20 Best Books For Innovation (2023 Update)

To innovate profitably, you need more than just creativity. do you have what it takes? if you read nothing else on inspiring and executing innovation, read these 10 articles. leading experts such as clayton christensen, peter drucker, and rosabeth moss kanter provide the insights and advice you need to: decide which ideas are worth pursuing innovate through the front lines-not just from the top.

Innovation is a necessity in a changing world. but what kind of innovation? 'sustaining innovation' props up and temporarily fixes structures and processes that are failing-but does little for the longer term. 'disruptive innovation' shakes things up in a way that can be welcome in the commercial sector, but is seldom wanted elsewhere. typically, disruptive initiatives offer only short term impact or are eventually 'mainstreamed' to help sustain existing systems. that is particularly true in the public, social, cultural, and civic sectors where no natural patterns of renewal are in place. only 'transformative innovation' can deliver a fundamental shift towards new patterns of viability in tune with our aspirations for the future. this pocketbook offers a first stand-alone practical guide to how to realize transformative potential at scale. it offers six elements for policymakers, funders, and innovators. knowing: how to expand our sense of what constitutes valid knowledge to become more comfortable with complexity; imagining: how to conceive, develop, and design transformative initiatives to carry a group's longer term aspirations; being: how to organize for action, manage the process, and sustain the people involved over time; doing: how to introduce the new in the presence of the old, enroll others, and figure out what to do when you don't know what to do; enabling: how to construct a policy framework for long term transition and provide smart financing to match; and supporting: how to develop systems and structures to support a culture of renewal in our public, social, and civic systems. it concludes with an invitation to join a growing community of transformative innovators around the world – a network of hope in powerful times.

Have you ever come up with an idea for a new product or service but didn't take any action because you thought it would be too risky? if you have, but you haven't known how to take the next step, you need to understand what the authors call the innovator's methoda set of tools emerging from lean start-up, design thinking, and agile software development that are revolutionizing how new ideas are created, refined, and brought to market. – to date these tools have helped entrepreneurs, designers, and software developers manage uncertaintythrough cheap and rapid experiments that systematically lower failure rates and risk. but many managers and leaders struggle to apply these powerful tools within their organizations, as they often run counter to traditional managerial thinking and practice. – authors nathan furr and jeff dyer wrote this book to address that very problem. following the breakout success of the innovator's dna? which dyer wrote with hal gregersen and bestselling author clay christensen to provide a framework for generating ideasthis book shows how to make those ideas actually happen, to commercialize them for success. – based on their research inside corporations and successful start-ups, furr and dyer developed the innovator's method, an end-to-end process for creating, refining, and bringing ideas to market. what is the best business model for this new offering? this book focuses on the how”? how to test, how to validate, and how to commercialize ideas with the lean, design, and agile techniques successful start-ups use. – whether you're launching a start-up, leading an established one, or simply working to get a new product off the ground in an existing company, this book is for you.

Surprising rules for successful monetization innovation is the most important driver of growth. today, more than ever, companies need to innovate to survive. but successful innovation—measured in dollars and cents—is a very hard target to hit. companies obsess over being creative and innovative and spend significant time and expense in designing and building products, yet struggle to monetize them: 72% of innovations fail to meet their financial targets—or fail entirely. many companies have come to accept that a high failure rate, and the billions of dollars lost annually, is just the cost of doing business. monetizing innovations argues that this is tragic, wasteful, and wrong. radically improving the odds that your innovation will succeed is just a matter of removing the guesswork. that happens when you put customer demand and willingness to pay in the driver seat—when you design the product around the price. it’s a new paradigm, and that opens the door to true game change: you can stop hoping to monetize, and start knowing that you will. the authors at simon kucher know what they’re talking about. as the world’s premier pricing and monetization consulting services company, with 800 professionals in 30 cities around the globe, they have helped clients ranging from massive pharmaceuticals to fast-growing startups find success. in monetizing innovation, they distil the lessons of thirty years and over 10,000 projects into a practical, nine-step approach. whether you are a ceo, executive leadership, or part of the team responsible for innovation and new product development, this book is for you, with special sections and checklist-driven summaries to make monetizing innovation part of your company’s dna. illustrative case studies show how some of the world’s best innovative companies like linkedin, uber, porsche, optimizely, draeger, swarovski and big pharmaceutical companies have used principles outlined in this book. a direct challenge to the status quo “spray and pray” style of innovation, monetizing innovation presents a practical approach that can be adopted by any organization, in any industry. most monetizing innovation failure point home. now more than ever, companies must rethink the practices that have lost countless billions of dollars. monetizing innovation presents a new way forward, and a clear promise: go from hope to certainty.

