The Idea Machine: How ideas can be produced industrially [Hardcover]

Nadja Schnetzler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 3527501355 | ISBN-13: 978-3527501359 | Edition: 1

Can ideas be produced industrially? In the same way as shoes or chocolate? Or does it require flashes of inspiration from brilliant creative thinkers?

No, claims Nadja Schnetzler. In her Swiss company BrainStore, ideas are produced in the same way as products: to order and on a conveyor belt. How is it made possible? - very simply: with the BrainStore ideas machine, an innovation model which functions on engineering principles. The author explains how ideas can be produced systematically and efficiently using this model. Numerous case studies from all over Europe and many anecdotes show the reader how he can successfully use the idea factory's tools in his own company.

The book shows that anyone can develop good ideas - you just need to know the right methods and put together the right team.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"To be successful today, companies and individuals need to find the best solution in the shortest possible time. We produce ideas on an assembly line. That is very different to the work of an artist or an inventor. But the results are at least as astounding and have been validated on a broad basis".
Nadja Schnetzler on BrainStore

"Nadja Schnetzler claims that marketable ideas can be produced industrially, just like office chairs or toothpaste. Her book describes a systematic process with which implementable ideas can generated within the desired timeframe "
Süddeutsche Zeitung

"Nadja Schnetzler explains in an entertaining way how ideas can be produced systematically and efficiently with the help of the BrainStore idea machine. The numerous case studies ensure that author lives up to her claim of practicability and countless anecdotes make for easy reading"
Horizont

"A practice-related guide to the innovation process in companies.
The appeal of this easy-to-read guide to innovation is that Nadja Schnetzler always uses concrete examples to show how companies can come up with good ideas in a planned and targeted way."
managermagazin

From the Back Cover

Anyone can develop good idead!

Can ideas be produced industrially? In the same way as shoes or chocolate? Or does it require flashes of inspiration from brilliant creative thinkers?

No, claims Nadja Schnetzler. In her Swiss company BrainStore, ideas are produced in the same way as products: to order and on a conveyor belt. How is it made possible? - Very simply: with the BrainStore ideas machine, an innovation model which functions on engineering principles. The author explains how ideas can be produced systematically and efficiently using this model. Numerous case studies from all over Europe and many anecdotes show the reader how they can successfully use the idea factory's tools in their own companies.

The book shows that anyone can develop good ideas - you just need to know the right methods and put together the right team!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 210 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH; 1 edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3527501355
• ISBN-13: 978-3527501359
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,515,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Invaluable Summary of 15 Years of Idea Generation Expertise, August 12, 2005

By 

Lawrence R. Spencer (Author of The Ozfactors, Pan-God of the Woods and The Big Bleep) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Idea Machine: How ideas can be produced industrially (Hardcover)

I've been a great fan of The BrainStore for a couple of years, since a friend referred me to their website. The genius of this truly innovtive, unique process for creative problem solving in business is revolutionary. I was delighted to see that a text on the subject had been published by Nadja. I bought it and recommended it to several associates immediately.

This book is a "must read" for everyone who wants to break out of the fixed ideas of a stagnant world and explore new realms for themselves and help others to do the same. You'll never read another book like it.

Lawrence R. Spencer -- author of "The Oz Factors"

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most important books of the last couple of centuries, November 12, 2009

By 

Orlando's_reviews "Orlando" (NJ Skylands (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Idea Machine: How ideas can be produced industrially (Hardcover)

I am most passionate about Creativity and Innovation.

How do we come up with expressions (artistic, scientific, business, military, political, etc), that completely change the perspective of a particular problem or field of study and after some tinkering with the idea ... we reach the Eureka! moment ?. "There you have it" a totally new way of looking at the problem, a great solution which appears to come out of nowhere, and turns the previous notions on their head.

Then, happily we march on, applying the solution as a template until we run into another wall.

What used to bother me was that Idea generation, seemed to be a human activity delegated to an elite of individuals (Artists, Intellectuals, Generals, Scientists, Business Managers, etc). We know the problems of the world are too many, and the number of this "elite people" are so few. Are we then, stuck ? do we have to wait for the "elite" to solve our problems? or can we come up with a method of producing the ideas we need "on demand" ? just like with any other industrial process?.

Why wait for the Eureka moment ? is the challenge of the BrainStore Switzerland team ( [...])

In this book, The Idea Machine written by Nadja Schnetzler (co-founder of BrainStore). I find that YES ! it is possible to produce IDEAS On Demand, not only it is possible, but it can be done every day, on a routine basis.

Can you imagine? creativity, the production of ideas to solve problems or to innovate, made into an industrial process?

I have been following BrainStore for a good number of years, and I had the pleasure to visit BrainStore in Switzerland a couple of years ago, and was very impressed by the real world application of this method. I was there for a whole week, observing and learning each step of the way as The Idea Machine was put into practice to solve problems for BrainStore clients.

From my notes and recollection, there is close to nothing different in the process "live" from the process described in the book. The reason for this, said Markus Mettler (Chairman and Co-founder of Brain Store), is that Brain Store approaches idea production with an Open Source mentality. It is a way of forcing his team to keep refining and innovating the Idea Production Factory.

I encourage you to get this book, read it and apply it. And if you are in the market for Ideas to get you out of the rut, contact Brain Store and do business with them. In any case, I like to think that you will be pleased with the results.