Innovation Equation, The: Building Creativity And Risk Taking

Description:
This is a step by step guide for building innovative capacity in organizations. 'Practical in so many ways, this book should top your reading chart if you are at all interested in the business of being more innovative - or coaching others. I use the term - business because innovation is no longer a soft skill, but one that drives organizational success.' - Dr. Mitchell Kusy, coauthor of 'Fast Forward Leadership'. This definitive guide for building innovative capacity in organizations teaches you how to create an environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and risk taking. Based on the work of Richard E. Byrd, a pioneer in the field of organization development, this book includes an assessment tool for determining what drives creativity and risk taking and offers a four step process for building innovative capacity in individuals.

Table of Contents:
List of Exhibits, Figures, and Tables.Acknowledgments.Introduction.1. Perspectives on Innovation.The Nature of Innovation in Organizations.Creativity and Innovation.Fostering Creativity in Organizations.Risk Taking and Innovation.Fostering Risk Taking in Organizations.Innovation = Creativity x Risk Taking.Ideas for the Consultant.2. Assessing Innovative Capacity.The Assessment.The Orientations.Changing Orientations.Ideas for the Consultant.3. The Drivers of Creativity and Risk Taking.The Drivers.Innovative Capacity Continuum.Creativity Driver Stories.Risk-Taking Driver Stories.Final Thoughts.Ideas for the Consultant.4. Two Tales of Innovation.A Grimms' Fairy Tale.A Contemporary Story.Ideas for the Consultant.5. The Stop Signs to Innovation.Stop Signs to Innovation.Illustrating the Power of the Stop Signs.Ideas for the Consultant.6. The Innovation Equation in Action.The 4As: Aim, Assess, Activate, Apply.Organization #1: Model, Inc., the Modifier.Organization #2: PLANet Partners, LLC, the Planner.Organization #3: ITEC.com, the Innovator.Organization #4: Your Team/Organization.Ideas for the Consultant.7. The Innovative Leader.Create an Innovative Culture.Set an Innovative Aim.Become More Innovative Yourself.Create Innovative Teams.Ideas for the Consultant.8. The Innovative Consultant.The Drivers in Action for an OD Consultant.Reflections.Is It Working?Final Thoughts.Appendix A: I3: Investing in Innovation.Appendix B: The Creatrix Ba: A Process for Creating Innovative Ideas.Bibliography.About the Series.Statement of the Board.Afterword to the Series by Richard Beckhard.About the Editors.About the Authors.Index.

Author Biography:
Jacqueline Byrd, Ph.D. is president of the Richard Byrd Company, a Minneapolis-based management consulting firm that serves clients worldwide. Her clients have included Alliant Techsystems, Cargill, Caterpiller Paving Products, Ecolab, HealthPartners & Regions Hospital, Pentair, 3M, and the University of Minnesota. She is also the brain behind Creatrix, an innovation of the Byrd Company. Paul Lockwood Brown has been with the Creatrix team, an innovation of the Richard Byrd Company, since its inception.