Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ (Hardcover)

by David Silverstein (Author), Neil DeCarlo (Author), Michael Slocum (Author)
Key Phrases: ideal final result, ideality equation, exceptional business, Six Sigma, Insourcing Innovation, Peter Drucker (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Structured innovation is a key goal for every organization whereby they more effectively meet the needs of customers and operate more efficiently. Insourcing Innovation demonstrates how to transform business using the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) along with applicable tools and techniques. Providing a practical framework, this book presents the tactical and strategic aspects of TRIZ, its methodology, and its components. Real-world case studies illustrate how TRIZ can be applied in an organization. It also discusses how structured innovation is part of total performance excellence, examining key aspects of business excellence and how they are related.  

About the Author
CEO, Breakthrough Management Group, Longmont, Colorado, USA Business Author, Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA The Inventioneering Company, San Diego, California, USA

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Auerbach Publications; 1 edition (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420062271
• ISBN-13: 978-1420062274
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Using TRIZ for Strategic Innovation, December 9, 2008

By	Eric Duepen (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If your business goals include increasing the returns on your innovation investments, I would strongly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation provides a clear overview of the business issues involved in a growth through innovation strategy.

After the business issues of innovation are discussed, the tactical and strategic aspects of the highly effective TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) structured innovation methodology are covered. The book ends with a synthesis of the TRIZ method into a total performance excellence model.

It is often said, "That of all the major functions of most companies, innovation has the most competitive value and is managed with the least discipline." In Insourcing Innovation, the authors present a structured innovation methodology to resolve this vital business issue.

In the study of innovation, there is also evidence that financial commitment to R&D is no substitute for creativity, analysis, and disciplined management. The methodology in Insourcing Innovation presents a structure for managing creativity and analysis in pursuit of R&D and innovation gains.

The book is divided into five parts. Part One presents the business benefits of having a structured innovation methodology. A framework for business excellence and the highlights of TRIZ are also covered.

Part Two presents the specifics of tactical TRIZ. In this section, is a discussion of how Psychological Inertia prevents real innovation from taking place in organizations. In Part Two, are several case examples of how TRIZ has been implemented at different organizations. This section ends with a detailed look at how TRIZ was used to solve a number of problems in the development of a self-heating beverage container.

Part Three gives you seven case studies, including some interesting details about how TRIZ methods were used to develop a self-heating container that was featured as one of 25 top inventions in Fortune magazine.

Part Four discusses the strategic aspects of structured innovation using TRIZ. The eight evolutionary forces defined under TRIZ are covered along with a strategic TRIZ methodology. The importance of using these forces in the creation of a technology roadmap is also covered.

Part Five discusses how a structured approach to innovation fits within the framework of total performance excellence. A total performance model is presented that shows how tactical and strategic TRIZ would work within an organization's drive for operational and strategic leadership.

The strength of the book is in demonstrating how TRIZ works and how a structured innovation methodology fits within a total performance excellence model. Just enough technical information is presented so that the reader will be comfortable with the process.

Innovation is a skill you want as many people within your organization to understand and hopefully master. The examples and case studies presented in Insourcing Innovation provide a basic understanding of the type of skills and thinking required to implement both tactical and strategic TRIZ.

One of the highlights of the book is the comparison tables of Business as Usual versus Business as Exceptional at the end of each part. These tables serve two functions. First, they effectively summarize the material from the chapter. Secondly, The Business as Exceptional Column demonstrates the TRIZ concept of the Ideal Final Result (IFR) as it applies to business activities.

If you want to grow your business through innovation by using a proven and reliable methodology, I would highly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation shows how to make innovation more manageable, effective, and profitable.

5.0 out of 5 stars Here is How to Get Started, April 6, 2009

By	William W. Waldo - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a simple and effective why to get your team oriented and motivated to start your innovation journey. While predominately a great overview of the TRIZ methodology, it is also a bit of an indictment of our current lack of corporate sponsered innovation. If you have been waiting to get started, stop.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece ad hoc, November 27, 2008

By	Harold K. Eickmeier (Stuart, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Another laureate by DeCarlo and company. This is a must-read for any business wanting to seperate themselves from the 'further ran'.
Harold K. Eickmeier, CEO HarcoSupply