“Innovation: Imagine the future and fill in the gaps.” — Brain Halligan
These are the best innovation books that will equip you to be a better business leader, better innovator and better entrepreneur.
I’ve compiled a list of the best innovation books drawing from my experience innovating at the highest levels for more than 10+ years at Microsoft, and as former head coach for Satya Nadella’s innovation team.
The list includes summaries of each book and highlights their key takeaways and actionable insights, offering practical insights on design thinking, disruptive innovation, creativity, and leading innovation.
The handpicked books offer inspiration and guidance for seasoned business leaders, bold entrepreneurs, and ambitious innovators, and are organized into two parts: 10 Best Books on Innovation and Best Innovation Books A-Z.
10 Best Innovation Books
Start with my top 10 list and get ready to take your innovation game to the next level!
With these books as your foundation, you’ll have the tools and knowledge you need to foster innovation and drive growth in your organization.
There are so many great innovation leaders to learn from and if you work through these books you will be standing on the shoulders of giants.
1. Blue Ocean
by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne
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Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne proposes a new approach to strategy and innovation, advocating for creating untapped markets or “blue oceans” instead of competing in oversaturated “red oceans.”
The authors provide examples of successful blue ocean strategies and offers a framework for identifying and developing such opportunities. The approach can help companies achieve sustainable growth and profitability by creating demand rather than just competing for it.
In my experience, this is one of the best innovation books to learn and leverage disruptive innovation as a source of growth, and a way to compete better in the market. Create blue oceans with dolphins, away from the red oceans with sharks.
2. Business Model Generation
by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur is a book that introduces the Business Model Canvas, a tool that allows entrepreneurs and business leaders to map out the key components of their business model.
Using the Business Model Canvas, it is easy to visually depict an organization’s current state and future state, making it simple to understand how to change the business for new growth.
On Satya’s innovation team, I used one Business Model Canvas to show an org’s Current State, and another to show the Future State. This made it really easy to walk through visually how to change the business for new growth.
3. Business Model Navigator
by Oliver Gassmann, Karolin Frankenberger, and Michaela Choudury
Business Model Navigator by Oliver Gassmann, Karolin Frankenberger, and Michaela Choudury provides a comprehensive overview of different business models, with the aim of helping entrepreneurs, managers, and strategists design and innovate new models.
The authors present a visual framework that outlines the different types of business models and how they function, and includes case studies and examples of successful models from a variety of industries and geographies.
This is THE best innovation book I’ve ever read on what a business model is and how to innovate in your business model. The patterns and methodology are brilliant and battle-tested. I used this on Satya’s innovation team to master business model innovation.
4. Competing Against Luck
by Clayton Christensen
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Competing Against Luck by Clayton Christensen provides insights into how organizations can develop products and services that meet the needs of their customers more effectively.
Christensen argues that traditional approaches to innovation often fail because they focus too much on technology or features, rather than understanding the job that customers are trying to do.
Christensen introduces the concept of “jobs-to-be-done” theory, which is a framework for understanding why customers buy products or services and what they are trying to accomplish.
This innovation book is masterful with a “job-to-be-done” focus. I found that by focusing on customer’s pains, needs, and desired outcomes, it’s easier to innovate, stay relevant, and find disruptive opportunities along the customer journey.
5. Create in a Flash
by Roger Firestien
Create in a Flash: A Leader’s Recipe for Breakthrough Innovation by Roger Firestien provides a recipe for leaders to create breakthrough innovation in their organizations.
Firestien emphasizes the importance of creating an innovation culture and offers practical guidance on how to foster creativity and generate breakthrough ideas using a five-step process.
Firestien includes practical tools and techniques for facilitating brainstorming and idea generation sessions, making it a practical and actionable guide for leaders who want to foster a culture of innovation and generate breakthrough ideas in their organizations.
I care a lot about speed. And effectiveness. So does Roger. Roger’s insights helped me not just stand on the shoulders of giants, but run with the Titans.,
6. Dealing with Darwin
by Geoffrey Moore
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Dealing with Darwin by Geoffrey Moore explores the challenges that businesses face in the new economy and offers strategies for success.
