The Idea Factory, by Jon Gertner, was a phenomenal book on innovation writ large, and on engineering organization in particular. Bell Labs was arguably the premier research laboratory of the 20th century, churning out new technologies at a prolific rate.
Still, the most interesting aspects of Bell Labs, in my mind, lie in the processes that begat the inventions, the philosophies and practices the Labs and its leaders cultivated which enabled it to be so effective. Certain ways of working, including intentionally-open floor plans, self-organized study groups, and a deep commitment to bounded research exploration, led directly to the organization's robustness.
In today's innovation-obsessed world, it is prudent to step back and deconstruct the very process of innovation, particularly given that we as a society are confronting the seemingly-insurmountable problem of climate change. If we are to tackle this "wicked problem," we will absolutely need a renewed commitment to research aimed at solving long-term, humanity-driven problems, rather than short-term, market-driven ones. All in all, The Idea Factory is really a story about collaboration: how a diversity of perspectives (though Bell Labs was certainly not diverse in many other, important ways) and a shared understanding of purpose can create a collective research output which is veritably greater than the sum of its parts.
Note: For a proper book review, I'd check out Walter Isaacson's entry in the New York Times. And for a wonderful visualization of the plethora of Bell Labs inventions, see this graphic.