The Power of Strategy Innovation: A New Way of Linking Creativity and Strategic Planning to Discover Great Business Opportunities [Hardcover]

Robert E. Johnston Jr. (Author), J. Douglas Bate (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 2003

Innovation and strategic planning are not mutually exclusive - they are interdependent. This book presents a practical five-step process for aligning day-to-day, bottom-line-focused planning with discovery-driven innovation that drives future growth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Credit[the authors]for their bias for action-the book is organized to foster implementation, with helpful process tips sprinkled liberally throughout... -- PDMA's Visions

"This book is a vital resource for every company determined to survive in today's volatile marketplace--and thrive beyond tomorrow." -- BIZLIFE March 2004

Review

"PDMA's Visions: ""Credit Johnston and Bate for their bias for action -- the book is organized to foster implementation, with helpful process tips sprinkled liberally throughout, helpful chapter summaries and endnotes by chapter for convenient diving into referenced materials. The immediacy and clarity of the presentation should help you get right into the process.""

Academy of Management Executive: ""The Power of Strategy Innovation is very worthwhile for senior managers and those responsible for innovative processes in their organizations."""

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (September 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814407684
• ISBN-13: 978-0814407684
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,335,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An innovative approach to strategy, December 11, 2003

By 

Bob Gill (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Power of Strategy Innovation: A New Way of Linking Creativity and Strategic Planning to Discover Great Business Opportunities (Hardcover)

For those of us who are familiar with the more traditional approach to strategic planning, beginning with vision, mission, goals & objectives, strategies and tactics, this book presents a novel approach to strategy. What I particularly liked is how Johnston and Bate use creativity and innovation as a key element in their process to increase the chance of getting breakthrough results rather than incremental improvements.

While more "out of the box" techniques are used, it by no means lacks structure in the process. At the end of each planning phase, process tips provide a summary of the key points. The book also includes a number of case studies that grounds the process to real industry examples.

If you are interested in understanding how making the future clear will make the present even clearer, read this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Do not go gently....", January 25, 2006

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Power of Strategy Innovation: A New Way of Linking Creativity and Strategic Planning to Discover Great Business Opportunities (Hardcover)

The last time I checked, Amazon and Borders offer 53,515 books which discuss strategy; 12,520 on innovation and 1,036 on strategy innovation. Is there anything new to add? Perhaps the more appropriate question is: Given the needs and interests of my organization, which approach to strategy innovation makes the most sense? In their Introduction, Johnston and Bate observe, "What we describe in this book is a phase-by-phase approach to the process of strategy innovation, not step-by-step. We provide the blueprint and encourage you [their reader] to customize it for the specific needs of your company and your industry." That is a promise on which they deliver. In fact, they provide invaluable advice on how to "customize" the phase-by-phase approach they describe.

They carefully organize their material within three Parts. In Chapters 1-4, they outline what strategy innovation is, what it is not, and suggest how to integrate it effectively. In Chapters 5-10, they offer specific guidance for implementing a strategy innovation initiative which they call the "Discovery Process." It has five phases: Staging, Aligning, Exploring, Creating, and Mapping. I hasten to add that, with appropriate modifications, this process can be use by any organization, regardless of size or nature. Then in Chapters 11 and 12, they offer a rigorous and probing analysis of the Discovery Process within a real-world setting. Of special interest to me is their use of FAQ in Chapter 11 and their outline of "key considerations" in the final chapter. In the Epilogue, Johnston and Bate share their thoughts about the future of strategy innovation. I also appreciate their clever use of a series of "Process Tips" (accompanied by brief comments) which should be highlighted (or otherwise noted) to facilitate a periodic review of the book's key points. Here are three examples:

"Strategy Innovation is best achieved by leaping ahead and working backward." (page 34)

"A strategic frontier is that unexplored area of potential growth that lies between today's business and tomorrow's opportunities." (page 113)

"It is easier to build feasibility into an innovative idea than to build innovation into a feasible idea." (page 203)

The material is sound, well-organized, and skillfully presented. I think those who read this book will my high regard for it while realizing, as Johnston and Bate correctly point out, "Strategy innovation is not a typical, quantitative goal, so it should not be communicated to employees in a rational, quantitative way. Strategy innovation is a bold leap into a new future. It is a rallying cry for growth, a clarion call to lead others into the future, to achieve new levels of performance and success." Quite true.

But if strategy innovation initiatives lack passion, if they fail to excite the heart and stimulate the mind, and if they are incremental and cautious, they are certain to fail.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book should come with a warning label - "Has been known to cause Insomnia", March 29, 2007

By 

S. Walker - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Power of Strategy Innovation: A New Way of Linking Creativity and Strategic Planning to Discover Great Business Opportunities (Hardcover)

I am an executive in a business planning and strategy function. I have read many books on the subject of Innovation. This book was unique to me with the focus on strategy innovation and the well defined methodology described to work through the process. Believe me, it caused several nights of insomnia as I couldn't help thinking about ways I could use this information on different problems I was trying to solve. In addition, I found the authors highly responsive as I followed up with them to explore potential opportunities to collaborate. These guys know their stuff! I have recommended this book to others in my company who were looking to develop new product strategies. I think this is a must read for people who are serious about customer and market focused strategy execution.