How do we know if a hot new technology will succeed or fail? Most of us, even experts, get it wrong all the time. We depend more than we realize on...
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Dec 14, 2011
George
rated it: 
I immediately liked this book after reading the "Commitment to research accuracy" page near the front. Any author who goes above and beyond in their effort to provide the most accurate information they can and even provides a link to report inaccuracies cares about his readers and this resonates throughout the rest of the book.
Mr. Berkun has clearly been on a quest to discover not only the basics of creative thinking, but how it relates to entrepreneurs and invention. Using More...
Mr. Berkun has clearly been on a quest to discover not only the basics of creative thinking, but how it relates to entrepreneurs and invention. Using More...
Jul 17, 2011
Michael
rated it: 
I read Scott Berkun's The Myths of Innovation as part of my own studies of innovation, creativity, and productivity in research (in other words, my own quest to improve my work-related abilities). It was a few hours' read.
What I liked about this book:
1. The easy-to-read feel.
2. The annotated and the ranked bibliographies, and in particular Scott Berkun's ranking system; books are sorted by the number of notes Scott took. Scott's ranked a solid 47 in my list.
3. The More...
What I liked about this book:
1. The easy-to-read feel.
2. The annotated and the ranked bibliographies, and in particular Scott Berkun's ranking system; books are sorted by the number of notes Scott took. Scott's ranked a solid 47 in my list.
3. The More...
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Aug 31, 2011
Prabhat
rated it: 
What are your mental blocks and prejudices about Creativity and Innovation? You should check them out against this book. A fast-paced, funny and provocative book...that should make you THINK! It may not be the deepest tome on the subject, but it's the bare-minimum you should know... and it's brimful of exciting ideas, and ideas-about-ideas (meta-ideas?)! The greatest strength of this short book is its simplicity...it states facts, plain and simple...no hypes, no hiding away behind buzzwords and
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Dec 08, 2010
MI2
rated it:
goodreads has an incredible API and yet there is very little WordPress support for goodreads. Which is shocking since WP is the dominant platform where this integration would most likely thrive. There is one or two WP plugins that have ceased to be supported and both do not deal with public GROUPS only individual shelves...
We have an education site and would like to be able to simply SHOW the books listed in the group bookshelf, very similar to your output here (in the group bookshelf More...
We have an education site and would like to be able to simply SHOW the books listed in the group bookshelf, very similar to your output here (in the group bookshelf More...
Dec 30, 2010
Sarah
rated it: 
I usually reach for fiction, but still can't resist the idea of reading books that are good for me - specifically, for Work Me. As of late,those are books about design, innovation, and the like.
This one is a relatively quick read. - I skimmed it thoroughly in a couple of hours. Its style is a bit like a Fast Company or Wired article (if one could be nearly 200 pages).
I gave it one star because it was a bit academic for my taste. The anecdotes and tips were good, but all t More...
This one is a relatively quick read. - I skimmed it thoroughly in a couple of hours. Its style is a bit like a Fast Company or Wired article (if one could be nearly 200 pages).
I gave it one star because it was a bit academic for my taste. The anecdotes and tips were good, but all t More...
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Oct 17, 2010
Adam
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I liked the book but I probably would have liked it better if I hadn't just read "Where Good Ideas Come From" which struck me as a deeper more thought out book.
That said, I'd recommend this as a quick read for anyone who wants a quick read about how most modern, corporate notions of creativity are complete garbage and wants to know how the creative process actually works.
It's also a great place to start on the subject as Berkun gives copious notes (right on the page, than More...
That said, I'd recommend this as a quick read for anyone who wants a quick read about how most modern, corporate notions of creativity are complete garbage and wants to know how the creative process actually works.
It's also a great place to start on the subject as Berkun gives copious notes (right on the page, than More...
Aug 14, 2011
Hans
rated it:
It was Scott Berkun's intention with this book "to provide a baseline of truth to free [the reader] from the misguided yet common notions around innovation that run rampant in business and popular culture today." He has done exactly that and has managed to do it in an entertaining way. He explain why the epiphany is myth, why people don't like new ideas, that the lone inventor doesn't really exist, that it is actually quite easy to find good ideas and more.
