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Who is the book written for?
I wrote the book for managers. Specifically those managers who are either currently responsible for their firm’s innovation projects, or aspire to work on such projects in their future career. Since innovation is vital to firm growth most managers will be part of it at some point in their career. And they will understand that successful innovation involves many parts of the firm working together. Indeed I wrote the book for the successful, intellectually curious but action-oriented managers who I meet in many executive education programs. These managers want a broad view of innovation—linking the silos together—but they also want to make innovation happen tomorrow. So this is not a theory book, although it contains good theory, rather it is a book that aims to empower managers to take the practical steps necessary for success.
Why do we need another book on innovation?
There are two reasons.
1. The boundaries of innovation have shifted, with increasing emphasis on new services and new business models. To keep pace with this firms need to change their management practices so their innovation remains relevant and of value to their customers and shareholders. The Innovation Manual highlights what managers need to do in this new environment.
2. Innovation is one of the least well-managed areas in most companies, leading to wasted resources and costly mistakes. It is not the effort that companies put into innovation that decides success—instead it is how firms go about doing innovation that separates leaders from the rest. There is a great deal we know about good innovation practices, but we need to bring this knowledge out of its silos and integrate it into an overall approach. And we need to identify the best tools managers can use to make innovation happen. The Innovation Manual seeks to make both knowledge and tools accessible to managers.
