The Innovator's DNA

by Dyer, Jeff; Gregersen, Hal; Christensen, Clayton M.

• ISBN13: 9781422134818
• ISBN10: 1422134814
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-07-19
• Publisher: Ingram Pub Services

Summary

Some people are just natural innovators, right? With no apparent effort, they discover ideas for new products, services, and entire businesses. It may look like innovators are born, not made. But according to Jeffrey Dyer and Hal Gregersen, anyone can become more innovative. How? Master the discovery skills that distinguish innovative entrepreneurs and executives from ordinary managers. In The Innovator's DNA, the authors identify five capabilities demonstrated by the best innovators: Associating: drawing connections between questions, problems, or ideas from unrelated fields Questioning: posing queries that challenge common wisdom Observing: scrutinizing the behavior of customers, suppliers, and competitors to identify new ways of doing things Experimenting: constructing interactive experiences and provoking unorthodox responses to see what insights emerge Networking: meeting people with different ideas and perspectives The authors explain how to generate ideas with these skills, collaborate with "delivery-driven" colleagues to implement ideas, and build innovation skills throughout your organization to sharpen its competitive edge. They also provide a self-assessment for rating your own innovator's DNA. Practical and provocative, this book is an essential resource for all teams seeking to strengthen their innovative prowess.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Disruptive Innovation Starts with You
The DNA of Disruptive Innovators	p. 17
Discovery Skill #1: Associating	p. 41
Discovery Skill #2: Questioning	p. 65
Discovery Skill #3: Observing	p. 89
Discovery Skill #4: Networking	p. 113
Discovery Skill #5: Experimenting	p. 133
The DNA of Disruptive Organizations and Teams
The DNA of the World's Most Innovative Companies	p. 157
Putting the Innovator's DNA into Practice: People	p. 175
Putting the Innovator's DNA into Practice: Processes	p. 193
Putting the Innovator's DNA into Practice: Philosophies	p. 215
Conclusion: Act Different, Think Different, Make a Difference	p. 235
Sample of Innovators Interviewed	p. 241
The Innovator's DNA Research Methods	p. 245
Developing Discovery Skills	p. 249
Notes	p. 261
Index	p. 269
Acknowledgments	p. 283
About the Authors	p. 295
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