Praise for innovative intelligence: "innovative intelligence is the most comprehensive, concise and systematic handbook i've seen on how to succeed at innovating for individuals and organizations. this is an indispensable road map for leaders who want to cultivate a winning culture of innovation or organizations who want to re-invent themselves to scale the next height." arkadi kuhlmann, president & ceo, ing direct usa "innovative intelligence is a breakthrough book that redefines what innovation really means. the authors present a compelling view, grounded in psychosocial and organizational theory, rather than trendy quick fixes. their approach to constructing, shaping, and sustaining a culture of innovation within an organization is rigorous, but practical and systematic. it requires rejecting conventional wisdom and shedding narrow perspectives for the promise of previously unforeseen and implementable solutions to the challenge of innovation." dr. catherine zahn, president & ceo, centre for addiction and mental health (camh) "the time is right for a book of this scope. the authors address the challenges created for organizations today by the complexity of change. they offer a step by step, practical systems approach to innovation. they wisely consider the individual, the teams they work in, the culture and the organization environment that's needed to support them, as well as the leadership required to take on these complex challenges. a very useful book for leaders who want to increase the level of innovation in their organization." stanley s. gryskiewicz, ph.d., founder and board chair, association for managers of innovation, author of positive turbulence "innovative intelligence is an important and significant book. it asks a simple question which has a profound impact on any organization. the practical and disciplined approach to 'asking the right questions,' finding innovative answers, and helping groups build structures for sustainable innovation is nothing short of brilliant. innovative intelligence is a must-read for all leaders." paul alofs, president & ceo of the princess margaret hospital foundation "innovative intelligence provides a detailed yet very practical guide for growing and embedding innovation in your organization today and in the future. it is a must-read for the forward-thinking leader." corey seitz, vice president, global talent management, johnson & johnson

Following his blockbuster biography of steve jobs, the innovators is walter isaacson’s revealing story of the people who created the computer and the internet. it is destined to be the standard history of the digital revolution and an indispensable guide to how innovation really happens.what were the talents that allowed certain inventors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities? what led to their creative leaps? why did some succeed and others fail? in his masterly saga, isaacson begins with ada lovelace, lord byron’s daughter, who pioneered computer programming in the 1840s. he explores the fascinating personalities that created our current digital revolution, such as vannevar bush, alan turing, john von neumann, j.c.r. licklider, doug engelbart, robert noyce, bill gates, steve wozniak, steve jobs, tim berners-lee, and larry page. this is the story of how their minds worked and what made them so inventive. it’s also a narrative of how their ability to collaborate and master the art of teamwork made them even more creative.for an era that seeks to foster innovation, creativity, and teamwork, the innovators shows how they happen.

In this revolutionary bestseller, innovation expert clayton m. christensen says outstanding companies can do everything right and still lose their market leadership—or worse, disappear altogether. and not only does he prove what he says, but he tells others how to avoid a similar fate. focusing on “disruptive technology,” christensen shows why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. whether in electronics or retailing, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know when to abandon traditional business practices. using the lessons of successes and failures from leading companies, the innovator’s dilemma presents a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation. when to invest in developing lower-performance products that promise lower margins. when to pursue small markets at the expense of seemingly larger and more lucrative ones. sharp, cogent, and provocative, the innovator’s dilemma is one of the most talked-about books of our time—and one no savvy manager or entrepreneur should be without.

This book explains how new ideas spread via communication channels over time. such innovations are initially perceived as uncertain and even risky. to overcome this uncertainty, most people seek out others like themselves who have already adopted the new idea. thus the diffusion process consists of a few individuals who first adopt an innovation, then spread the word among their circle of acquaintances – a process which typically takes months or years. but there are exceptions: use of the internet in the 1990s, for example, may have spread more rapidly than any other innovation in the history of humankind. furthermore, the internet is changing the very nature of diffusion by decreasing the importance of physical distance between people. the fifth edition addresses the spread of the internet, and how it has transformed the way human beings communicate and adopt new ideas. table of contents: * chapter 1: elements of diffusion (communication channels, time and social systems) * chapter 2: a histroy of diffusion research * chapter 3: contributions and criticisms of diffusion research * chapter 4: the generation of innovations * chapter 5: the innovation-decision process * chapter 6: attributes of innovations and their rate of adoption * chapter 7: innovativeness and adopter categories * chapter 8: diffusion networks (models of communication flow, characteristics of opinion leaders, diffusion networks, critical mass and strategies for getting to critical mass) * chapter 9: change agents (change agents as linkers, communication campaigns, the use of opinion leaders) * chapter 10: innovation in organisations (types of innovation-decisions, organisational innovativeness, the innovation process in organisations, stages in the innovation process) * chapter 11: consequences of innovations *

