This book by IDEO‘s found Tom Kelley is a good, interesting and fairly quick read. In his book The Ten Faces of Innovation Kelley has outlined the opportunity to identify, empower and reward the ten types of employees you may have in your company.
Who can make your organization think differently and succeed in today’s marketplace or school?
This is a refreshing look at the demands of today’s aggressive business climate — regardless if your in a Fortune 100 company, small non-profit or educational institution.
While some elements are a bit over-hyped (examples are IDEO’s clients — surprise!) the basic message is to look and empower new thinking.
I was surprised to learn his brother knew about .mp3s before Napster….but so did millions already on the internet finding them in newsgroups.
So what are those ten faces? Kelley presents several opportunities to learn about which can fit into your organization:
- The Anthropologist is rarely stationary.
- The Experimenter celebrates the process
- The Cross-Pollinator draws associations and connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or concepts to break new ground
- The Hurdler is a tireless problem-solver who gets a charge out of tackling something that’s never been done before.
- The Collaborator is the rare person who truly values the team over the individual.
- The Director has an acute understanding of the bigger picture, with a firm grasp on the pulse of their organization.
- The Experience Architect is that person relentlessly focused on creating remarkable individual experiences.
- The Set Designer looks at every day as a chance to liven up their workspace.
- The Storyteller captures our imagination with compelling narratives of initiative, hard work, and innovation.
- The Caregiver is the foundation of human-powered innovation.
If you have indeed read this book and are looking for a more defined role for your company in today’s internet driven business world, I suggest reading Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.