Innovation:Harnessing Creativity for Business Growth

Consultant Editor: Adam Jolly
Published in association with the Design Council
Kogan Page £25
ISBN: 0749436271

In the past innovation has too often regarded as a result of serendipity rather than strategy. To be innovative was seen to require innovative people (whoever and whatever they are). However, more recently a new model of innovation has been gaining acceptance - that technical, operational and commercial ideas can be harnessed, integrated and exploited as a strategic imperative. This view holds that innovation can be a part of a company's business culture and used as an engine for growth.

This book seeks to identify the characteristics and processes that distinguish truly innovative companies and to provide management tools that will deliver innovation - by inspiring, delivering and commercialising new ideas. It is based on the findings of a large research programme undertaken over a two-year period by the Design Council and the Innovation Unit at the UK Department of Trade and Industry. This programme set out to identify and recognise 1000 'millennium products' and to analyse the companies behind them. Innovation: Harnessing Creativity for Business draws conclusions from this research, identifying patterns and using detailed case studies with commentaries provided by leading experts to provide a practical business guide for managers in companies of all size.