| The Art of Innovation: Lessons
in Creativity from Ideo, America's Leading Design Firms
By Tom Kelley
Doubleday, 307 pp. (January 16, 2001)
Reviewed by Andrew Summers, Chief Executive, Design
Council, UK.
From all of the work that I have done on innovative organizations
worldwide, the really distinguishing factor between organizations
is culture. IDEO has a distinctive and highly innovative culture,
which I have been lucky enough to experience first hand both in
California and London. The Art of Innovation gives insights into
what makes that culture work.
IDEO is described on the book's cover as "America's leading design
firm." This may or may not be true, but undoubtedly the firm has
earned an outstanding reputation and is well worth listening to.
Written by Tom Kelley, the book is gives an insider's perspective.
On account of this, the book's praise and prose tends to be rather.
However, it is also remarkably open. For instance, Kelley describes
how to run the perfect brainstorm session using IDEO's "seven secrets
for better brainstorming." He also details the IDEO methodology
of "understand, observe, visualize, evaluate and refine, implement,"
and gives plenty of real-life examples.
Kelley tells how teams are at the heart of the IDEO methodology
and suggests numerous ways to generate "hot" groups-infused with
purpose and personality. The author shows how simple team spaces
can be essential for the growth and strength of the group as a whole.
In the continuous quest for innovation and creativity in today's
companies, the obvious question is can we all have some of this?
We undoubtedly need it as do our customers and suppliers. However,
the answer to the question can not come directly out of the book
of IDEO.
This book is an invaluable guide for, as Tom Peters says in his
introduction, "those with the nerve to take the plunge." To understand
the full value of the lessons offered here, we must be willing to
take the risk and apply the IDEO principles creatively to our own
organizations.
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