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Circle of Innovation
Book

Circle of Innovation

You Can't Shrink Your Way to Greatness

Tom Peters
Knopf, 1997
First Edition: 1997

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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Tom Peters, the well-known management consultant and seminar leader who co-authored In Search of Excellence, emphasizes the critical importance of organizational innovation in response to massive changes in society, technology and business. Companies that don’t innovate will vanish in today’s flood of transformation and competition. Peters highlights major business shifts, such as the growing professionalism of the work force, the trend toward decentralization and the increasing power of the consumer. His prescription is destruction, change, innovation and revolution. Catchy slogans, quotes and exclamation points galore highlight his major points, such as look for the "WOW! factor" and "Think Brand!" In the spirit of innovation, the book is written in a jazzy style with big space-eating photographs, bold graphics, splashy headlines, illustrations, jumbo quotes and pumped-up graphics. The format, drawn from Peters’ corporate presentations, is a distraction, but getAbstract.com recommends Peters’ book to managers who seek his core lesson: how to help your organization succeed in a changing world.

Take-Aways

  • Today’s revolution in technology, business and society requires a complete reinvention of organizations.
  • The central big idea is that innovation has to become a top-line obsession.
  • Information and knowledge workers are even more important: "The nerds have won." This is part of the "white collar" revolution.

About the Author

Tom Peters is the co-author of In Search of Excellence (with Robert H. Waterman) and A Passion for Excellence (with Nancy Austin) and the author of Thriving on Chaos, Liberation Management and The Tom Peters Seminar.

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