Examining the principles and practice of innovation in companies and organisations, business historian Ian Hunter ranges through the lives of some of history's biggest innovators in many different fields: business, yes, but also inventors, artists, musicians, even Florence Nightingale. While the book is partly aimed at a business market it also ranges far wider and covers a huge base of resource material. Why are some people more innovative than others? What are the enduring characteristics of great innovators? Through the richness of history, managers, leaders, artists, educators and professionals will find principles and practices in this book that they can apply to their work and their lives.
Ian Hunter highlights seven pillars of innovation: time, creativity, focus, people, vision, resources and persistence. Every organisation and individual, he suggests, can increase innovation in their work and their life.
Imagine argues that all of our enterprises need to give greater thought to the encouragement, development, articulation, training and measurement of innovation, and is packed with tools, accelerators and pointers for doing so. The challenge for the manager and leader in the 21st century will be to take the best of the past to more effectively harness one of humankind's greatest resources - innovation.