Corporate, academia and institutional investors spend five trillion dollars a year globally on innovation, where two third of initiatives fails, this book is about reversing that. eco-degradation, infuctuous diseases and new risks brought by the misaligned resources spent on bad innovation that's challenging the human development. the solution lies by leveraging breakthroughs in technologies and sciences, along a paradigm shift in ventures capital funding, propelled by fourth industrial revolution, that enables equitable and sustainable innovation models. moreover, the nature of innovation-driven development model demands a worldwide assessment and the reshaping of a leading innovation hubs, urgently of great relevance to ensure a better tomorrow. this book aligns "entrepreneurship, sustainable innovation, impact investing, and faster exit" to a rigorous footing, through emerging and proven practices, perfected by silicon valley's pioneers. – it is an ideal reference manual, based on first-hand insider scope of thought leadership, packed with research from top tier institution with actionable insights on startup, corporate innovation and venture capital ecosystem showcasing a 360- degree cycle of innovation execution "masterfully crafted in a single volume of 400 pages illustrated with over 100 colorful graphs and charts"." " – jeff bezos this volume leverages the experience of prominent innovators by capturing past, current, and projected future technologies innovation, with deep dive on how innovation happens through each stage, and what to do or not to do during its execution. this shall be a prime source for anyone eager to understand or excel in innovation or venture capital. – in the future of innovation, you'll learn how-to from "idea to ipo" through five focus areas: what's innovation, it's history, what's not innovation, and how to make idea disruptive – a deep dive into global innovation hubs and how to enables policies that drive impact – walkthrough on building innovation with future technology that's urgently needed now – launch a startup, grow and attract investors in a $30 trillion market (impact/esg/sri)when and how to exit (acquisition, ipo or m&a), with do/don't execution roadmap"one never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done". – two nobel laureate marie curie

Named one of 100 leadership & success books to read in a lifetime by amazon editors a wall street journal and businessweek bestseller. named by fast company as one of the most influential leadership books in its leadership hall of fame. an innovation classic. from steve jobs to jeff bezos, clay christensen's work continues to underpin today's most innovative leaders and organizations. the bestselling classic on disruptive innovation, by renowned author clayton m. his work is cited by the world's best-known thought leaders, from steve jobs to malcolm gladwell. in this classic bestseller–one of the most influential business books of all time–innovation expert clayton christensen shows how even the most outstanding companies can do everything right–yet still lose market leadership. christensen explains why most companies miss out on new waves of innovation. no matter the industry, he says, a successful company with established products will get pushed aside unless managers know how and when to abandon traditional business practices. offering both successes and failures from leading companies as a guide, the innovator's dilemma gives you a set of rules for capitalizing on the phenomenon of disruptive innovation. sharp, cogent, and provocative–and consistently noted as one of the most valuable business ideas of all time–the innovator's dilemma is the book no manager, leader, or entrepreneur should be without.

Learn how to disrupt. learn how to innovate. compiled by springwise, the global innovation discovery engine, disrupt! explains and highlights the best, most disruptive and most useful innovation ideas of the 21st century. – the book shares which themes underpin their success and which ideas can best be used to drive creativity in your workplace, office or industry. – this attractively designed book draws on their vast archive and the expertise of their editorial team to create a practical, themed overview of contemporary innovation with simple, implementable strategies for bringing more creativity to your business or idea and more disruption to your industry. it is an indispensable handbook to modern innovation. – springwise has a huge online readership (700,000 page impressions a month, 31,000 facebook followers, 62,000 twitter followers and an email database of 160,000 names) and a reputation as the number-one engine for collating and sharing cutting-edge business ideas. – dan pink describes springwise as: "an amazing roundup of new business ideas and surprising business models from around the world." seth godin says: "almost too good to share!"

One of our most innovative, popular thinkers takes on-in exhilarating style-one of our key questions: where do good ideas come from? with where good ideas come from, steven johnson pairs the insight of his bestselling everything bad is good for you and the dazzling erudition of the ghost map and the invention of air to address an urgent and universal question: what sparks the flash of brilliance? how does groundbreaking innovation happen? his answers are never less than revelatory, convincing, and inspiring as johnson identifies the seven key principles to the genesis of such ideas, and traces them across time and disciplines. most exhilarating is johnson's conclusion that with today's tools and environment, radical innovation is extraordinarily accessible to those who know how to cultivate it. where good ideas come from is essential reading for anyone who wants to know how to come up with tomorrow's great ideas.

