What we mean when we talk about innovation

Innovation, one of the most talked about business topics, is also one of the most elusive and difficult to put into effective practice. Thinkers50 founders Stuart Crainer and Des Dearlove explore the realities of innovation and the ideas behind it with thought leaders and entrepreneurs, to show how innovation really works in organizations. Crainer and Dearlove have interviewed hundreds of innovators from all parts of the world during the last 25 years. Some of these are entrepreneurs just setting out on a commercial adventure. Others are experienced C-suite veterans, leaders who had lived through the ups and downs of corporate life. Still others are drawn from NGOs, charities and social enterprises. Crainer and Dearlove have grilled sports people, leaders from the medical profession, executive coaches, academic thought leaders and classrooms filled with ferociously bright and competitive MBA students all intent on becoming innovators, all to discover what we mean when we talk about innovation. As well as discussing disruptive innovation with Harvard Business School’s Clay Christensen, they talk about reverse innovation with Vijay Govindarajan, and the awkward and perplexing place where leadership meets innovation with Linda Hill. Along the way, they examine innovation best practice at global companies such as Haier, Unruly, Fujitsu and many others, presenting tomorrow’s case studies of best practice today. What we mean when we talk about innovation is a smorgasbord of ideas rather than a neatly packaged reference guide to received wisdom. Crainer and Dearlove conclude that successful innovators defy overly neat categorization. What we mean when we talk about innovation provides accessible, pithy inspiration for anyone who wants to create something new.