Moore argues that businesses must adapt to survive in a rapidly changing world and introduces the concept of “Darwinian competition.”
Moore provides practical advice on how businesses can develop and implement strategies that allow them to stay ahead of the competition and build sustainable competitive advantage.
What I like about this innovation book is the language, the framing and the focus on building sustainable competitive advantage.
7. Innovation and Entrepreneurship
by Peter Drucker
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Innovation & Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker explores the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in creating successful businesses.
Drucker emphasizes the importance of entrepreneurial thinking and action for both startups and established companies, and provides guidance on how to cultivate a culture of innovation within organizations. Drucker argues that innovation should be seen as a discipline and a systematic process, rather than a matter of luck or creativity.
This innovation book really opened my eyes to how broadly and deeply Drucker thought about innovation. In a very pragmatic way, this book helped me better understand how innovation fits into the big picture of business and management.,
8. The Innovator’s Dilemma
By Clayton M. Christensen
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The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen is a classic business book that explores the challenge of disruptive innovation, which can upend established companies and industries.
Christensen argues that many companies are too focused on meeting the needs of existing customers and fail to recognize the potential of disruptive technologies and business models.
Christensen offers insights and strategies for companies to navigate the dilemma and embrace innovation, including the importance of creating separate business units for disruptive ventures and focusing on customer outcomes rather than just product features.
This innovation book gave me what might be the most important framing for innovation, along with the language to understand “sustaining” vs. “disruptive innovation”.
9. The Lean Startup
By Eric Ries
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The Lean Startup by Eric Ries introduces the concept of “lean” principles to entrepreneurship and business innovation.
Ries advocates for a methodology that emphasizes experimentation, rapid iteration, and customer feedback in order to build successful, sustainable companies.
Ries encourages entrepreneurs to validate their ideas through a series of small, low-risk experiments, rather than relying on a big launch, and to pivot or adjust their strategy based on the feedback they receive.
What I like about this innovation book is that it created a common model and language that aligned with my experience and made it easier to visualize and articulate the ideas with others.
10. Where Do Good Ideas Come From
by Steven Johnson
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Where Do Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson explores the history and nature of innovation, arguing that breakthrough ideas often arise not from individual “eureka” moments, but from the exchange and combination of diverse ideas and perspectives.
Drawing on examples from science, technology, and culture, Johnson identifies seven common patterns and environments that tend to foster creativity and generate new ideas and offers practical advice for individuals and organizations seeking to promote innovation in their own work.
This innovation book reminded me why innovation is really a team sport.
Best Innovation Books A-Z
Here is the rest of my list of the best books on innovation.
Just because it’s the rest doesn’t mean that I did not save the best for last.
All of these books provide a great contribution in some way, even if it’s a matter of helping understand a cornerstone idea better, or actually apply it in the real world.
Enjoy!
Creative Confidence
by Tom Kelley and David Kelley
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Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley provides insights into how to unlock creative potential and overcome the fear of taking creative risks.
The authors introduce the concept of “creative confidence,” which involves having the courage to take creative risks and the belief in one’s ability to create something new and valuable.
The authors provide practical guidance on how to cultivate creative confidence. The authors also explore the common barriers to creative thinking and provide guidance on how to overcome them.
Creativity, Inc.
by Ed Catmull
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Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios provides insights into the creative process and the challenges that arise when trying to foster innovation within organizations.
Catmull includes a range of real-world examples and case studies from his experience at Pixar, and explores the common challenges that can prevent organizations from fostering a culture of creativity and innovation.
Catmull also shares personal anecdotes and insights into his own experiences as a leader, and provides guidance on how to overcome the common barriers to creativity and innovation.
Crossing the Chasm
By Geoffrey Moore
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Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore that explores the challenges of introducing disruptive technologies into established markets.
Moore argues that the traditional approach to marketing and selling products, which focuses on early adopters and innovators, is insufficient to achieve mainstream adoption of new technologies.
Moore introduces the concept of the “chasm,” which is the gap between early adopters and the mainstream market, and provides practical guidance on how to navigate this gap.
