Innovation is Everybody's Business: How to Make Yourself Indispensable in Today's Hypercompetitive World

Introduction

Most books on innovation are aimed at helping organizations succeed. They focus on how to create a culture of innovation. They demonstrate how to launch breakthrough products. And they model how to establish an innovation process that drives growth and differentiation. I know this, having written a number of these books since Winning the Innovation Game was first published in 1986.

This book is different. This book is about you.

In a time of economic disruption, unprecedented downsizings, and the constant pressure to outsource more and more routine functions (and the employees who perform them), books offering advice on professional survival begin to seem shallow and out of touch. Their tired message: Be visible. Don't make enemies. Suck up to the boss. And work even harder.

My guess is that you are already working harder. And not one of these solutions even begins to address the issues you confront on a daily basis.

I decided to write this book after listening to the questions my audiences and clients were asking as individuals trying to cope with a world of change: How do I make myself less vulnerable and more valuable to my organization in a time of disruption? How do I "think outside the box" amidst the piles of work, endless meetings, and countless e-mails?

The unarticulated questions I began to sense were these: How do I create greater satisfaction in my working life and restore a sense of balance? And how do I navigate my career, provide for my family, and achieve ...