The Ten Faces of Innovation

In this summary you will learn

• How "playing devil's advocate" squelches new ideas
• Which 10 brainstorming roles you can try instead
• How to use these 10 roles to facilitate innovation

getAbstract rating

Why you should read The Ten Faces of Innovation

Welcome to an enjoyable, easy read – which is not to dismiss Tom Kelley's fine ideas. With the aid of Jonathan Littman, Kelley works throughout this book to show how innovation can be much more painless than most people think, and more fun. Kelley makes thinking collaboratively sound like a blast. In the process, he convinces you that your organization should nurture and cherish playing with ideas. Although he admits that his consulting company, IDEO, found itself grinding along on tedious projects at times, and that he has watched people shoot down perfectly good suggestions, his underlying message is one of open possibility. He presents 10 roles you can play during meetings, any one of which would be enough to add considerable value. By showing that these roles are temporary, he sends the message that if you want to stay competitive, you can change, and even must. As he examines everything from product names to rules governing how workers decorate their cubicles, Kelley demonstrates the many opportunities you have to create something new. The cost is often little or nothing; sometimes innovation simply means getting out of your employees' way. getAbstract recommends this book to managers who wish to break old patterns and encourage creative thought companywide.

About the Authors

Tom Kelley, who wrote The Art of Innovation, is managing director of IDEO, a creative design and innovation consultancy. Jonathan Littman is a contributing editor of the magazine Red Herring, and author of The Fugitive Game and The Watchman.