IT Considerations   "Inductions, abductions and deductions with respect to Information Technology"

A consistent theme regarding innovation, across all the reading I have undertaken, is the need to foster the right organisational culture.

That is, just like growing plants, the conditions must be right for innovation.

O’Sullivan & Dooley’s book comes in 5 parts:
1. Understanding Innovation
2. Defining Innovation Goals
3. Managing Innovation Actions
4. Empowering Innovation Teams
5. Sharing Innovation Results

A foundational quote is:
“Innovation is the process of making changes, large and small, radical and incremental, to products, processes and services that result in the introduction of something new for the organisation that adds value to customers and contributes to the knowledge store of the organisation”.

Here are some other thoughts from the book:
– innovation applies to products, processes & services
– a key metaphor is the “innovation funnel” (many ideas filtered to a few)
– PEST and SWOT analysis, even using Porter’s 5 forces model should be considered as essential

And so, to facilitate a culture of innovation you need:
– clear goal definition
– an alignment of actions to goals
– participation of individuals in teams
– to monitor results
– good communications & real community building

Whilst not forgetting that that all possess a mix of the following creative capabilities:
– expertise
– creative thinking
– motivation

For me, then, this book establishes the primacy of appropriate culture for innovation to thrive.