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books: Creativity |
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Innovation
on Demand
Victor Fey, Eugene Rivin
TRIZ continues to build momentum as a methodology for technological
innovation in many firms. While some are plaudits of the approach
as the avenue to fast and effective innovation, others see
it as just another technique in the innovation toolkit. This
book provides an overview of the TRIZ methodology, shows how
it can be used for concept development and examines how it
benefits product improvement, product simplification and product
enhancement. With multiple technical examples from lawn mowers
to microchips, it serves as a good introduction for engineers,
technology managers and others with an interest in the technique. |
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Lateral
Marketing
Philip Kotler, Fernando Trias
de Bes
This proposes an alternative approach for generating new concepts.
Whereas traditional vertical marketing has been based on market
segmentation and brand proliferation that results in ever
small subgroups within which to develop new products, lateral
marketing is focused on developing new products that access
a wider audience. However, while the developed views provide
an interesting perspective as one stimulus for identifying
new opportunities, this approach should probably not be seen
as the only one in your toolkit. |
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Breakthrough
Zone
Roy Langmaid, Mac
Andrews
Essentially detailing an approach to facilitating new concept
generation workshops, this provides a step by step account of
how the consultant authors do what they do. Topics covered range
from specific one-on-one exercises through to how one should
arrange a room layout for a workshop. Although the varied components
should be familiar to most experienced in the innovation arena,
the format of a book providing a nearly scripted approach to
identifying new opportunities needs to be questioned for its
generic applicability. Examples include British Airways. |
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Successful
Innovation
Michel Syrett
and Jean Lammiman
If it’s a handbook you need telling you how to generate
the next big idea, then this is not for you. However, if you
want facts, figures and references to current research in the
area then this delivers it The authors have used their long-term
research programme tracking innovation at the Roffey Park Institute
as the basis of this summary of creative theory, leading gurus
and best-in-class people practices. |
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New
Ideas About New Ideas
Shira White
This is a well grounded view on how a range of organisations
are using different approaches to improve innovation. It draws
on experience and interviews with leaders to focus the different
elements of getting innovation moving. As an illustrated overview
of the many dimensions of building a creative organisation,
this is a useful although not necessarily totally unique read.
Examples include Palm, Corning, Macromedia and AOL |
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Sticky
Wisdom
?What If!
A revised version of the 1999 ‘How to Start a Creative
Revolution at Work’ this uses several labelled themes
to get the message across: Thus Freshness, Greenhousing, Realness,
Momentum, Signalling and Courage are used to address the well
recognised elements of effective idea management. Drawing on
a variety of experiences this well presented book is good at
grabbing attention. Examples include ICI, Unilever, Dyson, Next
and Apple |
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Seeds
of Innovation
Elaine
Dundon
This is another view of how to improve innovation performance.
Subtitled ‘cultivating the synergy that fosters new ideas’
it takes a systematic view of creative, strategic and transformational
thinking as applied to stimulating and exploiting new ideas.
Including a number of checklists and top ten rankings, this
focuses on the author’s interpretation of what she views
as a nine step innovation process that covers the usual perspectives. |
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Think!
Tina Catling and Mark
Davies
This book has immediate impact. Loud, bold, colourful and full
of graphic trickery you can’t help but pick it up and
browse. However, while some may think that such books are all
style and no substance, this one is certainly not. Although
not including many new insights or delving into any great depth,
it provides an engaging manual for creativity - and one free
of jargon. Far better than the average and a lot more fun, it
is well worth a look. |
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IdeaWise
Steve Rivkin and Fraser Seitel
This book subtitled ‘How to transform your ideas into
tomorrow’s innovations,’ tends to fulfil all the
expectations that it creates. Although the content is good dealing
with challenges and stimulus for innovation, presentation is
a let down. This is unfortunate as scattered though-out the
text is a myriad of little cases that many will find interesting
and useful. Worth a scan for the examples but not a book that
will excite many. |
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Weird
Ideas That Work
Robert Sutton
Of the idea management books reviewed here, this is the one
that contains some tangible views on improving innovation. It
presents several ideas that challenge conventional thinking
such as ‘Decide to do something that will probably fail,
then convince yourself and everyone else that success is certain’,
‘Hire people you probably don’t need’ and
‘Avoid, distract and bore customers, critics and anyone
who just wants to talk about money’. Thought provoking,
accessible and full of practical accounts supported by a bit
of theory, this is highly recommended. Examples include IDEO,
Xerox, 3com and Sun |
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Creativity
Inc
Jeff Mauzy and
Richard Harrison
Joining the host of consultant authored 'how to' books this
looks at the basic principles that have been used to foster
corporate creativity. It explores three key areas - creative
thinking, the creative climate and how to put creativity to
work and touches upon many of the usual core themes. As a cross-topic
overview this sits quite well alongside other books but does
not in itself contain many new insights. Examples include HMO
Tufts Health Care, Steelcase, Frito-Lay
and 3M |
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