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Ten Types of Innovation

The discipline of building breakthroughs

The assumption that there is no disciplined, consistent method to be applied to drive innovation is simply not true.

As the pace of change continues to increase, innovation is imperative for firms. Customers demand it. Competitors may outflank you if you don't achieve it. Talented employees might not join your firm if you don't deliver it. Analysts expect it. Investors reward it. And yet many people still believe in primitive myths about innovation: "It's mainly about new products and new technology"; "It's about rare strokes of inspired genius"; "There's no disciplined, consistent method that you can apply"; etc. These common assumptions are simply not true.

 

Ten Types of Innovation is a consistent methodology for applying innovation in companies and organizations. The framework was developed by Doblin, and Doblin today is part of Monitor Deloitte's Consulting Innovation Practice. The framework is comprised of 10 Types of Innovation that any organization can implement in order to achieve game-changing breakthroughs. The goal is to be able to orchestrate innovation plays that combines multiple types of innovations. 

 

About the book

In Ten Types of Innovation, the renowned innovation specialists at Doblin, the innovation practice of Monitor Deloitte within Deloitte Consulting LLP, will help you and your teams know what to do when the stakes are high, time is short, and you really need to build a breakthrough. A solution is to look beyond new products to nine other powerful types of innovation, which can be combined for competitive advantage. The book lays out fresh viewpoints and then explains the actions that can allow teams or firms to innovate reliably and repeatedly.

 

The Ten Types of Innovation framework emerged from applying a proprietary approach to a list of more than 2,000 successful innovations, including Amazon.com, early IBM mainframes, the Ford Model-T, and many more, to determine ten meaningful "moves" that great innovators typically make and that provide insight into innovation. Ten Types of Innovation explores these insights to diagnose patterns of innovation within industries, to identify innovation opportunities, and to evaluate how firms are performing against competitors. This framework has influenced thousands of executives and companies around the world since its discovery in 1998 and is an enduring and useful way to start thinking about business transformation. In the book, the authors detail how businesses can use these innovation principles to bring about meaningful—and sustainable—growth within their organizations.

 

Unlike much of the writing on innovation, this book is designed to be both thought-provoking and entirely practical. It explains how the Ten Types can be used analytically to reveal blind spots, as a lens for leaders to identify new innovation opportunities and, most importantly, as a tool that can be used to accelerate and amplify existing ideas. Complete with practical exercises and containing multiple case studies and examples, this book is for those who want to stop listening to the hype and start figuring out how to do the hard work of innovating more reliably.
 

Meet the authors

Larry Keeley, Director, Doblin, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Larry is a world renowned speaker, innovation consultant, and co-founder of Doblin, the innovation practice of Monitor Deloitte within Deloitte Consulting LLP. Bloomberg BusinessWeek named Keeley one of seven Innovation Gurus who are changing the field and cited Doblin for having many of the most sophisticated tools for delivering innovation effectiveness. Larry teaches innovation strategy at Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design in Chicago, the first design school in the U.S. with a Ph.D. program and at Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

Ryan Pikkel, Specialist master, Doblin, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Ryan is a design strategist at Doblin, the innovation practice of Monitor Deloitte within Deloitte Consulting LLP. He is responsible for guiding clients and teams through innovation programs to articulate and develop approaches that can benefit both the client and the end user. In addition, Ryan makes significant contributions to developing Doblin's own tools and processes—including the Ten Types of Innovation framework, the Innovation Tactics, and associated Tactics cards. Ryan is a member of adjunct faculty at the Institute of Design at IIT, where he teaches innovation tools and techniques.

 

Brian Quinn, Principal, Doblin, Deloitte Consulting LLP

Brian leads client relationships and programs at Doblin, the innovation practice of Monitor Deloitte within Deloitte Consulting LLP. He collaborates with senior executives to help their organizations innovate and become better innovators. Brian also develops new perspectives and methods for Doblin innovation implementation and building innovation capabilities for clients. A sought after speaker and writer on the topic of innovation, Brian has worked with startups and Fortune 500 multi-nationals alike in sectors ranging from healthcare to CPG to heavy manufacturing. Follow Brian Quinn’s contributions on Forbes.com.

 

Helen Walters, ideas editor, TED

Helen is the Ideas Editor and live blogger for TED's two annual conferences. At Doblin she worked on the Ten Types of Innovation as a writer, editor, and researcher. Previously the editor of innovation and design at BusinessWeek (and later at Bloomberg BusinessWeek), she joined the firm to help develop editorial strategy. She writes and publishes the regular blog, Thought You Should See This. And she tweets incessantly (@helenwalters).

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