Review By: Keith Kautzman
11/09/2009In today's business world, every organization is striving towards innovation, but what exactly does that mean? Many of us have beliefs about innovation, what it is, how it happens, etc. Unfortunately, many of our beliefs are incorrect. In this book, Scott Berkun does an excellent job of telling the reader what innovation is by telling what innovation is not. His well-written message is easy to follow, easy to read, which makes this book difficult to put down.

In the quest to get the reader to understand innovation, Scott Berkun takes the reader through a history of innovation and explains how innovations of the past, or our history lessons about such innovations, cause many of the misconceptions that we have today. For example, the light bulb and telephone were not invented overnight by one person and instantly adopted by the world.

Scott explains the concept of the “Eureka” moment (that moment when an innovative idea supposedly appears in one's mind) and provides scientific and historic evidence as to why such moments do not occur. He explains that innovation does not come from one person working alone, as history often suggests, but from teams of people working extended periods of time. "The Myths of Innovation" explains the hard work needed to overcome the fears people have about innovation, such as being afraid of change or the fear that the innovation will harm them in some way.

The book defines the steps an innovation must go through in order to be adopted by the world and why many "innovative ideas" fail to reach their full potential. Is there an advantage to using this new innovative product? Is it easy to convert from current processes? Is it easy to use and understand? Can I try it out without being fully committed? Can I easily see the results of using this new product? These are the questions a potential user will need to be comfortable with in order to adopt an innovation.

After gaining an understanding of what innovation is not, the reader is presented with rules for coming up with innovative ideas. Berkun explains how to generate ideas, warns the reader about common ‘idea killers’, and even explains the so often misused brainstorming technique.

"The Myths of Innovation" is a must-read for anyone truly inspiring to be innovative.