innovations & creativity reading list

Here is my selection of books from topic: innovations&creativity. During winter time there is more time for reading so maybe this list could help someone in selecting right books. Together with this books I must mention one "blook": Pulp Innovation by Jeffrey Phillips.

Making Innovation Work,
The Ten Faces of Innovation,
The Art of Innovation,
The Medici Effect,
CATS The Nine Lives of Innovation,
The Innovative Leader,
The Innovation Killer,
Exploiting Chaos

book reviews

exploiting chaos by jeremy gutsche

Interesting and easy-to-read book which gives you examples of innovation success stories and the guideline for creativity. Useful for everyone not just for the persons involved in work with ideas. Culture of revolution ad trend hunting is the topics that you won't see in other books ;)

It looks trendy & "sexy" and it's the book that everyone that have it on the bookshelf, will go back over and over.

idea book by fredrik hären

Book about creativity with blank pages for reader's notes and ideas. It's a sort of creativity handbook for anyone interested in improving his idea generation by itself.

groupthink

Cynthia Baron Rabe in her book "Innovation Killer" is speaking about Groupthink as:

" a well documented and often detrimental human tendency to go along with decisions that the majority of a group will accept."

Sometimes is enough to keep your mouth shut during the group conversation and it will mean that your think like others in the group, which can lead to problems later.

Groupthink must, for sure, be avoided in brainstorming sessions, as it can destroy it. Shortly, groupthink is the opposite to innovation & innovation culture.

i have the idea, and what now? (1)

So, here's the first chapter of my what-will-be book "I have the idea, and what now?"

I have to note, that english is not my native language, so there are certainly some errors in text. ;)

what is innovation?

The term innovation can be heard in recent times from every direction. TV, newspapers, adds – everywhere we can see the word 'innovation' connected with wide range of products, from commercials for cosmetic products, to banking services. Politicians, professors, businessman or journalists – everyone have something to say about innovations. The term is used so much that there is the danger for it, to lose it's real meaning, and to make people take their look away from it.

Looking to origin, the word innovation is coming from latin in+novare with the meaning 'make something new'.

There are lots of definitions of innovation, I will start with the simplest one:

innovation is new idea the brings the profit.

In other words, that is the conversion of knowledge to money.

Innovations can also be defined with inventions which were converted to market products.

„Innovation distinguish leaders from followers.“

Steve Jobs

Innovation can be defined with only creating something new, but it we want complete definition, market factor must not be avoided.

We can define innovation also with something what isn't innovation: innovation isn't an invention. Many innovations don't use new technologies. In example, McDonalds hasn't spread their fast food concept with using latest technologies, but with managing restaurants in a new way.

It's not correct to think that innovation is something what people in „white suits“ are making in their laboratories.

Difference between innovation and invention can be defined in following way: Invention is first emergence of idea, but innovation is the first attempt to make it. Innovation then can be the usage of existing invention.

Innovation is not only the production of new products, but also the way of doing certain things and how to make it better.

In the case when invention improves some product, or service, or process, we can say that invention is transferred to innovation.

Innovation can be small or big, simple or complex. We can talk about innovation with disruptive idea, but also when just small changes are done on existing product, which must at least be measurable.

Biggest obstacles to innovations in the shape of some organizations are companies culture and management. Company must cultivate the culture that accepts new ideas from employees.

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It's not about money. It's about the people you have, how you're led, and how much you get it.”

Steve Jobs

The role of today's „knowledge economy“ is more important, so rich countries can't compete with low-cost products and services if they don't innovate faster and better.

Innovation is application of knowledge on the problem which occurs, and putting ideas to market. There is different situation with invention or discovery, where customer is not in inventors thoughts. Focus is clearly on invention. During innovation process, customer is the key factor, because innovation must have a market.

The way to submit idea becomes more easy and global as it will shown on the example of open innovations. This opening of innovative potentiality which is not reserved only to technological giants, opens new possibilities for solving current (and future) problems in the world.

