The Innovator’s DNA:How Great Companies Get On Top And Stay There by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen and Clayton M. Christensen
In Summary Vijay Ramachandran
The Innovator’s DNA:How Great Companies Get On Top And Stay There
By Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen
Published by Harvard Business School Press.
Rs 800
“Stay hungry; stay foolish”. That quote from Steve Jobs’ commencement address at Stanford has often been used in situations where a self-reliant, entrepreneurial streak is called for. To that the authors of The Innovator’s DNA would probably add ‘stay childlike’ and believe in possibilities.
Take the phenomenon that was Jobs. The typical understanding of the former Apple supremo and what he represented was that he was the embodiment of innovation. So, wasn’t all of that creativity genetic (after all his younger sister is a novelist of repute)?
Dyer, Gregersen and Christensen would point to their six-year study of disruptive innovation and beg to differ. Having interviewed some 3,500 executives, they believe that “within the realm of business innovation, almost everyone has the capacity for creativity and innovative thinking.”
The authors believe that about 75 to 80 percent of creativity stems from indulging in creative actions. Their research pointed to five ‘discovery’ skills that make one more creative and innovative. These skills are really a way of life for innovators, even though, they need not be ‘great in everything.’
The authors’ research shows them that innovative entrepreneurs are actually made, rather than born, and in this book they set out to tell us how. I heartily recommend it.
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Sebastian Joseph President (Technology & FM), Mudra Group
While reading this book, I was reminded of a session on innovation by author John Naisbitt that I attended a few years back. He spoke about a gentleman from rural India who was into agricultural exports. He had travelled the world and having met various people had a huge collection of business cards. One day he spread all of them out on a table, shuffled them, and observed them with an open mind. Thus he was able to make the connection between a farmer from Punjab, a UN Food program coordinator in New York, and an east African government official and began a new and very different line of business. The crux of the innovation process is to question the status quo, however dumb it might sound at first. The authors have simplified the innovation process to an effective development of various skill sets. If we are able to tackle our number one enemy—‘I don’t have the time’—and hone these skills the results are definitely a no-brainer. This is an innovator’s foundation course.
Muralidharan Ramachandran CIO, Syntel
This book is all about demonstrating that the ability to generate innovative ideas is not merely a function of the mind, but more so a function of the behaviors demonstrated by people in an organization. The authors conclude that individuals, teams and organizations that act differently, start by thinking differently leading to sustained innovation. These are skills that are difficult but can be nurtured in an organization by leaders. The authors have very delicately brought out the key discovery skills of associating, questioning, observing, networking and experimenting needed for innovation through an extremely extensive and insightful study of innovators. This is aptly followed by a practical guide of using the 3P framework that leaders can follow to create an environment that fosters ideas, collaboration with teams, and builds innovation skills in an organization to create a competitive edge.