The book is a gre More...
The book is a gre More...
Aug 30, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
Notes from Myths of Innovation:
I wondered whether Beethoven or Hemingway, great minds noted for thriving on conflict, could survive in such a nurturing environment without going postal. How did Shakespeare and Stephen King create so much, while we're satisfied watching sitcom reruns?
Myths are often more satisfying to us than the truth, which explains their longevity and resistance to facts: we want to believe that they're true. This begs the question: is shaping the truth int More...
I wondered whether Beethoven or Hemingway, great minds noted for thriving on conflict, could survive in such a nurturing environment without going postal. How did Shakespeare and Stephen King create so much, while we're satisfied watching sitcom reruns?
Myths are often more satisfying to us than the truth, which explains their longevity and resistance to facts: we want to believe that they're true. This begs the question: is shaping the truth int More...
Jan 22, 2008
Steve
rated it: 
I had a nice review all written up and saved on my Windows box, and then some combination of Windows and emacs decided to eat it. Grrr.
Like most of the reviewers of this book, I walked away feeling disappointed: there was not enough 'there' there for me to justify the purchase. It's a great book if you're pursuing an "innovation-centric" career and you're just starting out, or if you've managed to never do anything innovative in your life and you realize that you have to ma More...
Like most of the reviewers of this book, I walked away feeling disappointed: there was not enough 'there' there for me to justify the purchase. It's a great book if you're pursuing an "innovation-centric" career and you're just starting out, or if you've managed to never do anything innovative in your life and you realize that you have to ma More...
Mar 30, 2008
Raghu
rated it:
This book is an absorbing read about the idea of innovation, the associated myths of how innovation happens and succeeds eventually. The book is only about 150 pages and is an engaging read. It shows how we can all be innovators and examines the great innovations of history and shows how they are mostly the products of hard work on one's part, the knowledge of the domain from the past and how it is mostly the work of a team rather than a sudden epiphany of one individual who has spent just a few
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Nov 18, 2010
Bill
rated it:
I like how Scott Berkun deconstructs the myths about innovation. There aren't lone geniuses out there; there are hardworking tinkeres who go through a lot to see their ideas to fruition. And communication/vision is a big part of idea/product adoption too. The people who get you to buy their product aren't necessarily the first to do it - they are the first to make it fit into what the public wants and/or read.
This is a very entertaining book with lots of interesting anecdotes. I recom More...
This is a very entertaining book with lots of interesting anecdotes. I recom More...
Aug 29, 2007
Scott
rated it:
If you're new to innovation studies and management theory, this is a great little airport book that serves as a solid introduction to many of the major thoughts/trends without requiring too much. Plus, it doesn't take up too much room in your briefcase!
To boil all that down, it's a really well-done second-source introduction to management and innovation, but pretty useless if you've read the source materials in his excellent "Research and Recommendations" section, particul More...
To boil all that down, it's a really well-done second-source introduction to management and innovation, but pretty useless if you've read the source materials in his excellent "Research and Recommendations" section, particul More...
Apr 18, 2008
Chris
rated it:
Maybe I've read too many books that largely agree with this, but the conclusions and reasoning seemed too obvious. The basic thesis of this book is that innovation doesn't just happen as the result of flashes in the pan genius, but that hard work is required both to get the background knowledge necessary for that connection to occur, and to draw out the consequences and realize the application of a moment of innovation. Therefore, companies looking to innovate can't just rely on buzzwordy appr
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Jul 18, 2009
Lou
rated it:
There were no surprises here. Sent a simple message:
- There are no eureka moments. Hard work leads to success and innovation.
- Innovation doesn't always happen where and in the way expected.
- Innovation requires support... Good environment, good management, etc.
- Be careful what you wish for. Your innovation may not lead to the desired outcome (Einstein and the A-bomb for example).
Still, despite the lower rating, it's a quick read and worth it for anyone in t More...
- There are no eureka moments. Hard work leads to success and innovation.
- Innovation doesn't always happen where and in the way expected.
- Innovation requires support... Good environment, good management, etc.
- Be careful what you wish for. Your innovation may not lead to the desired outcome (Einstein and the A-bomb for example).
