The Myths of Innovation (Hardcover)

by Scott Berkun (Author)
Key Phrases: lone inventor, Steve Jobs, World Wide Web, Rosetta Stone (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Scott Berkun Discusses Innovation at Amazon.com Headquarters

Scott Berkun, author of The Myths of Innovation and The Art of Project Management, visited Amazon.com to discuss "epiphany myths" and the realities--and effort--of implementing innovation in your own life and work. Watch the video: High bandwidth Low bandwidth Praise for The Myths of Innovation: "…Small, simple, powerful: an innovative book about innovation." --Don Norman, Nielsen Norman Group, Northwestern University; author of Emotional Design and Design of Everyday Things "The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and eye-opening, but it sure isn’t what most of us have come to believe. With this book, Berkun sets us free to try to change the world unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation happens." --Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "This book cuts through the hype, analyzes what is essential, and more importantly, what is not. You will leave with a thorough understanding of what really drives innovation." -- Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon.com

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Review
"The naked truth about innovation is ugly, funny, and eye-opening, but it sure isn't what most of us have come to believe. With this book, Berkun sets us free to try to change the world unencumbered with misconceptions about how innovation happens." - Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start "Insightful, inspiring, evocative, and just plain fun to read it's totally great." - John Seely Brown, former Chief Scientist of Xerox, and Director, Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC); current Chief of Confusion

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media, Inc.; 1 edition (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596527055
• ISBN-13: 978-0596527051
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,248 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will have you thinking long after the final page is turned..., May 20, 2007

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Occasionally I run across a book that puts into words my general and ill-defined feelings on a particular subject. And this is one of them... The Myths Of Innovation by Scott Berkun. He captures perfectly the difference between what we've been led to believe about innovation as opposed to how it actually works. And on top of that, it's a fun read...

Contents:
The Myth of Epiphany; We Understand the History of Innovation; There is a Method for Innovation; People Love New Ideas; The Lone Inventor; Good Ideas Are Hard to Find; Your Boss Knows More About Innovation Than You; The Best Ideas Win; Problems and Solutions; Innovation Is Always Good; Research and Recommendations; Photo Credits; Acknowledgements; About the Author; Index

Berkun takes on the myth that all great discoveries were made by one (or a small team of) individual who has a "eureka" moment when everything comes together. The myth feels good, as it fits in our American culture of individualism. But the truth of the matter is that the "inventor" of something is really a nebulous thing. Was the inventor the first person who came up with the concept? Was it the first person who made it work? Maybe it's the first person who made it a financially viable product. What you quickly learn in this book is that every large idea is made up of many smaller ideas and innovations that come together to make the new concept possible. The personal computer is an innovation, but it relies on innovations in design, silicon, transistors, magnetics, energy, etc. No one person is responsible for everything. If you remove any of the prior inventions that make up the new whole, the entire structure collapses.

I really enjoyed Berkun's thought-provoking chapters. For instance, Newton is credited for many advances in the field of physics. But he's as much a product of his location and time as he is of his studies. Born in a different country or 100 years earlier, Newton doesn't exist as the key figure. But that's not to say that his ideas would have never been uncovered. Others working in the same field with the same surroundings could likely have traveled the same path. Another idea that resonated with me is the concept of "epiphany"... that moment when the "missing piece" drops into place and the whole picture is revealed. In actuality, there's a large amount of work that leads to that moment in time, and without that prior work the "missing piece" becomes just one more part of the puzzle. Innovation is hard work, and it's a process, not a moment in time.

Finally, I very much agreed with his view of how time adds meaning to an idea or concept. The Wright brothers' first flight wasn't a big deal when they first launched their contraption at Kitty Hawk. Very few people showed up, and it would be decades before flight became a common occurrence. The Eiffel Tower was considered an eyesore when it was first constructed. Now it's a famous monument. Only with the passage of time does the true importance of something become revealed, or do we attach significance to an event.

There's so much in this book to make you rethink and question the stories of innovation that have become part and parcel of our culture and society. But once you do that, then it's possible to truly understand how innovation occurs, and how you can play a part in that. This is a great read that will occupy your mind for quite some time after you turn the final page.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Debunking Myths and Revealing Truths about Innovation, May 19, 2007

By	K. Sampanthar "Inventor of ThinkCube" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Scott Berkun has written a great little book on debunking the myths of innovation. He uses the myths to help explain how innovation happens. He also delves into some of the reasons for why these myths are popular and then proceeds to provide some insights on how to approach innovation without falling prey to these myths.

He starts the book with a great story of when he visited Google's head quarters and joined a tour group. He describes the moment when two of his co-tourists whispered to each other pointing over to a group of programmers "I see them talking and typing, but when do they come up with their ideas". This lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. It's a question many people ask of any creative/innovative person. Scott continues to explore our fascination with innovation and our desire to find the hidden secrets. Like all myths, the ones behind innovation are derived from quaint stories from history; Newton's Apple, Archimedes' bath tub.

Each chapter addresses one of the main myths and exposes the real path to innovation:
- the myth of epiphany,
- we understand the history of innovation,
- there is a method for innovation,
- people love new ideas,
- the lone inventor
- and many more.

The book is a fun read, and Scott has a very witty writing style. His stories and personal experiences help to explain some of his counter-intuitive demythologizing. As always the classic sign of a book I love, is that by the end I have many pages highlighted and copious notes written down the margins. Scott's book definitely fell into the category of `stimulating'. Even when I disagreed with him, I agreed with his underlying point.

I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in innovation. If you believe innovation is only open to lone geniuses or you are waiting for the proverbial apple of a good idea to fall on your head, then you NEED to read this book immediately!!

Scott has done a great service by debunking many of cherished myths that hold many people back from innovating. It is ironic that a book that aims to destroy innovation myths actually provides a set of insights that will help anyone come up with ideas (whether they work at Google or not).

Kes Sampanthar
Inventor of ThinkCube

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Innovation is what brilliant minds have thrust upon them in the middle of the night, May 28, 2007

By	Gareth Howell (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Right?
Not really. In this book Scott does a great job debunking the commonly held myths about innovation in a witty, approachable style. If you've ever wondered how innovation happens, or how to improve the innovativeness and creativity of your team this book is worth a read.

I particularly enjoyed the insight in chapter 4- people don't really love new ideas, but you'll find similar gems throughout the book.

I gave it only 4 stars, because after I'd finished reading the book I came away wanting something more (though lots of great references and links are provided) - perhaps more stories to get involved in, or just to enjoy Scott's humor for a while longer.

Overall I recommend this book, you'll gain some new insights and a new perspective on your old ones.