Diffusion of Innovation
by Everett Rogers
Diffusion of Innovation by Everett Rogers that explains the theory of how new ideas, products, and services are adopted by individuals and groups over time.
Rogers describes the five stages of the adoption process:
- knowledge
- persuasion
- decision
- implementation
- confirmation
Rogers also identifies several factors that influence the rate and extent of adoption, such as the relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability of the innovation.
The book is widely recognized as a classic in the field of innovation and has been influential in shaping the way organizations think about introducing new products, services, and ideas.
Dual Transformation
By by Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert, and Mark W. Johnson
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Dual Transformation by Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert, and Mark W. Johnson that offers a framework for driving transformational change within organizations.
The book emphasizes the importance of simultaneously transforming the core business while also creating new growth opportunities in adjacent or disruptive markets.
The authors introduce the concept of “dual transformation,” which involves focusing on three critical areas:
- Transformation A, which involves creating new growth businesses.
- Transformation B, which involves optimizing and defending the core business.
- Building innovation proficiency, which involves developing the capabilities needed to drive sustained innovation.
This innovation book was helpful at a time when I was trying to explain ideas like “the speed boat” and “the oil tanker”.
Gamechangers
By Peter Fisk
Gamechangers by Peter Fisk that provides insights into how organizations can drive innovation and growth by challenging conventional business models and embracing new approaches.
Fisk argues that the business landscape is rapidly changing, and that organizations need to be able to adapt quickly to stay ahead of the curve.
Fisk introduces a range of “gamechangers,” which are innovative strategies and approaches that can transform the way that organizations operate and deliver value to customers.
Peter’s work is like a fast-paced tour of future possibilities, and I always enjoy how he enables and empowers people to play in the game of innovation.
Gamestorming
By Dave Gray, Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo
Gamestorming is a book written by Dave Gray,Sunni Brown, and James Macanufo that provides insights into how organizations can use visual thinking and game-like activities to drive innovation and creativity.
The authors argue that traditional brainstorming methods are limited and that organizations need to use more engaging and interactive approaches to generate new ideas and solve complex problems.
The authors introduce a range of “games” and activities that can be used to stimulate creativity, foster collaboration, and generate new ideas.
This innovation book helped me think more about the flow of value through funnels, and how to manage a portfolio of innovation better.
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
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Good to Great by Jim Collins that investigates how companies can transform from being good to becoming great.
Collins analyzes the performance of 28 companies that made the transition from being good performers to great performers and identifies key factors that contributed to their success.
Collins introduces and explains the Hedgehog Concept. The Hedgehog Concept involves three overlapping circles: what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be the best in the world at, and what drives your economic engine.
While this isn’t really a book about how to lead innovation, it is an incredible book about building a culture of sustainable, high-performance teams.
And that’s what great innovation takes.
How to Have a Beautiful Mind
By Edward de Bono
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How to Have a Beautiful Mind is a book written by Edward de Bono that provides insights into how individuals can develop their thinking skills and cultivate a more beautiful mind.
de Bono argues that traditional education systems focus too much on imparting knowledge and not enough on developing thinking skills, and that this limits individuals’ ability to think creatively and solve complex problems.
de Bono also introduces a range of thinking techniques, including lateral thinking, parallel thinking, and positive thinking, that can help individuals develop their thinking skills and cultivate a more beautiful mind.
This innovation book really helped me up my innovation game on multiple levels, ultimately by creating a focus on “being interesting” and “looking for interesting” and “creating interesting” and “sharing interesting.”
Innovating Women
By Vivek Wadhwa and Farai Chideya
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Innovating Women by Vivek Wadhwa and Farai Chideya that explores the challenges and opportunities facing women in the technology industry.
The authors provide insights into the experiences of successful women entrepreneurs and executives in the tech industry, and highlights the structural barriers and biases that continue to prevent women from achieving parity.
The authors provide practical guidance on how to overcome these barriers, including strategies for networking, mentorship, and leadership development.
