|
The Myths of Innovation
How do you know whether a hot technology will succeed or
fail? Or where the next big idea will come from? The best
answers come not from the popular myths we tell about
innovation, but instead from time-tested truths that explain
how we've made it this far. This book shows the way.
In The Myths of Innovation, bestselling
author Scott Berkun
takes a careful look at innovation history, including the
software and Internet Age, to reveal how ideas truly become
successful innovations-truths that people can apply to
today's challenges.
Using dozens of examples from the history of technology,
business, and the arts, you'll learn how to convert the
knowledge you have into ideas that can change the world.
Why all innovation is a collaborative process
How innovation depends on persuasion
Why problems are more important than solutions
How the good innovation is the enemy of the great
Why the biggest challenge is knowing when it's good enough
"For centuries before Google, MIT, and IDEO, modern hotbeds
of innovation, we struggled to explain any kind of creation,
from the universe itself to the multitudes of ideas around
us. While we can make atomic bombs, and dry-clean silk ties,
we still don't have satisfying answers for simple questions
like: Where do songs come from? Are there an infinite
variety of possible kinds of cheese? How did Shakespeare and
Stephen King invent so much, while we're satisfied watching
sitcom reruns? Our popular answers have been unconvincing,
enabling misleading, fantasy-laden myths to grow strong."
-- Scott Berkun, from the text.
"Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to
read it's totally great."
-- John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox, and
Director, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); current
Chief of Confusion
"Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about
innovation."
-- Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, Northwestern
University; author of Emotional Design and Design of
Everyday Things
"The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and
eye-opening, but it
sure isn't what most of us have come to believe. With this
book, Berkun sets us free to try to change the world
unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation
happens."
-- Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start
"Brimming with insights and historical examples, Berkun's
book not only debunks widely held myths about innovation but
also points the ways toward making your new ideas stick.
Even in today's ultra-busy commercial world, reading this
book will be time well spent."
-- Tom Kelley, GM, IDEO; author of The Ten Faces of
Innovation
"This book cuts through the hype, analyzes what is
essential, and more
importantly, what is not. You will leave with a thorough
understanding of
what really drives innovation."
-- Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon.com
"I loved this book. It's an easy-to-read playbook for anyone
wanting to lead
and manage positive change in their business."
-- Frank McDermott, Marketing Manager, EMI Music
Scott Berkun knows innovation. A member of the Internet
Explorer team at Microsoft from 1994-1999, he is a full-time
author at www.scottberkun.com and wrote the 2005 bestseller,
The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly). He also teaches
creative thinking at the University of Washington.
Preface
Chapter 1. The myth of epiphany
Chapter 2. We understand the history of innovation
Chapter 3. There is a method for innovation
Chapter 4. People love new ideas
Chapter 5. The lone inventor
Chapter 6. Good ideas are hard to find
Chapter 7. Your boss knows more about innovation than you
Chapter 8. The best ideas win
Chapter 9. Problems and solutions
Chapter 10. Innovation is always good
Appendix. Research and recommendations
Acknowledgments
About the author
Index
|
