Customer Reviews

CATS: The Nine Lives of Innovation

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CATS by Stephen Lundin

The saying goes that curiosity killed it. But in his book, CATS, Stephen Lundin turns that old adage upside down by using cat-like characteristics as an analogy for the essence of innovation.

Lundin's slim, readable book describes the nine lives (essential ingredients) of innovation. These lives are embodied in CATS, people who seek consciously to become better at innovating. Lundin asserts that it doesn't make sense to try to figure out how innovative organizations work when it's actually the individuals within an enterprise that bring about creative change. To that end, his book focuses on the nine essential factors that foster innovation:

An Friendly Environment - Reduce the clutter, noise that distract from being creative.
Being Prepared - Stay up-to-date and curious about your field.
Remembering that Innovation isn't Normal - Make opportunities to startle your routine.
Physical Provocation - Fight against normal by being curious about objects in your environment
Social Provocation - Look for and associate with people who are different from you.
Intellectual Provocation - Use imagery and the ideas of others to inspire your creativity.
Say, "How Fascinating!" - Approach failure with curiosity expecting to discover an idea that was hidden from you before.
Fail Early and Fail Well - Learning rarely happens without failure so plan to make mistakes strategically.
Having Support - Innovation leaders (Lundin calls them "Cat Wranglers") play an important role in nurturing, developing, and supporting individuals to innovate.

In CATS, a chapter is devoted to each of the nine lives. Concepts are illustrated with straight forward examples, some of which span several of the nine lives so readers quickly appreciate the holistic nature of the innovative process. Lundin also takes some time to identify and demystify the challenges to innovation that tend to block our creativity.

Not content with theory, Lundin seems bent on provoking readers to boost their own innovative abilities. Chapters at the end of the book offer creativity tools, concepts, practice activities, and the opportunity to earn an innovation CAT Belt. And you can find more CAT culture on the web.
[...]

Great short book. The sort that you can get people who don't read to read.

The book, as the titles implies, is about innovation and how companies and people can innovate more. His thesis is that innovation and creativity can be learned and there are certain things that can be done to enhance creativity.

One concept I liked was his authentic energy concept. Authentic energy is energy that flows from choice and commitment rather than obligation or fear. Certainly works in most companies.

In an interesting paradox he talks about lack of clutter and quietness as being one way to get to creativity and in other chapters he talks about the need for uniqueness, clutter and social interaction. The two concepts seem somewhat opposing; however, I certainly understand where he is coming from and I think different creativity needs different things at different times.

One thing that I constantly use to enhance my creativity is reading. I think that is one of my biggest creativity enhancers.

The forward of the book was written by Tony Buzan who originated the mind map so the book talks a lot about mind maps as the creative way of getting to solutions. I have used mind maps for years.

Good short book and I recommend it.

Frankly, prior to reading this book, I misunderstood the title's meaning although its subtitle clearly indicates that Stephen Lundin would be sharing his thoughts about innovation, just as he shared his thoughts about teamwork in his previously published book, FISH! In "A Cat's Vocabulary," he explains, "CAT and CATS are not acronyms and mean nothing." Actually, they frame his material as a series of nine "lives"(or stages) of the innovation process. (Another Stephen's process of developing effective habits consists of only seven "lives" or stages.) In any event, within only 168 pages and without any concern whatsoever for mixing metaphors, Lundin explains how and why a mind can become "a greenhouse for innovation."(How many cats live in greenhouses?) I found this book consistently entertaining as well as informative. Lundin's writing style has "Snap! Crackle! and Pop!"

He organizes his material within two Parts. In the first, he explains why all innovation is personal, identities and briefly discusses "four challenges and nine lives," and then examines each of the "nine lives of innovation" that begin with the creation of an innovation friendly environment and concludes with an explanation of who "wranglers" are and why they "understand natural energy." In the next Part, he shares a personal view of the nine lives, explains how to earn a "CAT belt" in innovation, then explains why CATS offers "a taxonomy for personal innovation tools and concepts, adds "more stuff, includes a bio of himself (i.e. "Whiskers One"), and ends his book with a "final thought" for his readers to consider if they are still convinced that they "aren't creative and have no capacity to innovate."

Back to "Wranglers" for a moment. They "have the requisite skills to make sure the words of innovation are followed by the actions of innovation. They are a force of organizational integrity. The primary fuel for innovation is natural [i.e. authentic] energy, and CAT Wranglers have a special understanding of personal energy." It is worth noting that the title of one of Warren Bennis' most popular books is Managing People Is Like Herding Cats. In it, he offers this advice to those aspire to lead people: "Be humble. Stop trying to `herd cats' and start building trust and mutual respect. Your `cats' will respond. They will sense your purpose, keep your business purring, and even kill your rats." Lundin agrees, suggesting that there are three distinct faces of leadership. The first focuses on directing and controlling: "The leader tells the followers what to do and uses a variety of tools to ensure that they do what they are told. The result is compliance." The second focuses on participation: "The leader lets the followers have a say in a decision and then announces the course of action. The result of this form of leadership is cooperation." The third focuses on invitation: "The leader invites the followers to engage in as long conversation about what is being created together with life energy. The leader models that which she is hoping to inspire in the followers. The result of this form of leadership is collaboration and commitment. This is the home of the CAT Wrangler, who knows that innovation is voluntary and that natural energy is the fuel." This is also the leadership that Bennis recommends in the aforementioned book.

To sum up, CATS create an innovation friendly environment, are always prepared, know that innovation is not normal, welcome physical provocation (i.e. external stimulation), enjoy social provocation (i.e. creative confrontation), promote intellectual provocation, view every "failure" as an invaluable learning opportunity ("How fascinating!"), "fail" frequently and - yes - eagerly to maximize learning, and as noted earlier, CATS Wranglers understand what natural (i.e. authentic) energy is and how the process of innovation can derive the most benefit from it.

Congratulations to Stephen Lundin for having provided an entertaining as well as informative explanation of how almost any organization can become "a greenhouse for innovation." In this context, switching metaphors, I am reminded of a French Romantic poet's response (I think it was Baudelaire's) when asked how to write a poem. "First, draw a birdcage and leave the door open. Then wait and wait and wait. After a while if you're lucky, a beautiful bird will fly through the door. Erase the cage." The same can be said of the innovation process. That is, there should be lots of cages with open doors at all levels and in all areas of an organization. The arrival of great ideas is only a matter of time.

Length:: 0:58 Mins

A useful and insightful tool for anyone working with creative people.
Nigel Collin
[...]

The book CATS, by Professor Lundin, resonated with the Nexeon team. Our company has internally developed one of the most diverse patent portfolios in medical device start-up history but many of the core patent families have come from a handful of physicians and/or engineers. This book provided an inspirational roadmap from a bottom up perspective on awakening the core innovative potential of our entire team from the technicians to upper management.
Mark C. Bates, MD, FACC
CEO Nexeon MedSystems

Lundin's "CATS" is the exact same contrived metaphor that was satirized in the 2006 book, "Claw Your Way To The Top: Ten Things I Learned About Business From My Cat" by Freddy J. Nager.