Innovator's DNA--Post #1: Overview

Overview  Innovation is literally the lifeblood of our global economy. In fact, a recent IBM poll of fifteen hundred CEOs identified creativity as the number-one “leadership competency” of the future. Here’s the focus question of the research for this book: Where do disruptive business models come from? Standing on the shoulders of research in the field, including Christensen’s works, The Innovator’s Dilemma and The Innovator’s Solution, this new book’s primary purpose was to uncover the origins of innovative, disruptive business ideas. Ultimately, the goal was to explore the minds of innovate leaders and extract a formula for innovative success—what made them “think different” as Steve Jobs extolled.  Indeed, the authors uncovered five actions/behaviors that innovators engaged in regularly:  Questioning, Associating, Observing, Networking, and Experimenting—triggering innovative thinking to deliver new businesses, products, services, or processes. [My mnemonic to remember these five activities is Q&A ONE.]  This idea of a behavior-based model bodes well for us all. In short, modify behavior and change your level of disruptive innovation. The authors also discuss balancing discovery with delivery skills in proportion to the staff of the company.