In the book, you’ll learn how to utilize the design thinking paradigm for innovation success and how successful leaders manage explore and exploit portfolios to create impact. the author explains how to: strategically employ data analytics, artificial intelligence, and neurodesign to drive innovation and business results deploy objectives and key results (okrs) for innovation teams to realize true alignment between the business and team performance use the provided hands-on tools to measure your firm’s success at creating meaningfully new and interesting products, services, and experiencespart of the design thinking series, design thinking and innovation metrics will earn a place in the libraries of managers, executives, product owners, innovation teams, entrepreneurs, and other business leaders.

It's not easy, which is why there are so many failed brands and companies. in our era of ai, rapid change, disruption, and possibility, there are so many great opportunities within our grasp. however, smart, successful people consistently miss out. their capabilities are limited by seven traps, and they rely on and repeat past decisions. they miss out on the potential of what could have been. create the future teaches you how to think disruptively, providing specific steps to create real innovation and change. it combines jeremy's high energy provocative thinking with tactics that have been battle tested through projects with leading innovators like disney, starbucks, amex, ibm, adidas, google, and nasa. better yet, this is a double-sided book. create the future is paired with a revised edition of jeremy's award-winning innovation handbook, exploiting chaos, an inc best book for business owners, axiom international book award winner, and #1 on ceo read for four months.

Ideo, the widely admired, award-winning design and development firm that brought the world the apple mouse, polaroid's i-zone instant camera, the palm v, and hundreds of other cutting-edge products and services, reveals its secrets for fostering a culture and process of continuous innovation. there isn't a business in america that doesn't want to be more creative in its thinking, products, and processes. at many companies, being first with a concept and first to market are critical just to survive. in the art of innovation, tom kelley, general manager of the silicon valley based design firm ideo, takes readers behind the scenes of this wildly imaginative and energized company to reveal the strategies and secrets it uses to turn out hit after hit. ideo doesn't buy into the myth of the lone genius working away in isolation, waiting for great ideas to strike. kelley believes everyone can be creative, and the goal at his firm is to tap into that wellspring of creativity in order to make innovation a way of life. how does it do that? ideo fosters an atmosphere conducive to freely expressing ideas, breaking the rules, and freeing people to design their own work environments. ideo's focus on teamwork generates countless breakthroughs, fueled by the constant give-and-take among people ready to share ideas and reap the benefits of the group process. ideo has created an intense, quick-turnaround, brainstorm-and-build process dubbed "the deep dive." in entertaining anecdotes, kelley illustrates some of his firm's own successes (and joyful failures), as well as pioneering efforts at other leading companies. the book reveals how teams research and immerse themselves in every possible aspect of a new product or service, examining it from the perspective of clients, consumers, and other critical audiences. kelley takes the reader through the ideo problem-solving method: – carefully observing the behavior or "anthropology" of the people who will be using a product or service – brainstorming with high-energy sessions focused on tangible results – quickly prototyping ideas and designs at every step of the way – cross-pollinating to find solutions from other fields – taking risks, and failing your way to success – building a "greenhouse" for innovation ideo has won more awards in the last ten years than any other firm of its kind, and a full half-hour nightline presentation of its creative process received one of the show's highest ratings. the art of innovation will provide business leaders with the insights and tools they need to make their companies the leading-edge, top-rated stars of their industries.

"most startups are built to fail. but those failures, according to entrepreneur eric ries, are preventable. startups don't fail because of bad execution, or missed deadlines, or blown budgets. they fail because they are building something nobody wants. whether they arise from someone's garage or are created within a mature fortune 500 organization, new ventures, by definition, are designed to create new products or services under conditions of extreme uncertainly. one of the central premises of the lean startup movement is what ries calls "validated learning" about the customer.

