Book Summaries

Tangible steps to find and safeguard the plans that will deliver the sustainable business-changing impacts - new customers, new relationships, new sources of value and growth - their businesses need.

In Innovation by Design, authors Thomas Lockwood and Edgar Papke share the results of their study of some of the world’s most innovative organizations including the 10 attributes leaders can use to create and develop effective cultures of innovation

Executives from The Second City, the world’s premier comedy theater and school of improvisation, provide a toolkit for individuals and organizations to use to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by speed, social communication, and decentralization.

In Smartcuts, Shane Snow shatters common wisdom about success, revealing how conventions like “paying dues” prevent progress, why kids shouldn’t learn times tables, and how, paradoxically, it’s easier to build a huge business than a small one.

Technology innovator Jay Samit describes the unique method he has used to invent new markets and expand established businesses. He demystifies the mechanics of disruption for individuals and businesses alike while offering empowering advice for anyone with a big idea.

Rowan Gibson presents an innovation methodology for systematically stretching your thinking, discovering inspiring new insights and producing a portfolio of high-quality ideas and radically new growth opportunities. You will learn how to reverse-engineer creative genius and make radical business innovation an everyday reality using four key business perspectives.

David Butler and Linda Tischler share the successes and failures of Coca-Cola as this large, global company learned to use design to create both scale and agility. Regardless of size or industry, the same approach, which is presented in a clear and actionable way, can be used successfully by other businesses.

Jill Dyché provides a new business model for building and strengthening the role of IT. By using field-tested techniques to align your IT department with your corporate objectives, you can leverage the power of technology across the entire company. The New IT reframes the IT conversation to bring your business and IT teams together in a truly transformative way.

New York Times reporter Steve Lohr explains how big-data technology has its benefits and its drawbacks, which raises questions about the wider implications for everyone. Lohr lends insight into what’s ahead, suggesting that individuals and organizations will need to exploit, protect and manage data to stay competitive.