New Ideas About New Ideas: Insights on Creativity From the World's Leading Innovators [Hardcover]

Innovation--that elusive but vital ability to generate and foster new ideas--has been touted as the key to success in many a book, for many a year. But since the New Economy's nosedive and the market battering of some of the most loudly lauded "innovative" companies, the term's reputation has begun to seem a little tarnished. Not so fast, says Shira White in her revealing book New Ideas About New Ideas. Whether in good economic times or in bad, creativity is always the ultimate competitive advantage, and the repercussions of practicing innovation are often even more widespread and longer lasting in the latter. White's assertion that "we always need new ideas--and we need new ideas about how to get, grow, and better manage them" underpins valuable insights on where innovation begins; how ideas are developed, nurtured, valued, brought to life, and put into action; and even how an entire organization's culture can be imbued with innovation. Refreshing in its broad coverage, New Ideas is chock-full of the inspiring advice and experiences of leaders in business, science, technology, and the arts. Hot, hip, and happening is how White describes these innovators, and they include people like former AOL Internet Services president and current chairman of the organic foods company Acirca Inc. David Cole, physicist and author of The Elegant Universe Brian Greene, technology wizard Nathan Myrhvold, world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, violin virtuoso Joshua Bell, and multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, as well as the movers and shakers at companies such as Corning Inc., Genzyme Corporation, Transmeta Inc., and Macromedia. Though references to Enron have been updated, its inclusion in this otherwise motivational collection of innovation adventures seems unfortunate; the former energy giant may still be smoking hot in one sense, but revelations postbankruptcy would seem to negate much of its previous brilliance. --S. Ketchum

Architect Frank Gehry, multimedia artist Laurie Anderson, physicist Brian Greene and Progressive Insurance chairman Peter Lewis are among the luminaries who share their thoughts on creativity in New Ideas About New Ideas: Insights on Creativity from the World's Leading Innovators. Author Shira P. White, a painter and the president of SPWI, a firm consulting on new product development, weaves together dozens of interviews to describe the creative process, from the first glimmering of an idea to practical implementation. Her subjects among them former Enron CEO Jeff Skilling discuss their success and failures in detail, explaining how they cultivate a state of consciousness conducive to fresh ideas.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Management consultant White begins by saying that organizations cannot teach employees to be creative. Rather, she says, organizations should seek out employees who are inherently creative. White uses the symbol H3 to represent innovative people who are "hot, hip, and happening." These individuals can look beyond current situations to see new patterns and opportunities. Based on over 100 interviews, her book cites numerous examples of creativity from companies like Capital One, Welch Foods, and Corning and from artistic innovators like composer Philip Glass, architect Frank Gehry, and musician Laurie Anderson. White achieves her goal of presenting an eclectic collection of ideas from H3 individuals and organizations, but her examples can be brief and her unifying themes difficult to pick out. She also says that this book is not intended to explain how to innovate or to describe the creative process something that might have been more useful. Recommended only for large business collections. Lawrence R. Maxted, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

"Filled with insight about the creative process and presented most engagingly." -- New York Times

"For all those interested in the mysteries of the creative process, this book is essential reading." -- Milton Glaser, founder, New York Magazine and Pushpin Studio

"If every businessperson read this book, the increase in our country's productivity would be astonishing." -- Seth Godin, author, Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Idea Virus, Survival is Not Enough, and contributing editor, Fast Company

"If you are searching for that elusive creative 'edge' where the best ideas are generated, don't miss this book." -- Michael Wolff, author, Burn Rate

"New Ideas about New Ideas [provides] eloquent insights into how our heads create the ideas that transform businesses and lives." -- Rick Levine, co-author, The Cluetrain Manifesto

"White brings an unusual perspective to questions about creative thinking." -- Baltimore Sun

"White shares the secrets of successful innovators, providing insight into the impact of creativity and innovation on business success." -- Tom Purves, Chairman & CEO, BMW of North America, LLC

"White's book presents diverse perspectives on the driving forces behind the most creative companies today." -- Michael L. Williams, Manager of Quality and Business Excellence, The Dow Chemical Company

"White's extremely insightful and very readable book describes the best of creative thinking and innovative pursuits in business today." -- Dr. Carol A. Cooper, Director, Value Management, Bayer Corporation

"[A] wonderfully insightful blend of art and business, music and management, architecture and organization. Definitely fun to read." -- Stan Davis, author, Lessons From the Future and Blur

Shira P. White is President of SPWI, a leading innovation management and new-product-development consulting firm. An accomplished painter and writer, she has served as an instructor at the Pratt Institute and lecturer at NYU's Stern Graduate School of Business and the School of Visual Arts. She lives in New York City.