Introduction: Innovation Is Not Just a Good Idea

Chance favors the connected mind.

—STEVEN BERLIN JOHNSON

You have a good idea that solves a problem or that offers a benefit in a way that no one else has thought of. Now all you have to do is find a way to take your idea from theory to reality—and in fact, people do this every day, often right from their kitchen tables. Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Eric von Hippel studied household innovation in the United Kingdom and found that 6.1 percent of adults, or 2.9 million people, had created or modified something in order to solve a problem, make using an object easier and more efficient, or simply make something more to their personal liking.

Okay, so people are inventive. You’re ...

Get Red Thread Thinking: Weaving Together Connections for Brilliant Ideas and Profitable Innovation now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.