Staying up to date with what is new in the world of innovation can be time consuming. If you want to stay on top of the trends, check out these top innovation books published in 2018. They represent the best of the best thinking in innovation for entrepreneurs and corporate innovators alike.
Innovation is arguably one of the hottest business topics of the decade. Hundreds of business books are published each year focused on some aspect of innovation. With so many reads and other resources out there, how do you sort through what will really make a difference for your work, employees, and business?
2018 is about half over, but there are some great innovation books to add to your reading list for the year. Here are my recommendations:
Verizon Untethered by Ivan Seidenberg & Scott McMurray
History of Verizon with insights from global leadership guru Ram Charan. Many leadership principles tied to innovation and transformation.
The New Science of Radical Innovation: The Six Competencies Leaders Need to Win in a Complex World by Sunnie Giles
Highlights the revolutionary transformation occurring in business and shares research on leadership with implications for “radical” innovation.
Innovation Nation: The Hidden Truth of How the Government Drives Change by Taylor Fitzgerald
A unique view of how the U.S. government helped spawn the greatest innovations of the past century. The book challenges the idea that “Federal innovation” is an oxymoron.
Boom! Deciphering Innovation: How Disruption Drives Companies to Transform or Die by Lisa Hendrickson and Jim Colwick
Outlines the disruptive landscape, nature of innovation, and how leaders can drive innovation and transformation. Provides strategies for making companies “future-ready.”
Sustainable Growth and Profits: Managing Your Innovation Strategy, Organization, and Initiatives by Magnus Penker
Argues that successful innovations happen in clusters and are manage side-by-side versus in isolation within organizations. The goal is to create and manage a balanced portfolio of strategic initiatives.
Fluid: How Culture, Hidden Opportunities, and Flatter Structures Lead to Profitable Innovation by Najeeb Khan
Highlights the changing nature of competition, starting with a historical view of how the Mongol Dynasty innovated to create its empire.
The Lean Strategy: Using Lean to Create Competitive Advantage, Unleash Innovation, and Deliver Sustainable Growth by Michael Ballé, Daniel Jones & Jacques Chaize
Outlines how “lean” can be adopted to drive strategy, including how to engage employees in innovating within their own jobs and work processes.
Quirky: The Remarkable Story of the Traits, Foibles, and Genius of Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World by Melissa A. Schilling
Outlines the science behind the traits and quirks that drive creative geniuses who change the world, from Marie Curie to Elon Musk.
Innovation is about constant learning. Pick up these books to jump-start your brain, and your innovation process.
.
Soren Kaplan is a bestselling and award-winning author, a Columnist for Inc. Magazine, a globally recognized keynote speaker, the Founder of Praxie.com, and an Affiliate at the Center for Effective Organizations at USC’s Marshall School of Business. Business Insider and the Thinkers50 have named him one of the world’s top management thought leaders and consultants.
