The Innovation Mandate

July 26, 2019

Webb, CEO of LeaderLogic, believes that in today's economy innovation is necessary for a company's long-term survival. Thus, argues the author, it should be considered an operational part of a company's regular activities. Webb further maintains that innovation is not limited to creative geniuses, but is a set of learnable "concrete, definable actions." The book seeks to demystify invention and explain how to make innovation an integral element of a business's everyday operations. At its heart are chapters on building an innovation operating system and pipeline by which a company solicits suggestions for new ideas and methodically analyzes their possibility, desirability, and priority. A company, Webb argues, should have "a steady and predictable flow of new ideas," but achieving this isn't easy. Webb insists that, in order to design an effective system, an organization must think carefully about how innovation fits into its mission and must not let risk discourage their efforts. VERDICT While the work overall is hindered by repetition, it also contains suggestions that will likely provoke reflection by business owners and experienced managers.--Shmuel Ben-Gad, Gelman Lib., George Washington Univ., Washington, DC

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