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24/7 Innovation

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24/7 Innovation

A Blueprint For Surviving And Thriving In An Age Of Change

McGraw-Hill,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

Your company should innovate constantly, not just to handle change — but because innovation is the only way to compete.

Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

The typical change initiative or business transformation book seems to follow a tried-and-true formula: the world is changing faster, and you’d better get on the bus before you find yourself lying beneath it. It’s a little like proposing an end to world hunger - everyone agrees with the objective, the question is how do you get there. In this regard, Stephen Shapiro’s book does substantially better than most in terms of offering ideas that really could bring your organization closer to attaining its goals. Employing simulation to accelerate the innovation process, using technology to enable information sharing and leading continual innovation from the top down are just a few of the key concepts. getAbstract.com recommends this book for your "must read" list, if you want to teach your organization to grow and thrive, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Summary

Streaming Business

The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once observed that you could never step in the same stream twice. The idea, of course, is that while you can dip your foot in the water again, the stream itself is an ever-changing entity. The old water has slipped past and, though the stream may appear placid, in reality it is continually evolving. You might say the stream changes all day, every day. You might say it changes "24/7," every hour of the day, every day of the week.

For your business to keep up with the stream of innovation constantly flowing through virtually every sector of commerce, your company must establish a culture where innovation is continual, an unceasing process that doesn’t take coffee breaks, personal days or comp time. Quarterly brainstorming sessions designed to dream up a better mousetrap are no longer enough. Your goal should be much more ambitious - constant innovation is necessary if your organization is going to attain its true potential.

Fair warning: this isn’t easy to achieve. The organization of the future must operate like a jazz musician who follows the written line of music only until inspiration and the muse ...

About the Author

Stephen M. Shapiro heads the London office of Accenture’s Process Excellence Practice in Europe. Prior to that he spent 15 years in Accenture’s New York office. Shapiro has consulted with ABB, UPS, Lucent and Xerox, and is recognized as one of the world’s leading consultants in the field of process capabilities. He was one of the founders of Accenture’s Process Excellence practice in 1996.

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