Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond [Hardcover]

Alan Axelrod (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 25, 2008

In this fascinating exploration of one of the most celebrated and innovative minds, best-selling author Alan Axelrod cuts through the myths and reverence surrounding Edison’s “genius” to show how the inventor was, in fact, an ordinary man who created extraordinary work. While many of us believe that creativity, like genius, is something that just happens by chance or destiny, Edison’s life demonstrates that creativity of the very highest order can indeed be summoned up at will, and even reduced to a reliable working method and set of principles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“…an interesting take on creativity…” (Velocity, March 2008)

"Axelrod's book, 'Edison on Inovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity and Beyond,' casts Edison as a potential mentor for Americans who could use more wattage in the innovation department. Edison's greatness may not be duplicatable. Even so, his methods are easier to adopt than those of say Einstein. That kind of brain power is tricky to emulate." --The Detroit News, March 2008

"In Edison on Innovation, writer Alan Axelrod picks out 102 lessons from the way Edison operated, told through lovely anecdotes drawn from Edison's life, such as his obsession with collecting all manner of materials so that his staff would have anything readily at hand that their experiments might require. The lessons are well known to those who read about innovation but the storytelling makes them vivid. Mr. Axelrod also does his best to give them a special twist, such as 'be skeptical but never cynical' or 'plan for spontaneity.'"--GlobeandMail.com, April 23, 2008

From the Inside Flap

"There is no question that Edison was and remains the name-brand marquee inventive genius—a 'modern Prometheus' no less or, at the very least, the 'Wizard of Menlo Park.' And that is precisely the problem. Geniuses may create any number of wonderful things, but otherwise they're really of no use to the rest of us—the non-geniuses."—From the Preface

But what if Edison was no genius? What if he just acted like one? And what if we all could follow his example?

In this fascinating exploration of one of the most celebrated and innovative minds, best-selling author Alan Axelrod cuts through the myths and reverence surrounding Edison's "genius" to show how the inventor was, in fact, an ordinary man who created extraordinary work. While many of us believe that creativity, like genius, is something that just happens by chance or destiny, Edison's life demonstrates that creativity of the very highest order can indeed be summoned up at will, and even reduced to a reliable working method and set of principles.

In contrast to many creative prodigies, Edison worked by "open" methods, making his processes relatively easy to study and emulate. Using Edison's own diaries, papers, and modern studies of his work, Axelrod draws out time-tested principles that can be applied by even the least creative among us. Edison on Innovation presents 102 key lessons, including

• Experiment with everything

• Embrace problems

• Start small, scale up

• Innovate without inventing

• Learn the market

• Create new uses for whatever you have

• Plan for spontaneity

• Make the problem the solution

Edison on Innovation serves as a revelation to anyone who needs or wants to be creative on demand and for anyone whose business requires the continual creation of new ideas and the practical realization of the best of them.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (February 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787994596
• ISBN-13: 978-0787994594
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Edison's "Non-Genius", March 4, 2008

By 

Kelly L. Frey, Sr. "Kelly (the elder)" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Edison on Innovation: 102 Lessons in Creativity for Business and Beyond (Hardcover)

Axelrod advocates that Edison was not so much a genius as a keen observer who was focused on innovation (incremental improvement) rather than invention. Pulling from a substantial archive of examples, he illustrates how Edison focused on "gap analysis" in product design - looking for the weakest elements of a device and work-arounds or improvements he could make on those elements. At first the format of the book (an example, followed by a maxim that the author draws from the example) seemed a little contrived - but the author's maxims do a good job of providing structure, as well as illustrating how the examples apply to current product development. I also liked the persistent theme of Edison's preference for the tactile over the abstract. The book also does a good job in putting a couple of Edison's magnificant failures in the context of a life devoted to experimentation. A short read - well worth the effort.