The definitive history of america’s greatest incubator of innovation and the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most influential technologies“filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . the idea factory explores one of the most critical issues of our time: what causes innovation?” —walter isaacson, the new york times book review“compelling . . . gertner's book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —the wall street journalfrom its beginnings in the 1920s until its demise in the 1980s, bell labs-officially, the research and development wing of at&t-was the biggest, and arguably the best, laboratory for new ideas in the world. from the transistor to the laser, from digital communications to cellular telephony, it's hard to find an aspect of modern life that hasn't been touched by bell labs. in the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth century's most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of american history. at its heart this is a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant and eccentric men-mervin kelly, bill shockley, claude shannon, john pierce, and bill baker-who spent their careers at bell labs. today, when the drive to invent has become a mantra, bell labs offers us a way to enrich our understanding of the challenges and solutions to technological innovation. here, after all, was where the foundational ideas on the management of innovation were born.

The definitive history of america’s greatest incubator of innovation and the birthplace of some of the 20th century’s most influential technologies“filled with colorful characters and inspiring lessons . . . the idea factory explores one of the most critical issues of our time: what causes innovation?” —walter isaacson, the new york times book review“compelling . . . gertner's book offers fascinating evidence for those seeking to understand how a society should best invest its research resources.” —the wall street journalfrom its beginnings in the 1920s until its demise in the 1980s, bell labs-officially, the research and development wing of at&t-was the biggest, and arguably the best, laboratory for new ideas in the world. from the transistor to the laser, from digital communications to cellular telephony, it's hard to find an aspect of modern life that hasn't been touched by bell labs. in the idea factory, jon gertner traces the origins of some of the twentieth century's most important inventions and delivers a riveting and heretofore untold chapter of american history. at its heart this is a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant and eccentric men-mervin kelly, bill shockley, claude shannon, john pierce, and bill baker-who spent their careers at bell labs. today, when the drive to invent has become a mantra, bell labs offers us a way to enrich our understanding of the challenges and solutions to technological innovation. here, after all, was where the foundational ideas on the management of innovation were born.

A practical guide to innovation strategies based on fact, not feeling the innovation formula delivers strategies for building a culture where innovation can thrive, based on actual scientific research. author amantha imber holds a phd in organisational psychology, and has been called upon by a multinational roster of forward-thinking companies—such as google, disney, lego and virgin—to improve innovation at all levels. in this book, she shares her strategies and helps you tap into a substantial body of scientific research to help further innovative practice within your own company. for example, rewarding failed innovations can actually be a critical aspect of building an innovation culture. it's rarely done, but it fosters creative thought by signaling to people that failure is tolerated and is a necessary ingredient in the pursuit of innovation. this kind of practical, easily implemented strategy is the lynchpin of cultural change. this guide shares fourteen separate, yet interconnected strategies for improving your company's innovation culture, and provides illustrative examples of real-world companies who are putting these plans into action. business innovation guides tend to focus on how one company does it. but it's not your company, and just because it worked for google or apple doesn't mean that it's right for you. this book is different; these techniques are based on science, not gut feeling, and can apply to any organisation, at any level. delve into the science behind successful culture shift for best results, reward innovation, whether or not it succeeds learn the critical elements that foster organisation-wide creativity implement practical strategies based on evidence, not anecdotes fostering a culture of innovation means making your company a safe space for new ideas. over 95% of business leaders surveyed get it wrong, because intuition cannot compete with data. the innovation formula gives you a science-based framework for turning your organisation into one where innovation survives and thrives.

A practical guide to innovation strategies based on fact, not feeling the innovation formula delivers strategies for building a culture where innovation can thrive, based on actual scientific research. author amantha imber holds a phd in organisational psychology, and has been called upon by a multinational roster of forward-thinking companies—such as google, disney, lego and virgin—to improve innovation at all levels. in this book, she shares her strategies and helps you tap into a substantial body of scientific research to help further innovative practice within your own company. for example, rewarding failed innovations can actually be a critical aspect of building an innovation culture. it's rarely done, but it fosters creative thought by signaling to people that failure is tolerated and is a necessary ingredient in the pursuit of innovation. this kind of practical, easily implemented strategy is the lynchpin of cultural change. this guide shares fourteen separate, yet interconnected strategies for improving your company's innovation culture, and provides illustrative examples of real-world companies who are putting these plans into action. business innovation guides tend to focus on how one company does it. but it's not your company, and just because it worked for google or apple doesn't mean that it's right for you. this book is different; these techniques are based on science, not gut feeling, and can apply to any organisation, at any level. delve into the science behind successful culture shift for best results, reward innovation, whether or not it succeeds learn the critical elements that foster organisation-wide creativity implement practical strategies based on evidence, not anecdotes fostering a culture of innovation means making your company a safe space for new ideas. over 95% of business leaders surveyed get it wrong, because intuition cannot compete with data. the innovation formula gives you a science-based framework for turning your organisation into one where innovation survives and thrives.