Inside the Tornado
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Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore that provides insights into how organizations can achieve sustained growth and success after crossing the chasm and achieving mainstream adoption of new technologies.
Moore argues that the transition from early adopters to the mainstream market can create a “tornado” of demand that can be difficult to manage and capitalize on.
Moore provides practical guidance on how to navigate this tornado and achieve sustained growth and success, focusing on the importance of building a strong brand and customer loyalty.
One of my mentors recommended this innovation book to me early on and it helped me understand how to operate better and better leverage the system of Microsoft to change the world.
Lead from the Future
by Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz
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Lead from the Future: How to Turn Visionary Thinking Into Breakthrough Growth by Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz that offers a framework for driving breakthrough growth within organizations.
The book emphasizes the importance of taking a long-term and future-focused perspective, and provides practical guidance on how to use scenario planning to create a shared vision of the future.
The authors also introduce the concept of “Future-Back Leadership,” which involves setting ambitious goals and working backwards to create a roadmap for achieving them.
The book provides practical tools and techniques for implementing the Future-Back Leadership approach, and includes a range of real-world examples and case studies that illustrate the concepts.
Loonshots
by Safi Bahcall
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Loonshots by Safi Bahcall that provides insights into how organizations can foster innovation and creativity to drive growth and success.
Bahcall introduces the concept of “loonshots,” which are unconventional and risky ideas that have the potential to create breakthrough innovations.
Bahcall explains how organizations can create a culture that supports loonshots by balancing the need for exploration and innovation with the need for efficiency and execution.
This is a great twist on the classic idea of a “Moonshot”.
Made to Stick
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
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Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath explores why some ideas are memorable and others are forgettable.
The authors introduce the concept of the “SUCCES” model, which includes six key elements that make ideas stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotions, and stories.
The authors provides practical guidance on how to apply these principles to make ideas more memorable and effective, and includes a range of real-world examples and case studies to illustrate the concepts.
I think of successful innovation as the adoption of new ideas. This innovation book helped me create and share stickier ideas. I found it especially helpful when I was head coach for Satya’s innovation team because I had to become a better storyteller.
Making Ideas Happen
By Scott Belsky
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Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky provides insights into how individuals and organizations can turn their creative ideas into reality.
Belsky argues that ideas are only valuable if they are executed effectively, and that the key to success is not just coming up with good ideas, but also taking action to make them happen.
Belsky introduces a range of strategies and techniques, including goal setting, prioritization, and collaboration, that can help individuals and teams turn their ideas into action.
I remember finding this innovation book in the bookstore and my eyes lit up. I thought it would solve all my execution woes, or at least be therapeutic.
Pivot to the Future
By Omar Abbosh, Scott Snyder, and Paul Nunes
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Pivot to the Future by Omar Abbosh, Scott Snyder, and Paul Nunes that provides insights into how organizations can navigate the digital age and drive sustained growth and innovation.
The authors argue that in today’s rapidly changing business environment, companies must pivot their strategies and business models to stay ahead of the curve.
The authors introduce the concept of “The Wise Pivot,” which involves adopting a new strategic mindset, embracing digital technologies, and building a culture of innovation and experimentation.
I found the language and framing simple and contagious: the Old, the Now, and the New.
Playing to Win
By A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin
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Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin provides insights into how organizations can develop and implement winning strategies. The book argues that the key to success is not just having a strategy, but also executing it effectively.
The authors introduce a framework for strategy development that includes five key elements: defining the winning aspiration, choosing where to play, understanding how to win, building capabilities and systems, and developing a management system to ensure ongoing success.
I am a strategist. And innovation is a deep strategy game when you play it well. This is how to play the game better.
Re-Imagine
By Tom Peters
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Re-imagine by Tom Peters that provides insights into how organizations can thrive in the 21st century by embracing a more innovative and customer-focused approach.
Peters argues that the traditional approaches to business, based on efficiency and cost-cutting, are no longer sufficient to compete in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
Peters introduces the concept of “radical innovation,” which involves challenging and reinventing traditional business practices to drive innovation and growth.
Tom Peters is a high-energy machine. This innovation book both inspired me and evolved how I think about innovation and my innovation philosophy.
