In this seminal article, innovation experts Clayton Christensen, Stephen P. Kaufman, and Willy C. Shih explore the key reasons why companies struggle to innovate. The authors uncover common mistakes companies make—from focusing on the wrong customers to choosing the wrong products to develop—that can derail innovation efforts, and offer a better way forward for management teams who want to avoid these obstacles and get innovation right. Since 1922, Harvard Business Review has been a leading source of breakthrough ideas in management practice. The Harvard Business Review Classics series now offers you the opportunity to make these seminal pieces a part of your permanent management library. Each highly readable volume contains a groundbreaking idea that continues to shape best practices and inspire countless managers around the world.

Invent less. Innovate more. And join the next generation of successful global players. Innovation has become a mantra for organizations facing unprecedented market pressures and worldwide competition. But can it be taught or developed as a core competency? Are there rules for turning great ideas into breakthrough innovations that alter behavior and culture, change the companyâ??customer relationship, and carve out a path to global business success? Profiling dozens of todayâ??s most innovative organizations, The Innovation Zone delivers a new playbook for creating a structured business model of innovation that focuses on process, not products, to generate sustainable value and competitive dominance.

"Knowledge is good,"" preaches the inscription under the statue of college founder Emil Faber in the film Animal House. But as valid as that declamation may be at a university, in the corporate world what passes for knowledge can be a killer. Companies and teams rely on ""what we know"" and ""the way we do things here"" to speed decision making and maintain a sense of order. But progress demands change, risk taking, and occasionally, revolution. Processes must be overhauled, assumptions challenged, taboos broken. But how do you do it? Who among the group will take responsibility for a brand new initiative or unorthodox decision? Who will be willing to stand up and say, in essence, that the emperor has no clothes? As much as we laud the concept of ""thinking outside of the box,"" most of us think it’s a lot safer to stay inside. It’s time to call in a ""zero-gravity thinker"" who is not weighed down by the twin innovation killers -- GroupThink and its close cousin, ExpertThink. Such outsiders are in plentiful supply, whether from the department down the hall, the branch office, a consulting firm or even another company. Unburdened by all the nagging issues that plague even very effective groups, the outsider will know new ways around a problem, identify possibilities where none seemed to exist, and spot potential problems before they spin out of control. According to The Innovation Killer, the right zero gravity thinker will ideally possess the following traits: Psychological distance: the most important tool of the impartial observer, it enables him or her to maintain an open mind. Renaissance tendencies: a wide range of interests, experiences, and influences more readily inspires innovative approaches. Related expertise: strength in a relevant area may lead to ""intersection points"" at which solutions are often found. The book helps identify when and why you should call in a collaborator, where to find one, and how you and your team can start working with him or her. There are also strategies for turning yourself into a zero-gravity thinker when it’s simply not practical to bring in a true outsider. Knowledge is good, except when it trumps real innovation. Whether your team is too focused on the forest or can’t see past the trees, this book will help you add the perspective you need to make the great decisions that will move your company forward.

The business leader's guide to encouraging continuous innovation in any organization Innovation governance is a hot topic in the business world. In a fast-paced business environment, the ability of corporate leaders to build purpose, direction, and focus for innovation is more important than ever. In this book, the authors provide a framework for encouraging and focusing innovation by explaining what innovation governance is, the various models for governance and their advantages and disadvantages, how to assess and improve governance practices, and behavioral tactics for maximizing the effectiveness of governance. It offers guidance for everyone from the boardroom through senior management, illustrating effective governance models with real case studies from a range of companies in the United States and Europe. Addresses an important yet underappreciated skill for CEOs, board members, and top management Features real-world examples and case studies from a variety of business from around the world Written by an author team with hands-on experience in the subjects of innovation management, organizational learning, innovation leadership, organizational behavior, and individual leadership and teamwork Innovation governance is a sadly neglected topic in many organizations. This book offers vital guidance and real-world experience for building innovation into any business from the top down.

“Does your organization fumble when it comes to innovation? ‘The Innovative CIO’ presents a pragmatic guide to overcoming the 10 ‘innovation killers’ within your company.” --Dennis McCafferty “CIO Insight”, 1/23/2013 (www.cioinsight.com/it-management/innovation/slideshows/ten-ways-to-kill-innovation/) “Are you unwittingly stifling your employees’ entrepreneurial spirit? ‘The Innovative CIO’ discusses ‘innovation killers’ that could be holding back your small business or startup.” --Paul Shread “TIME/Business & Money”, 1/29/2013 (business.time.com/2013/01/29/removing-barriers-to-innovation/#ixzz2JSrUlD3A) The Chief Information Officer’s influence in the business organization has been waning for years. The rest of the C-suite has come to regard Information Technology as slow, costly, error-prone, boring, and unresponsive to business needs. This perception blinds company leaders to the critical value IT can deliver and threatens the competitive health and long-term survival of their enterprise. The modern CIO must reassert the operational and strategic importance of technology to the enterprise and reintegrate it with every department and level of the business from boardroom to mailroom. IT leaders must design, sell, and implement a vigorous culture of IT competence and innovation that pervades the enterprise. The culture must be rooted in bidirectional exchange across organizations and C-level policies that drive technology innovation as the engine of business innovation. The authors, international IT strategists and innovators, quantify the benefits and risks of IT innovation, survey and rank the myriad innovation opportunities from mature, new, and emerging technologies,and identify the organizational structures and processes that have been proven to deliver ongoing innovation. Buttressing their brief with dozens of case studies and specific examples, The Innovative CIO shows you how to: Take advantage of the IT and business innovation opportunities created by new and emerging technologies Shift IT innovation from afterthought to prime mover in strategic business planning Inject IT into the dynamic core of your organization’s culture, training, structure, practice, and policy

A collection of resources, best practices and thought leadership on organizational creativity, idea management and innovation leadership for the Innovation Manager.

Its time to incorporate cutting-edge technologies to enhance your leadership skills and inspire future innovators. Melvin Greer, the founder and managing director of the Greer Institute for Leadership and Innovation in Washington, D.C., takes a fresh look at how to fill the leadership gap in this guidebook to leadership. He demonstrates ways to rethink assumptions and myths about innovation; develop leadership habits that lead to high performance; develop a successful workforce and talent management strategy; and create a modern innovation pipeline via STEM. We can no longer confine knowledge about information technology to just one department. Just as leaders need to know how to read a profit and loss statement or interpret a balance sheet, they must also understand how technology can impact business strategy. A twenty-first-century leader must understand behavioral, economic, and social shifts in order to capitalize on opportunities and achieve success. Whether youre an executive, senior manager, a new hire, a teacher, or a student, you must use twenty-first-century leadership if you want to succeed.