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On Creativity, Innovation, and Renewal

Frances Hesselbein and Rob Johnston of the Drucker Foundation edited On Creativity, Innovation, and Renewal, a collection of twelve superb essays by a wonderfully diverse group of contributors. Whiles there are some weak spots, such as Nigel Nicholson's ideas on "born leaders", overall the book is very strong. I particularly liked the chapters on Sustaining the Ecology of Knowledge and The Residue of Leadership, or Why Ambition Matters. This book would make a great basis for a weekly discussion group. Posted: 5/15/05; 4:07:57 PM #

Changing by Design

Douglas C. Eadie's book Changing by Design is described as a "practical approach to leading innovation in nonprofit organizations". He focuses on three capacities -- leadership, innovation, and implementation -- which he unfortunately calls 3CAP in an attempt to brand his approach. Eadie's clear spiritual perspective leads to a very strong chapter on executive directors and leadership. I was also very pleased to see him tackle the challenge to innovation presented by the usual roles of nonprofit boards. Posted: 5/15/05; 4:00:51 PM #

Sustaining Innovation

Paul Light should be a familiar name to you, given his prominence as a researcher and writer in our sector. I just finished an older book by his, called Sustaining Innovation. Based upon case studies of a couple of dozen Minnesota nonprofits during the early nineties, its focus is on the sustainability of innovation. For the right leader, Light's chapter on the four interlocking organizational values related to innovation -- trust, honesty, rigor, and faith -- is worth the price of the book. For the more operationally minded, his descriptions of ten structural supports for creativity will be invaluable: (1) Stay thin. (2) Create room to experiment. (3) Push authority downward. (4) Lower the barriers to internal collaboration. (5) Democratize! (6) Prime the organization for innovation. (7) Create a marketplace of ideas. (8) Prepare for stress. (9) Maximize diversity. (10) Age gracefully. Posted: 5/15/05; 3:46:58 PM #

Strategic Innovation

Nancy Tennant Snyder and Deborah R. Duarte's book Strategic Innovation may seem, at first glance, to be of little relevance to the nonprofit sector, being a case study of the Whirlpool Corporation. In fact, the lessons are remarkably apt. The book focuses on the process of embedding innovation as a core competency, and thus has insights and ideas related to the accountability, systems, structures, policies, procedures and metrics required to support ongoing innovation. I was particularly fascinated by the chapter on Resource Creation, which explores how to create open markets for funds, ideas, and talent. I would really enjoy seeing a visionary funder apply those concepts in our sector. Posted: 5/15/05; 3:29:32 PM #