It is said that curiosity killed the CAT . But have you ever seen one die of Curiosity ? – Asks Stephen C . Lundin , Ph.D. the author of the recently published book titled ” CATS The Nine Lives of Innovation ” . The cover also states the core theme of the book ” Companies don’ t Innovate . People do . ” Lundin , coauthor of the famous fun [serious fun] book ” FISH ! ” has done it again . While Fish dealt with the theme ” work place as a fun place ” , CATS The Nine Lives of Innovation deals with the topic Innovation from a ” CAT ‘s eye view ” , explaining how to get every employee – no matter what level – to think and act in innovative ways .
IDEO in the US is well known as the Innovation factory and we have authors like Tom Kelley of IDEO [ The Art of Innovation ] , Tony Buzan [ Mind Mapping ] and Edward de Bono who is credited with many books on Lateral Thinking as a tool for Creativity and Innovation . However , Lundin ‘ s book stands out as a unique contribution in demystifying Innovation both at work and at the personal level initiating the reader through a simple step by step process through the Four Basic Challenges of Innovation [ Distractions , Normal , Failure and Leadership ] followed by the Nine Lives of Innovation , creating a friendly environment , preparation , know innovation isn’ t normal , welcoming physical – social and intellectual provocation , fascination , failing early and failing well and using Wranglers to provide leadership with natural energy .
Part 2 of the book deals with sustaining a CAT ‘s life of Innovation through a personal review with a taxonomy for Personal Innovation . The icing on the cake is the open invitation to earn CAT belts in Innovation by working with <catsinnovation.com> .
A highly readable book cum work book both for the uninitiated and the expert in Innovation , this book grows on you as you go through the chapters and the simple exercises laced with CAT pauses and CAT nips . Believe me I faced many Eureka moments while reading the book and I could come out with a few innovative solutions at work and at home which I never thought I will be capable of . I strongly recommend this book for all potential CATS !!
References – CATS The Nine Lives of Innovation by Stephen C .Lundin , Ph.D ., published in India in 2009 by Tata McGraw -Hill , ISBN – 13 :978-0-07-067097-6.