IBM's research from 2006. based on answers from 765 interviews with leaders of organizations had the interesting answer on the question, which are the most significant origins of innovative ideas? Over 40% place employees as the most significant origin, only few percent less were business partners and customers.

This answer gives the significance to ideas which comes from employees, which are equally important, maybe even more important then ideas coming from customers.

At innovation, new product brings up new value to customer, with reducing of costs, gives improvement in relation with competitors, or contribute to end-customer satisfaction, or allows the increasing of sales with using new technologies or processes.

Finally, it most important, when customer says that it's an innovation.

Looking through the source of ideas, inventions comes from inventors effort and it can turn up in experiments, sometimes even with luck. On the other hand, innovation must come from introducing the idea on the place when it can be developed, and where it can attract enough attention for realization.

Joseph Schumpeter, well-know economist from 20th century described entrepreneurship as the from of „creative destruction“. He also had interesting though that innovation, at the end in not the creation of mind, but of will.

how to publish a book?

That's a question that I've been asking myself last four months. I've contacted the most probably interested publishers in Croatia, but they are not interested to publish my book about innovation management.
The country is small, so even if I find a publisher, the edition will be over 1000 copies. Maybe there will be more chances if I translate the book on english and try to publish it in UK or US. But the problem is the lach of time to do that.
I'm really dissapointed because I wrote it to help small and medium-sized firms to start with innovation climate. This problem really exist in this part of Europe, so I thought that I have found a niche for new product --> book. It seems now, that I was wrong. I know that it's always not easy to publish first book, so maybe I will put it for free on web or maybe just some chapters of it.
To have a sense what is inside my book, here is the list of chapters:

1. what is innovation?
2. brainstorming
3. innovations on demand
4. innovative climate
5. the innovator
6. rewarding ideas
7. evaluating ideas
8. innovation process
9. gently turning-down ideas
10. criterias for success of innovations
11. which innovations are needed in our company?
12. prototyping
13. storytelling
14. measuring innovations
15. how to become innovative
16. savings and improvements
17. how to come to the idea?
18. idea campaigns
19. types of innovations
20. how to catch the idea
21. patents
22. starting of innovation climate in croatian companies

If anyone have similar problem or have an idea, please write a comment.

the myths of innovation

I saw an interesting article on IdeaConnection. An Interview with Scott Berkun, author of the book: The Myths of Innovation.
Here is the set of Myths:
1.The myth of epiphany -- there is no eureka moment, ideas never stand alone
2. We understand the history of innovation -- we have simplified legends
3. There is a method for innovation -- there are infinite paths to innovation
4. People love new ideas -- most people fear change
5. The lone inventor -- all innovation is bound to what came before
6. Good ideas are hard to find -- humans are built for creative thinking
7. Your boss knows more about innovation than you -- just because the boss has power doesn’t mean he knows everything
8. The best ideas win -- not always
9. Problems and solutions -- problem finding and framing are more important
10. Innovation is always good -- all innovations combine good and bad effectsResilience. Talent is great, but a genius who gives up on a good idea isn’t as valuable as a less talented person who sticks it out."

Great set of thoughts which can be added as the quick guide to innovation, or "Quick way to learn about ideas":)
Read the interview

the art of creative thinking

Useful book from John Adair, for everyone who wants to start its creative engine. What makes this book really fun to read are many examples of ideas/inventions, and the big number of inspirational quotes. The chapters are sorted as useful advices, so it can be viewed as an user manual for creativity :)

innovative leader

I've yesterday run in to a book 'Innovative Leader' from Paul Sloane. I've read it in a three hour trip on the train from Zagreb to Osijek. This describes how fluently it is written, and how interesting it was. Ok, I knew a bunch of techniques and examples shown in this book, but some things were really new to me. This is really a welcoming book to every new innovation manager or leader.
More about Paul Sloane on his website: http://www.destination-innovation.com