The Myths of Innovation [Hardcover]

Scott Berkun (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How do we know if a hot new technology will succeed or fail? Most of us, even experts, get it wrong all the time. We depend more than we realize on wishful thinking and romanticized ideas of history. In the new paperback edition of this fascinating book, a book that has appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, Slashdot.org, Lifehacker.com and in The New York Times, bestselling author Scott Berkun pulls the best lessons from the history of innovation, including the recent software and web age, to reveal powerful and suprising truths about how ideas become successful innovations -- truths people can easily apply to the challenges of today. Through his entertaining and insightful explanations of the inherent patterns in how Einstein’s discovered E=mc2 or Tim Berner Lee’s developed the idea of the world wide web, you will see how to develop existing knowledge into new innovations.

Each entertaining chapter centers on breaking apart a powerful myth, popular in the business world despite it's lack of substance. Through Berkun's extensive research into the truth about innovations in technology, business and science, you’ll learn lessons from the expensive failures and dramatic successes of innovations past, and understand how innovators achieved what they did -- and what you need to do to be an innovator yourself. You'll discover:

• Why problems are more important than solutions
• How the good innovation is the enemy of the great
• Why children are more creative than your co-workers
• Why epiphanies and breakthroughs always take time
• How all stories of innovations are distorted by the history effect
• How to overcome people’s resistance to new ideas
• Why the best idea doesn’t often win

"For centuries before Google, MIT, and IDEO, modern hotbeds of innovation, we struggled to explain any kind of creation, from the universe itself to the multitudes of ideas around us. While we can make atomic bombs, and dry-clean silk ties, we still don’t have satisfying answers for simple questions like: Where do songs come from? Are there an infinite variety of possible kinds of cheese? How did Shakespeare and Stephen King invent so much, while we’re satisfied watching sitcom reruns? Our popular answers have been unconvincing, enabling misleading, fantasy-laden myths to grow strong."

-- Scott Berkun, from the text

"Berkun sets us free to change the world."

-- Guy Kawasaki, author of Art of the Start

Scott was a manager at Microsoft from 1994-2003, on projects including v1-5 (not 6) of Internet Explorer. He is the author of three bestselling books, Making Things Happen, The Myths of Innovation and Confessions of a Public Speaker. He works full time as a writer and speaker, and his work has appeared in The New York Times, Forbes magazine, The Economist, The Washington Post, Wired magazine, National Public Radio and other media. He regularly contributes to Harvard Business Review and Bloomberg Businessweek, has taught creative thinking at the University of Washington, and has appeared as an innovation and management expert on MSNBC and on CNBC. He writes frequently on innovation and creative thinking at his blog: scottberkun.com and tweets at @berkun.

About the Author

Scott Berkun worked on the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft from 1994-1999 and left the company in 2003 with the goal of writing enough books to fill a shelf. The Myths of Innovation is his second book: he wrote the best seller, The Art of Project Management (O'Reilly 2005). He makes a living writing, teaching and speaking. He teaches a graduate course in creative thinking at the University of Washington, runs the sacred places architecture tour at NYC's GEL conference, and writes about innovation, design and management at http://www.scottberkun.com.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 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 (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #61,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 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 (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Myths of Innovation (Hardcover)

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.

24 of 24 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 (VINE VOICE)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Myths of Innovation (Hardcover)

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

9 of 9 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)

This review is from: The Myths of Innovation (Hardcover)

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.