sector on the Swiss economyat large. Roger Graber, Economic Development Canton of Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland

Professor Jean-Pierre Jeannet served on the faculty of Babson College, USA (1974 - 2013), where he last held the FW Olin Distinguished Professorship, while simultaneously serving on a joint appointment at the IMD Institute, Switzerland (1981 - 2010). His teaching and research focused on marketing, strategy, and globalization. He holds the title of Professor Emeritus from both Babson College and the IMD Institute.
He was a frequent consultant in management development and strategic development with companies in Europe, North and South America, and Asia. His consulting practice spanned many industry sectors and included multiple assignments in the healthcare and life science industries.
Professor Jeannet is the author or co-author of a number of books, including Managing with a Global Mindset, Global Marketing Strategies, Global Account Management, and From Coal to Biotech: The Transformation of DSM with Business School Support.

1. Prologue: Orchestrating A Cast of Thousands.- Part I: Launching a Surgical Revolution.- 2. Osteosynthesis Explained.- 3. A Brief Overview of the AO Organization.- 4. Treatment of Bone Fractures Prior to 1960.- 5. Enter Maurice Müller (1918-2009).- 6.Recruiting a Circle of Friends.- 7. The AO Kick-Off Meeting.- 8. AO Formulates Its Credo.- 9. Pillar One: Developing the AO Instrumentarium.- 10. Pillar Two: Teaching Osteosynthesis.- 11. Pillar Three: Maintaining Complete Documentation.- 12. Pillar Four: The Research Mission.- 13. Pitching the AO Philosophy to Hostile Audiences.- 14. In Search of a Business Model.- 15. Broadening the Supplier Base.- 16. A Commission to Steer the Enterprise.- 17. AO Vision, Mission, Values, and Strategy. Part II: Growing the Organization.- 18. Growing the Enterprise.- 19. Mathys: Building an Industrial Company from Scratch.- 20. Straumann Assumes Role of Manufacturer.- 21. Conquering International Markets .- 22. Cracking the US Market.- 23. Expanding the Instrumentarium. - 24. AOVET: Humans Helping Animals. - 25. Entering Other Trauma Segments. - 26. Carrying the Message: Apostles, Missionaries, Translators, and Baggage Carriers.- 27. Laying the Foundation for a 'Trauma University'.- 28. Publishing the AO Philosophy.- 29. Internationalizing the AO Organization. - 30. The Diverse Talents Shaping the AO.- 31. Summarizing Growth Phase.- Part III: Navigating Turbulence.- 32. Changing of the Guard.- 33. From Association to Foundation.- 34. M&A Turbulence Among Producers: First There Were Three, Then There Was Only One. - 35 Changing Business Model: From Licensing Fees to Service Agreement.- 36. From Compression Plates to Anatomically Shaped Internal Fixators.- 37. From Eminence-Based to Evidence-Based Research. - 38. From Long Bones to All Bones.- 39. The Battle Over IP.- 40. One Final Merger?.- 41. Assessing How the AO Navigated Turbulences.- Part IV: The AO Foundation Today and Its Impact.- 42.The AO's Many Achievements.- 43. The AO Organization in 2018.- 44. The AOTK System Today.- 45. AO Institutes: Research, CDID, 'Trauma University,' and a Publishing House.- 46. AO Innovating into New Fields.- 47. AO Alliance.- 48. Global Health-Economic Impact.- 49. AO Industrial and Business Impact.- 50. AO as Creator of Wealth.- 51. AO as a Philanthropic Force.- 52. The World Honors AO Foundation and Founders.- Part V: Conclusion.- 53. Mission Accomplished?.- 54. Epilogue.