Innoversity Network Books

5 INNOVATION DISCIPLINES (Carlson & Wilmot) Many of you are probably already familiar with the incredible track record of Stanford Research International when it comes to innovation. And with this new book we get a peak inside SRI International, to see how they go about innovation, and the 5 disciplines to give customers what they want. I am of course especially pleased by the fact that they have dedicated nothing less than four, actually five, chapters to the importance of putting together the right innovation (management) team. Simply a must read for any innovation affacinado!

KNOWLEDGE NETWORKS (Hildreth & Kimble) Suisanne Justesen did a chapter in this new anthology edited by Paul Hildreth and Chris Kimble at the University of York. The book is highly interesting for anyone interested in innovation and communities of practice. The chapter by Susanne is entitled: "Innoversity in Communities of Practice, please let us know what you think about the book and especially about the chapter of Susanne.

THE MEDICI EFFECT (Frans Johansson) This new book from Harvard Business School Press is bout how we gain our breakthrough insights and our best innovations from bringing together different disciplines, concepts and cultures. An excellent book about the need for diversity in innovation, and none the least about how to pursue diversity at an individual level

GET WEIRD IN 101 WAYS (John Putzier) A really great book which will definately inspire you to do things differently, or weirdly as Putzier would say. The books offers 101 ideas to help your company become more innovative, and most of them are both inspiring and extremely useful. Among others how to institutionalise sharing, how to open up meetings to all employess, how to honor good customers and many many others.

RACISME OG DISKRIMINATION (IN DANISH) This book by Pia Justesen (sister of founder Susanne Justesen) is a highly interesting discussion of how discrimination against minorities in the Danish Society is an issue to be taken seriously - especially by those of us who see diversity in general as a strength to be dealt with. And the way discrmation is described and analysed in the book makes it highly resourceful for all aspects of discrimination, not only against minorities!

LEVERAGING COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE This book on Communities of Practice by Saint-Onge and Wallace is a new addition to the now growing number of books on Communities of Practice. Saint-Onge and Debra Wallace are however - with the extensive experience in the field drawn from the primarily virtual Communities of Practice at Clarica, has a practitioners touch to it, which is needed now more than ever!

THE NEW KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT (McElroy) A book on the complexity of Knowledge Management, which has some very interesting aspects too it. However, a warning must be made: the retorics of the author who thinks very highly of his own achievemens can sometimes be unbearable. But if you can live with that, this small book is worth a read.

THE INNOVATION SUPERHIGHWAY (Debra Amidon) A highly inspiring book based upon the many years of experience Debra has - as a recognised pioneer within the field of innovation, due primarily to her work with the Entovation Network. The Information Superhighway will provide you with both inspiration, tools and methodologies for working with innovation in the fast track! The book builds around the innovation process (the 3Cs: knowledge creation, knowledge conversion, and knowledge commercialisation. Enjoy!

THE DIVIANT'S ADVANTAGE (Mathews & Wacker) This great book offers a whole new perspective on innoversity, with it's detailed elaboration on how new ideas move from the fringes and into the center of society, with great examples and inspiring ways of explaining why deviance should be considered a highly important ingredience in every organisation interested in understanding trends before both customers and competitors.

SMART THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT INNOVATION If you don't know very much about innovation and creativity and don't know where to start, this book serves as a viable option. This book by Dennis Sherwood offers a very good overview of innovation and serves as a good starting point.

MENTORING AND DIVERSITY This is a great book by Clutterbuck and Ragins, let me say that right away. It builds on a solid theoretical framework laid primarily by Belle Rose Ragins. But in addition to it being based on solid theory, Clutterbuck makes sure the book also offers solid 'evidence' from practice, in terms of an extensive use of cases from both Europe and the US. First published by Butterworth Heinemann, 2002

CREATING THE INNOVATION CULTURE (Horibe) Reviewed September 2002 - This highly interesting book by Frances Horibe is based on her life long career working with innovation and diversity within a range of large american companies. In her great book she stresses how we all need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable; we need to become better at surrounding ourselves with dissenters and employees who will challenge our ideas and not just obey orders. We need to learn to cherish contradictions, complexity and diversity to foster an innovation culture. First published by John Wiley & Sons, Canada 2001

