Leading a surgical revolution : the AO Foundation - a social entrepreneurs in the treatment of bone trauma

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 in the 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 economy at large. Roger Graber, Economic Development Canton of Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland Front Matter ....Pages i-xxvi Prologue: Orchestrating A Cast of Thousands (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 1-7 Front Matter ....Pages 9-9 Osteosynthesis Explained (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 11-13 A Brief Overview of the AO Organization (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 15-19 Treatment of Bone Fractures Prior to 1960 (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 21-31 Enter Maurice Müller (1918–2009) (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 33-43 Recruiting a Circle of Friends (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 45-52 The AO Kick-Off Meeting (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 53-59 AO Formulates Its Credo (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 61-72 Pillar One: Developing the AO Instrumentarium (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 73-83 Pillar Two: Teaching Osteosynthesis (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 85-92 Pillar Three: Maintaining Complete Documentation (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 93-98 Pillar Four: The Research Mission (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 99-106 Pitching the AO Philosophy to Hostile Audiences (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 107-113 In Search of a Business Model (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 115-120 Broadening the Supplier Base (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 121-128 A Commission to Steer the Enterprise (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 129-133 AO Vision, Mission, Values, and Strategy (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 135-137 Front Matter ....Pages 139-139 Growing the Enterprise (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 141-143 Mathys: Building an Industrial Company from Scratch (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 145-150 Straumann Assumes Role of Manufacturer (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 151-156 Conquering International Markets (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 157-161 Cracking the US Market (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 163-169 Expanding the Instrumentarium (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 171-179 AOVET: Humans Helping Animals (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 181-188 Entering Other Trauma Segments (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 189-195 Carrying the Message: Apostles, Missionaries, Translators, and Baggage Carriers (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 197-205 Laying the Foundation for a ‘Trauma University’ (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 207-212 Publishing the AO Philosophy (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 213-220 Internationalizing the AO Organization (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 221-225 The Diverse Talents Shaping the AO (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 227-236 Summarizing Growth Phase (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 237-238 Front Matter ....Pages 239-239 Changing of the Guard (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 241-243 From Association to Foundation (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 245-252 M&A Turbulence Among Producers: First There Were Three, Then There Was Only One (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 253-261 Changing Business Model: From Licensing Fees to Service Agreement (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 263-268 From Compression Plates to Anatomically Shaped Internal Fixators (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 269-277 From Eminence-Based to Evidence-Based Research (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 279-286 From Long Bones to All Bones (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 287-292 The Battle Over IP (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 293-302 One Final Merger? (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 303-311 Assessing How the AO Navigated Turbulences (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 313-314 Front Matter ....Pages 315-315 The AO’s Many Achievements (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 317-317 The AO Organization in 2018 (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 319-329 The AOTK System Today (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 331-334 AO Institutes: Research, CDID, ‘Trauma University,’ and a Publishing House (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 335-343 AO Innovating into New Fields (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 345-350 AO Alliance (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 351-356 Global Health-Economic Impact (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 357-364 AO Industrial and Business Impact (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 365-374 AO as Creator of Wealth (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 375-380 AO as a Philanthropic Force (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 381-390 The World Honors AO Foundation and Founders (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 391-394 Front Matter ....Pages 395-395 Mission Accomplished? (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 397-398 Epilogue (Jean-Pierre Jeannet)....Pages 399-401 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 in the 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 economy at large. Roger Graber, Economic Development Canton of Solothurn, Solothurn, Switzerland