Science Of Serendipity

Innovation. The word might make you think of Silicon Valley. But innovation isn t the sole province of start-ups. They didn t invent it, and they re not always the ones from which we can best learn. What if we tried something new? To innovate at scale, and do it over and over, is the great business challenge. To see through the fog, connect the dots, battle the machine and drive an idea to launch is the Holy Grail for the corporate innovator. Much of the innovation in big business appears to be a happy accident – born out of luck rather than planning. But ‘luck’ is the label of the onlooker. Corporate innovators know how to make their own luck – they force connections, try things out and never give up. This is The Science of Serendipity and to benefit from it takes determination, provocation, experimentation and political savvy. Innovation. The word might make you think of Silicon Valley. But innovation isn’t the sole province of start-ups. They didn’t invent it, and they’re not always the ones from which we can best learn. As Matt Kingdon argues in The Science of Serendipity, it’s corporate innovators battling within large, established organisations who are the field’s real heroes. Tapping into 20 years of experience on the front lines of innovation—bringing new products and services to market and helping organisations become more creative—Kingdon dissects the ways in which corporations are continually reborn. He looks at the anatomy of innovation, asking: How do time-pressed executives go about taking risks? How do they prepare to see—and seize—opportunity? And how do you place humans, with all of their fears and foibles, at the heart of commercial success? In a conversational, jargon-free style built on a practitioner’s observations and anecdotes, The Science of Serendipity traces the dilemmas that executives in a wide variety of firms face. It details the steps taken to overcome the issues and get great ideas across the finish line. If you’re looking for a guide in your fight against the corporate machine, this is the business book for you. Matt Kingdon is the Co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Enthusiast of What If! Innovation Partners. For 20 years, What If! has partnered with the world’s most successful, forward-looking companies—businesses such as Barclays, Four Seasons, Google, PepsiCo, Pfizer, and Virgin—to galvanise innovation and deliver impact. Its 250 inventors work across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.