Innovation… A Game of Single Runs
Listening to: Gangland - Iron Maiden
I have been reading The Elegant Solution: Toyota’s Formula for Mastering Innovation - a book about the innovation process they use at Toyota. The book is overflowing with great lessons about a very pragmatic and sustainable innovation process.
One of the things that I found most interesting was the parallel between the Toyota process and the current thinking in software development - that you get something out there and then you iterate and iterate. In the language of the book… you avoid the temptation of trying to hit for the fence, but rather you build a game of single runs. One doesn’t look so flashy, but in the end it is far more sustainable.
It is always reassuring to see a MO replicated in very separate industry.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
‘A Game of Single Runs’ - nice analogy!
January 24th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
Yeah, I think it’s a great way of showing the iterative aspect of a good innovation process.
It also works really well from the point of view of setting expectation really well… innovation isn’t all iPods and Googles - there are some wonderfully elegant solutions that aren’t in the spotlight.