Founder connections
- Bill GatesPositive review
“Especially for people in business or education, it’s a worthwhile book.”
Gates reviewed the book on September 29, 2011. He says its examples help explain how to create environments that encourage good ideas, despite his initial skepticism about innovation books.Source
Summary
Steven Johnson examines the environments in which new ideas develop. He identifies seven recurring patterns across history and disciplines, using examples from inventions, science and organizations to explore conditions that encourage innovation.
Why read it Our view
Useful for examining the conditions around your team’s ideas, rather than waiting for a sudden breakthrough. Johnson’s examples offer questions about where people work, what they can learn from other fields and how ideas meet. Apply those questions to one part of your company where new thinking is needed.