Still, despite the lower rating, it's a quick read and worth it for anyone in t More...
Dec 16, 2009
Andy
rated it:
Berkun has a clever approach to presenting the kernel of what it means to innovate, both in today's society and the past. The concept of innovation in society is seen today as a glorious, spontaneous, self-driven event, but Berkun looks to disprove these myths. Anyone who has ever wondered what it really takes to make an idea succeed, but has failed to make it happen, could probably gain a bit of knowledge from this read -- as well as getting a few laughs along the way. Good historical refere
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Dec 28, 2010
Carrie
rated it:
I liked this book -- it was a quick read but probably one to read again to really understand some of his points. What I didn't get from it, as a scientist AND as a manager, is some effective methods for changing how we do business to truely "foster innovation". Or maybe that's the point?
Mar 07, 2011
Thomas
rated it:
The myths of innovation seeks to dispel common myths around how innovation occurs. It was a hard read end-to-end with little real insight and questionable humor sprinkled throughout. Final take away is that I really don't feel as if I'm any wiser or better off for having read this book.
Jan 02, 2009
Mike
rated it:
Excellent book. Love the dispelling of some commonly held perceptions of invention. Innovation can be pragmatic. The eureka and 'a ha' moments are what get noticed. Make sure not to overlook the other moments. Good lessons.
Dec 17, 2009
Steve
rated it:
A quick, must-read for any of you engineers or techies out there!
He lists and then debunks many of the favorite innovation myths we technical folks live by, for example, "The Myth of Epiphany," "The Myth of the Lone Inventor" and "People Like New Ideas."
Much of it helps describe to us technical folks why the rest of the world does not accept our proposed solutions based on their sheer genius and obvious (to us) improvement!
(I am s More...
He lists and then debunks many of the favorite innovation myths we technical folks live by, for example, "The Myth of Epiphany," "The Myth of the Lone Inventor" and "People Like New Ideas."
Much of it helps describe to us technical folks why the rest of the world does not accept our proposed solutions based on their sheer genius and obvious (to us) improvement!
(I am s More...
May 03, 2010
James
rated it:
Had the privilege of reading a pre-publication draft of this. It's short, and I recommend it. In particular I want to take the "Myth of the Lone Inventor" chapter and wave it at half the people in Silicon Valley.
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May 08, 2011
Mark
rated it:
Berkun again delivers a great book. His look at how we come to ideas and the amount of unseen work and development behind a Eureka moment is right on the money. This book is worth every penny.
Mar 05, 2011
Quinn
rated it:
Pretty good. Here's the jist of the book: Innovation requires hard work, epiphany seems to come in a stroke of genious but the stroke only comes after thinking, testing, wondering, working, etc.
Nov 30, 2011
Joyce
rated it:
This is a good quick read that will get your brain around what innovation really is and not the romantic myths of the culture.
Nov 17, 2009
Lenny
rated it:
Blasts through pretty much every pre-concived notion we have about how innovation happens
Dec 04, 2009
Steve
rated it:
I knew it. Everything we learned in school WAS wrong. This is a great read.
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Aug 07, 2008
John
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The eureka moment of innovation we are all hoping for is a fallacy. All of the fables of great inventions and ah-ha's (Newton's apple, Franklin's lightning strike) were not moments of inspiration but inflection points in a process of great effort.
The stages of innovation are:
1. Learning and submersion
2. Working the problem
3. Ah ha
4. The hard work that goes into realizing the ah ha.
Tons of us have epiphanies. Not very many of us use those insights t More...
The stages of innovation are:
1. Learning and submersion
2. Working the problem
3. Ah ha
4. The hard work that goes into realizing the ah ha.
Tons of us have epiphanies. Not very many of us use those insights t More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 25, 2008
David
rated it:
Innovation is a gradual process, usually built on the labor of the many rather than the one. The new ideas we get are generally not well-loved on arrival, and the "best" ideas aren't always adopted. But this incremental introduction of new ideas into a culture resistant to change is neither romantic nor memorable, so we rewrite the stories to introduce the lone inventor who revolutionizes the world. These are the myths of innovation that Berkun describes and systematically disassemb
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