The Design of Business

Most companies today have innovation envy. They yearn to come up with a game-changing innovation like Apple’s iPod, or create an entirely new category like Facebook. Many make genuine efforts to be innovative-they spend on R&D, bring in creative designers, hire innovation consultants. But they get disappointing results.

Why? In The Design of Business, Roger Martin offers a compelling and provocative answer: we rely far too exclusively on analytical thinking, which merely refines current knowledge, producing small improvements to the status quo.

To innovate and win, companies need design thinking. This form of thinking is rooted in how knowledge advances from one stage to another-from mystery (something we can’t explain) to heuristic (a rule of thumb that guides us toward solution) to algorithm (a predictable formula for producing an answer).

Martin shows how leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Cirque du Soleil, RIM, and others use design thinking to push knowledge through the stages in ways that produce breakthrough innovations and competitive advantage.

Filled with deep insights and fresh perspectives, The Design of Business reveals the true foundation of successful, profitable innovation.

FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: Harvard Business School Press
PUBLISH DATE: November 2009
ISBN: 1422177807
PAGES: 256

Thought Pillar:

"Insightful analysis of a hot management trend, useful for executives of all levels."
- Business Week

Reviews

  • Financial Times

    From Mystery to Innovation

    October 15, 2009

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best of lists

  • Porchlight Books

    Business Book Awards 2009

    December 2009

    Named the winning book in the innovation and creativity category.
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