SERIOUS PLAY (Michael Schrage) Reviewed July 2002 - A rather new book which has already become a classic among many practitioners within the field of innovation. On the cover it promises to show us how the world's best companies stimulate to innovate, and it certainly does not promise too much. But one of the most important learnings from this book was the way Schrage emphasises the importance of prototyping. First published by Harvard Business School Press 2000

LEADING THE REVOLUTION (Gary Hamel) Reviewed May 2002 - This book is not new, it was published a couple of years ago but has already become a classic within innovation. We have choosen to review this book because it is a must read, and certainly can bear to be read more than once. You may also purchase the book as a digital download First published by Harvard Business School Press 2000

LEARNING TO FLY AT BP (Collison & Parcell) Reviewed February 2002 - If you would like to get a more hands-on insight into Knowledge Management and Communities of Practice, this book is a must-have. Based on Collison and Parcell's very own experience from working with KM, innovation and Communities of Practice at BP - they provide a thoughtful and action oriented guide for you to apply and use in your own organisation

THE 10 LENSES (Mark Williams) Reviewed February 2002 - This book by the founder and CEO of The Diversity Channel, came out in november but only reached my bookshelf recently. If you would like to gain a better understanding of the way cultural diversity affects your life, this book will help you identify the lenses through which you view the world and the people around you. By presenting ten 'Eye Opening' Lensen, Williams helps you understand and improve your diversity skills.

PEACOCK IN THE LAND OF PENGUINS Reviewed November 2001 - A personal favorite by Hateley & Schmidt! People with good ideas that differ from conven- tional wisdom are often ignored or criticized for the very thing that makes them valuable to the organization�their creativity. Innovation often comes from the most unlikely places, and people in organizations need to break out of their "penguin suit thinking" to create a climate where new ideas can flourish. A Peacock in the Land of Penguins brings to life the challenges of birds of different feathers trying to work together through the engaging story of Perry the Peacock and the other exotic birds who struggle to be themselves in the conformity-minded Land of Penguins.�

WEIRD IDEAS THAT WORK (Robert I. Sutton) Reviewed October 2001 - Creativity, new ideas, innovation -- in any age they are keys to success, but in today's whirlwind economy they are essential for survival itself. According to Sutton we are taught to hire people who will fit in; to train them extensively; and to work to instill a corporate culture in every employee. But in fact, we should do exactly the opposite: In order to foster creativity, we should hire misfits, goad them to fight, and pay them to defy convention and undermine the prevailing culture. We should recruit for diversity thereby recruting for innovation!

JUMPSTART YOUR BUSINESS BRAIN (Doug Hall) Reviewed October 2001 - This new book by Doug Hall with a Tom Peters Forword has seen a range of very positive reviews. Let me quote just a few of them: "If you're tired of 1) the same old trite ideas on business success and/or 2) books lacking any quantifiable basis or proof, then you'll really enjoy Jump Start Your Business Brain! Doug Hall has a long and proven track record of successul innovation consulting with some of America's biggest and best companies. What makes him even more unique is his ability to distill what works, why and how to do it into understandable concepts.

TEMPERED RADICALS (Debra Meyerson) Reviewed September 2001 - This book by Debra Meyerson describes how the guardians of big business are defending their values and power structure against outsiders, and examines what the intrusion of these diverse individuals means to corporate insiders -- as well as to outsiders. Meyerson provides a serious look at how serious we really are about diversity

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION (Foster and Kaplan) Reviewed May 2001 - 'Why Companies that are Built to Last Underperform the Market - and How to Successfully Transform Them' is the subtitle to this highly interesting volume. Creative Destruction is one of the Five Innoversity Drivers, and is argued to be one of the most important aspects of innovative practice in a diversity context. However this book approaches the notion of creative destruction in a slightly different manner - yet still inspiring and interesting.

THE GLOBAL ME (G. Pascal Zachary) Reviewed July 2000 - This book with the subtitle 'New Cosmopolitans and the Competitive Edge: Picking Globalism's Winners and Losers' highlights the importance of diversity in the global community. Homogeneity and purity is out - diversity is in. And as he puts it: "Divergent thinking is an essential ingredient of creativity. Diverse groups produce diverse thinking. Ergo, diversity promotes creativity" (Zachary; 2000:58) [ back to top ]