Resources

Books

Insights into Innovation

A pocket book full of wisdom and ideas to help organisations and team leaders improve their innovation capabilities. Containing guidelines and suggestions amassed by CPI staff in many years of working with public services of helping them raise their game, "insights into innovation" is a great pocket book to help find, encourage and manage innovative talents. There are case histories, useful quotes and suggested futher reading.

Download free pdf copy here or contact bernadette.bruton@publicinnovation.org.uk / 020 7922 7822 and she will be happy to post a hard copy to you!

How To Have Kick-Ass Ideas

By Chris Barez-Brown, published by Harper Element (2006)
ISBN: 0007220944

Practical and inspirational ways to help you kick-start your creativity, identify what you want and then make it happen.

Sticky Wisdom

By What If!, published Capstone (2005)
ISBN: 1841120219

Required reading for anyone who's ever wondered how to have more fun at work and profit by it. The basic message is that creativity is like gold dust but it needs to be practised and worked at. Received wisdom from an advertising consultancy.

The Myths Of Innovation

By Scott Berkun, published by O'Reilly (2007)
ISBN: 0596527055

This short and very readable book explores the history of innovation. It bursts a lot of pre-conceived ideas that we have about how to innovate and where innovation comes from. A very good introduction to the subject that will rapidly answer a lot of questions that you might have been asking yourself.

Strategic Innovation

By Nancy Tennant Snyder and Deborah Duarte, published by Jossey- Bass
ISBN: 0787964050

This is one of the few books that we have come across that tells you how to manage innovation in a large organisation. This practical book is based on the experience of the multi-national firm, Whirlpool. Most of the lessons are valid for any large organisation struggling with the concept of innovation.

The Circle of Innovation - You Can't Shrink Your Way To Greatness

By Tom Peters, published by Coronet (1999). ISBN: 0340717211

A colourful collection of ideas to turn any organisation into a perpetual innovation machine.

The Innovative Individual

By M. Syrett and Jean Lammiman, published by Capstone (2002).
ISBN: 184112317X

Covers the key areas of how ideas are inspired in business, how to shape and test innovative projects, how individuals respond to innovation-based change and how to reward them.

The Innovative Leader

By Paul Sloane, published by Kogan Page (2007).
ISBN: 0749450014

“This is very handy book that creates the link between innovation and management – how leaders can encourage creativity and innovative practice to drive up performance. The book is filled with very practical advice and ideas that mean you can start trying new approaches straight away.”

Policy Documents

Innovation Nation

If you want to see where Government thinking is going with regard to innovation, then there is no place better to start than with the White Paper – Innovation Nation.

This clearly sets the tone and direction for innovation in the public sector. Read the White Paper here.

Finding and Procuring Innovation Solutions

If you what to find out about how to commission innovative new services but are not clear what scope is available under current legislation, the Office for Government Commerce has set out some very helpful and clear guidance which is essential reading for commissioners.

Read the guidance here.

Innovation in the Public Sector, Geoff Mulgan & David Albury (Cabinet Office), 2003

Read the document here

ARTICLES

Anyone out there got a good idea?

That's the question that IBM asked it's 335,000 employees worldwide. This article explains how it used electronic 'innovation jamming' to sort, sift and further almost 40,000 suggestions that flooded in within 3 days.

"The most sparkling nuggets come when you talk to people outside your own area ...from a different department, over coffee or lunch" says IBM's master inventor.

Read the article here.

How social networks lead to innovation

Professor Ron Burt argues in this article that social networks spanning the gaps in our existing social structure are key to innovation, and personal and commercial success. He urges that yesterday's solutions won't solve today's problems.