Six-Thinking Hats
By Edward de Bono
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Six Thinking Hats is an innovation book written by Edward de Bono that provides insights into a powerful thinking method that enables individuals and teams to think more clearly, creatively, and objectively.
de Bono introduces the concept of six different thinking “hats,” each of which represents a different perspective or mode of thinking.
de Bono provides guidance on how to use these different hats in a structured and systematic way to explore different ideas, challenge assumptions, and make more effective decisions.
I used this approach to deal with high stakes meetings and to bring out the better innovator in everyone.
Startup Briefs
By Babs Carryer
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Startup Briefs by Babs Carryer is a 100-page book on everything Babs wish she knew when she started her startups. It’s short and to the point.
As an entrepreneur, coach, mentor, teacher, and author, Carryer helps you navigate your startup journey with quick lessons and key insights.
It’s intended for first-time entrepreneurs, academic entrepreneurs, and students of entrepreneurship.
What I liked about the book is that not only did I finish it fast, but it’s a nice balcony view that highlights some of the most important aspects of doing innovation better, especially connecting ideas to problems that people care about.
Team of Teams
By General Stanley McChrystal
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Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal offers insights into how organizations can adapt and succeed in a rapidly changing world.
Drawing from his experience leading the Joint Special Operations Task Force in Iraq, McChrystal explains how traditional approaches to leadership and organization were no longer effective in the complex and rapidly changing environment of Iraq.
Instead, the author and his team adopted a more flexible and adaptable approach, creating a “team of teams” that worked together seamlessly and adapted to changing circumstances, making the book a useful guide for leaders seeking to create flexible and effective organizations.
What a great mental model. I found myself using this often in the halls of Microsoft to explain how to empower teams at the edge, where the action is. It’s a distribution of power and a model for empowerment.
Ten Types of Innovation
By Larry Keeley, Ryan Pikkel, Brian Quinn, and Helen Walters
Ten Types of Innovation by Larry Keeley, Ryan Pikkel, Brian Quinn, and Helen Walters provides insights into how organizations can drive innovation by focusing on ten key types of innovation.
The authors argue that innovation is not just about developing new products or services, but also about rethinking the way that organizations operate and deliver value to customers.
I find it’s easier to make sense of the world when you can organize it. This book helped me better organize and label innovation.
The 10 Faces of Innovation
By Tom Kelley
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The Ten Faces of Innovation by Tom Kelley that explores the different roles that individuals can play in driving innovation within an organization.
The book identifies ten key personas or “faces” that are critical to driving innovation:
- The Anthropologist
- The Experimenter
- The Cross-Pollinator
- The Hurdler
- The Collaborator
- The Director
- The Experience Architect
- The Set Designer
- The Caregiver
- The Storyteller.
The Alchemy of Growth
By Mehrdad Baghai, Steve Coley, and David White
The Alchemy of Growth by Mehrdad Baghai, Steve Coley, and David White provides insights into how organizations can achieve sustained growth in a competitive marketplace.
The authors introduce the concept of the “growth equation,” which involves identifying and leveraging the key drivers of growth, including market position, capabilities, and customer value.
This is the innovation book where the infamous 3 Horizon framework is introduced and explained by the team that created it. This helped me refine my approach and better articulate how we could address the innovator’s dilemma for real.
The Art of Innovation
By Tom Kelley and Jonathan Littman
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The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley and Jonathan Littman provides insights into how innovation can be fostered within organizations.
The book is based on the authors’ experiences working at IDEO, a leading design firm, and provides practical guidance on how to apply design thinking principles to drive innovation.
The authors emphasize the importance of taking a human-centered approach to innovation, and provide guidance on how to use empathy, observation, and experimentation to identify unmet customer needs and develop new solutions.
The book also includes practical tools and techniques for ideation, prototyping, and testing, as well as a range of real-world examples and case studies that illustrate the concepts.
The Corporate Startup
By Tendayi Viki, Dan Toma, and Esther Gons
The Corporate Startup is an innovation book written by Tendayi Viki, Dan Toma, and Esther Gons that provides guidance on how to create a startup culture within a large organization.
