Product Description

This title aims to help the reader discover the ten commandments of creativity in business and much more. Founded by Thomas Kelley and his brother David (dubbed by Fortune the best inventor since Thomas Edison), IDEO is the design company responsible for the first commercial mouse, a virtual reality headset for Sega and the handheld Audible Mobile Player - a new device that downloads recorded books from the Internet. The company was challenged by American TV programme "Nightline" to redesign a traditional shopping trolley in just four days in front of the cameras. They took up the challenge with alacrity and produced a radically new design incorporating six small portable baskets fitted into the frame, an improved child's seat with play area, and back wheels that turn at 90 degrees so that you can move your trolley sideways. IDEO have a committed attitude to finding solutions through total immersion in the problem at hand. This book explores their unique corporate culture which encourages original and creative ideas to develop.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1002683 in Books
• Published on: 2001-02-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

About the Author
Thomas Kelley is the co-founder, with his brother David, of IDEO, a highly innovative design company with offices worldwide. He has an MBA from Berkley and has also worked for General Electric and as a management consultant.

Customer Reviews

Innovation - the art of the paradigm
It has been a good year for students of innovation. First Malcolm Gladwell's book "The Tipping Point" described how ideas and concepts grow and are absorbed into society. Richard Leifer and his colleagues then followed up with "Radical Innovation" exploring the barriers to innovation within large organisations and how to break the mould. Jeffrey Pfeffer then followed in "The Knowing Doing Gap" with a blue print for breaking organisational inertia. Michael Schrage in "Serious Play" demonstrated the virtues of rapid prototyping and the provocative effect on thinking of a progressive prototyping method. A leading innovation practitioner Tom Kelley in "The Art of Innovation", (not Art through Innovation as it is confusingly catalogued by Amazon) now amply demonstrates and reinforces the key themes advocated by these experts.

The key strength of this book is Kelley's hands-on experience that crackles through every page. This book is not permeated by academic detachment but a bubbling and infectious enthusiasm.

He provides practical guidance as to how to get the best out of brainstorming. His list of pathologies that are bound to kill off a brainstorming session will seem familiar to many.

Kelley advocates prototyping as the shorthand of innovation, together with the benefits of direct observation and reconnaissance. IDEO recognise that people are their greatest asset and go to great lengths to live their values. He describes the pivotal conjunction of people and teams and context and how these are all are geared to maximise interaction - IDEO's Munich office was opened by an employee who sought forgiveness rather than permission. As an organisation IDEO has to impress its clients with its avant-garde image du marc. Whilst Kelley and friends have an impressive list of product successes under their belt their greatest achievement has to be creating the paradigm that is IDEO - or in the words from "Flash-dance" "take your passion and make it happen".

Well worth reading, but skim in places
There's some good thought provoking ideas that are well structured, but at times you feel a little swamped by the sheer number of IDEO case studies. Each section of the book has some good nuggets of information which are generally worded in a way to help you see their wider application. Overall it's a good balance between the theory and demonstrating practical application. Worth reading.

Learn from the masters of innovation
It's not without reason that Tom Peters always mentions IDEO as most innovative company. Having seen their funky and innovative offices but more important being involved in the way they work I can tell you; these guys know how to be innovative. In his book Kelley has very well succeeded in transferring that knowledge in a clear and non-boring way.

The book is an excellent combination to read with Clayt Christensen's Innovators dilemma that goes into why established companies are having a hard time dealing with innovation. If you add Alex Loudon's Webs of Innovation to that, this book goes into how you can set up new ways to innovate in established companies, you got a power pack to make sure your company has got all it takes to be innovative. Because these days the theme is innovate or evaporate.