Innovation is a big buzzword these days. There are innovation experts, innovation planning, and innovation strategies. I just read The Innovation Killer by Cynthia Barton Rabe. To those involved in product development, a lot of her ideas won’t come as a surprise, though it’s a well thought out book and highlights some important points. I particularly enjoyed her take on the value of what she calls “renaissance tendencies” defined as someone who has “broad interests in a variety of fields” and the value to innovation. Because after all, innovation goes hand in hand with curiosity and curious people are curious about many different things. Indeed, the most innovative people I know are also the ones who have multiple, seemingly unrelated interests, whether it’s baseball minutiae, robotics, whaling history, or World War II aeronautics (you know who you are). Rabe hypothesizes that people with renaissance tendencies are able to “connect the dots” for innovative thought. I've had an amateur interest in neuroscience for many years, and find connections between seemingly unrelated things endlessly interesting and intriguing. New business and product innovation is very much about exploring and harnessing creativity, coupled with disciplined research and development. Unfortunately the term "innovation" has been overused lately, particularly in consulting. I'm getting a little weary of the word, but I did enjoy the book.