The book emphasizes the importance of creating an innovation ecosystem that enables employees to experiment, learn, and innovate.
The authors introduce a four-step framework for creating a corporate startup:
- Set the stage
- Discover
- Validate
- Scale.
The Culture Code
by Daniel Coyle
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The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle that explores the key elements of successful organizational cultures.
The book draws on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and anthropology to identify the common characteristics of high-performing teams and organizations.
The author identifies three key skills that are critical to building a successful culture:
- Building safety
- Sharing vulnerability
- Establishing purpose.
The Curve Ahead
by Dave Power
The Curve Ahead by Dave Power provides insights into the future of business and how companies can prepare for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
Power argues that businesses are facing a rapidly changing landscape, and traditional approaches to strategy and planning are no longer sufficient.
Power introduces the concept of the “innovation curve,” which describes how businesses can navigate through the phases of innovation and growth.
This just might be best explanation of how to understand the economy and what drives consumer spending I’ve ever seen. As an innovator, I like to know where we in the market and what the road ahead looks like.
The Diversity Bonus
By Scott E. Page
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The Diversity Bonus by Scott E. Page that explores the benefits of diversity in organizations.
Page argues that diverse groups are better equipped to solve complex problems and make better decisions, and that diversity can be a source of competitive advantage.
Page provides a range of theoretical and empirical evidence to support this argument and provides practical guidance on how to promote diversity and inclusion within organizations.
The Future is Faster Than You Think
By Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler
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The Future is Faster Than You Think by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler provides insights into the technological disruptions that will shape the future of business and society.
The authors argue that the pace of technological progress is accelerating at an exponential rate and that this will have profound implications for every aspect of our lives.
This book is like multiple glimpses into the future, everywhere, all at once.
The Future of Management
By Gary Hamel
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The Future of Management by Gary Hamel provides insights into how management practices must evolve to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Hamel argues that the traditional top-down, hierarchical approach to management is outdated and ineffective, and must be replaced by a more flexible and collaborative approach.
Hamel introduces the concept of “management innovation,” which involves challenging and reinventing traditional management practices to drive innovation and growth.
The Innovator’s DNA
By Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton Christensen
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The Innovator’s DNA by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton Christensen that explores the characteristics and behaviors of successful innovators.
The authors argue that innovation is not just a matter of creativity, but also of a specific set of skills and habits that can be learned and practiced.
The authors identify five key skills that are common among successful innovators:
- associating
- questioning
- observing
- networking
- experimenting
The Innovator’s Guide to Growth
by Scott D. Anthony, Mark Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield, and Elizabeth J. Altman
The Innovator’s Guide to Growth by Scott D. Anthony, Mark Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield, and Elizabeth J. Altman is an innovation book that provides practical guidance on how to leverage disruption and drive growth in business.
The authors draw on the concepts introduced in Clayton Christensen’s earlier works on disruptive innovation and offer a set of tools and frameworks that business leaders can use to identify and capitalize on new opportunities.
The Innovator’s Method
By Nathan Furr and Jeff Dyer
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The Innovator’s Method by Nathan Furr and Jeff Dyer provides a step-by-step guide for creating a sustainable innovation strategy.
The authors combine lean principles with design thinking and business strategy to create a comprehensive framework for innovation.
The authors emphasize the importance of identifying unmet customer needs, rapidly experimenting and iterating, and focusing on building a viable business model.
The Innovator’s Solution
by Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor
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The Innovator’s Solution by Clayton Christensen and Michael Raynor provides insights into how organizations can develop and sustain successful innovation strategies.
The authors argue that traditional approaches to innovation often fail because they focus too much on technology or features, rather than understanding the job that customers are trying to do.
The authors introduce the concept of “disruptive innovation,” which is a type of innovation that initially serves a niche market but has the potential to transform an entire industry over time.
The Myths of Innovation
By Scott Berkun
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The Mythos of Innovation by Scott Berkun that challenges common myths and misconceptions surrounding innovation.
