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(More customer reviews)In the crowded field of innovation books, this work stands out as a work of wisdom.
As the title suggests, it is a book that "reveals." What I find unique is that it reveals what is often profound in a manner that makes it seem self-evident.
Simply and with great lucidity, the book teaches the rarely touched on (and seldom researched) topic of the processes that sustain innovation. Given the extreme current emphasis on innovation yet the butterfly-like lifespan of most corporate innovation centers; sustainable innovation is a topic that must be considered of high importance.
What practices? The practices of taking what is "human" into account. By starting with the central role of human hopes and fears (pleasure and pain) to innovation, Rosenfeld unlocks a useful and fresh approach to solving the issues that result from the positive and negative relationships creators (and creative groups) have with their environment. In retrospect: it seems obvious that if solutions result from creativity, and creativity results from a certain "fearlessness;" then reducing fear and anxiety and increasing confidence will lead to an increase in the number of creative solutions. Yet few books on corporate innovation tackle this issue head-on.
By grouping eight essential principles into two sections (innovation essence and innovation environment), Rosenfeld lays a foundation for innovation as a dialogue between creator(s) and environment. Unlike innovation practitioners who focus on structures, Rosenfeld's emphasis on relationships and process provides a highly adaptable and more widely applicable model. But this is not a work of speculation. The author grounds the teaching in his rich personal experience (starting as founder of Eastman Kodak Company's Office of Innovation and continuing for another 25 years) and teaches with tangible examples.
Once a "feel" for the chapter topic is inspired by the illustrative examples, Rosenfeld reveals the underlying, invisible principle which will determine whether an innovation succeeds or fails at this stage. There are eight such principles which function as chapter titles.
The first part "The Innovation Process: Its Essence" takes the reader down the road of how to innovate. Principles covered in the first section are: "Innovation Starts When...You Turn...Problems Into Ideas," "Passion Is The Fuel And Pain Is The Hidden Ingredient," "Co-Locate For Effective Exchange," and "Leverage Differences." By the end of the first section, the book has focused the reader on the human needs at the heart of innovation.
The second part "The Innovation Process: Its Environment" covers what an organization must do to sustain and extract value from innovation: "The Elements Of Destruction Are Present At Creation," "Soft Values Drive the Organization," "Trust Is The Means And Love The Unspoken Word."
Regardless of whether you are a seasoned innovation practitioner or novice, I predict you will find yourself nodding agreement as you see one useful insight after another bound into in a single, coherent view of innovation as ecology. My particular favorite from many candidates: the importance and need for innovation "impresarios/champions" in the western corporation.
The final chapter -- given Rosenfeld's holistic emphasis -- naturally addresses "Putting It All Together."
In keeping with the intent of making the book useful in an ongoing manner, Rosenfeld supplies some especially practical Appendices, such as the Summary in Appendix A: which enables memory "jogging."
In summary, Bob Rosenfeld has crafted a work of wisdom and a useful tool for anyone wishing to enhance their own innovative potential, the potential of their organization and the ability of both to benefit.
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What is innovation? Popular culture thinks it knows. An innovation is "the better mousetrap." It is the complex widget that makes a toaster run better, a computer work faster, the men and women in a spacecraft breathe easier. What is an innovator, the maker of the widget? The figure that lurks behind the better mousetrap is often thought of as wild-eyed and misunderstood, tirelessly working away in a dark basement or long-forgotten barn.These popular conceptions have some truth in them, but they are severely limited. Innovation is more than high-tech gadgets, and innovators are complex, whole human beings of all different backgrounds and types. I propose this: An innovation is a creative act or solution that results in a quantifiable gain. An innovation is set into motion in the world of ideas, but is realized in the world of human action. Organizations need innovation like plants need water; without it, they die.One hundred and fifty years ago, the whole planet sat in candle-lit darkness at night. A century ago, the first scratchy sounds of radio echoed in the silence of the ether, forever linking large populations together. Fifty years ago, the surface of the moon was still the object of poetry, not yet of scientific exploration. Ten years ago, the world barely knew the Internet that today links my office in Rochester, New York, to a Zambian village. We live in a world of technological change, where newness clamors as it speeds by. This ephemeral aspect of life is critical to our survival and to our realization as a human race. At the same time, our economy is inextricably bound to this process. Businesses react to and generate change, at ever-increasing rates. But as important as the dynamic of newness and invention is, it would be a mistake to think that all the methods of business are subject to the same law of change. In my 25 years of experience in and around the business of ideas, I've realized that there are constants that come in the form of operational principles-principles that relate to the relationship between people and ideas. Technologies change. People change. The paradox is that without applying timeless principles, the culture of change cannot endure. It is because of the timeless nature of the principles in my book that I deliberately omitted references to contemporary journals and resources. Instead, I've drawn examples from a wide variety of sources-from both inside and outside the business world, and from both current news and historic records. As you will see, these examples solidify the universality and timelessness of the innovation principles discussed throughout the book.Another important point to make is that sustaining innovation depends on the human beings who make it happen. I have found that to foster and sustain the creative spirit, an organization must understand and act in accordance with the human principles that underlie the innovation process. Understanding these principles requires an honest focus on people and their relationship with business and organizational concerns. Whether you work in the corporate world, a governmental or municipal agency, an academic institution, or the not-for-profit sector, these same principles still apply. This is because only human beings create ideas; only human beings can sow the seeds of innovation. In this book, it is my hope to show how focusing on people-their unique qualities, their values, and their diverse organizational roles-is the most essential step in creating a vibrant, flourishing, innovating organization. While it is true, then, that business and technology play a critical role in the innovation process, the human element is the driving force. It can be said that the "right people" in an organization are its greatest asset; the wrong people are its greatest liability. Studies have shown, in fact, that the quality of a work force may, over time, be more important to a company's stock offering than its technology (see Figure 0.1).Figur
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