Berkun argues that many of the popular beliefs about innovation are inaccurate or incomplete, and that the reality of innovation is much more complex and messy.
Berkun explores the history of innovation, the psychology of creativity, and the social and cultural factors that shape innovation.
The New Science of Radical Innovation
by Sunnie Giles
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The New Science of Radical Innovation: The Six Competencies Leaders Need to Win in a Complex World by Sunnie Giles offers a framework for driving radical innovation within organizations.
Giles emphasizes the importance of developing six key competencies that are critical to navigating the complexity and uncertainty of the modern business environment:
- Creative Assimilation
- Catalyzing
- Contemplative Mindset
- Constructive Marginality
- Conscious Communication
- Change Navigation
The Originals
by Adam Grant
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The Originals by Adam Grant that provides insights into how individuals and organizations can foster creativity and original thinking.
Grant introduces the concept of “originals,” which are people who challenge the status quo and generate new ideas and innovations.
Grant provides practical guidance on how individuals and organizations can become more original, including strategies for managing fear and doubt, overcoming groupthink, and promoting diversity and dissent.
I found this book really helpful when I was working on how to create a more inclusive culture for innovation and cognitive diversity.
The Three-Box Solution
by Vijay Govindarajan
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The Three-Box Solution by Vijay Govindarajan offers a framework for managing innovation and driving growth in organizations.
The framework is based on three boxes:
- Box 1 represents the present.
- Box 2 represents the past.
- Box 3 represents the future.
Govindarajan argues that successful organizations must manage all three boxes simultaneously, focusing on maintaining the core business in Box 1, selectively forgetting the past in Box 2, and creating the future in Box 3.
This book helped me understand the McKinsey 3 Horizon better, and how to rationalize Pivot to the Future. I liked the very simple model of the Past, the Present, and the Future, along with the stories to make it real.
Unleashing the Ideavirus
By Seth Godin
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Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin provides insights into how organizations can drive viral marketing and achieve exponential growth by creating and sharing innovative ideas.
Godin argues that traditional marketing methods, which rely on mass media and advertising, are becoming less effective, and that viral marketing is a more powerful and cost-effective way to reach customers.
Godin introduces the concept of the “ideavirus,” which is an innovative idea that spreads rapidly through social networks and creates a buzz around a product or service.
Once you learn the idea of ideavirus, you can’t get it out of your head. And that’s the point. I found this innovation book especially helpful in conjunction with Made to Stick to create stickier ideas worth spreading.
Why Didn’t I Think of That
By Roger Firestien
Why Didn’t I Think of That?: Better Decision Making at Home and at Work by Roger Firestien provides insights into how individuals can make better decisions in both their personal and professional lives.
Firestien argues that successful decision-making requires a combination of creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, and that the most successful decision-makers are those who are willing to embrace uncertainty and take risks.
This is such a simple to read book on innovation. And yet it’s one of the most profound. It’s really a guide how to think and act like an innovator.
Zero to One
By Peter Thiel
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Zero to One by Peter Thiel provides insights into how to create and build a successful startup.
Thiel argues that the key to success is not to compete in an existing market, but to create a new market or “blue ocean” where the company can establish a monopoly.
Thiel provides practical guidance on how to identify and create a new market, and emphasizes the importance of developing a unique and valuable product or service that can’t be easily replicated.
This innovation book gave me language and a model early on to understand the pain of building Zero to 1 vs. 1 to N. It’s these differences that are part of the crux of why innovation often fails. Stages matter for talent, process, metrics, and more.
Call to Action
Start reading the best innovation books today and discover the insights and strategies you need to drive growth, innovate faster, and stay ahead of the competition!
By delving into the best innovation books, you can gain invaluable insights and practical strategies that can help you unleash your creativity, drive growth, and transform your organization in the face of disruption.
Disrupt or be disrupted!
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How To Use the Double Diamond Method to Innovate Better
How To Be Creative at Any Age
How To Use Imagine If to Innovate Better
What is Innovation?
Driving Innovation with Partnerships: How Collaboration Can Help Leaders Overcome Hurdles and Drive Growth
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