The Power of Little Ideas
A Low-Risk, High-Reward Approach to Innovation
David Robertson and Kent Lineback
Just published: The Power of Little Ideas is available for purchase here on the Wharton Digital Press site in hardcover format and at all major book retailer sites in ebook and hardcover formats.
This distinctive approach has three key elements:
- It consists of creating a family of complementary innovations around a product or service, all of which work together to make that product more appealing and competitive.
- The complementary innovations work together as a system to carry out a single strategy or purpose.
- Crucially, unlike disruptive or radical innovation, innovating around a key product does not change the central product in any fundamental way.
In this powerful, practical book, Wharton professor David Robertson illustrates how many well-known companies, including CarMax, GoPro, LEGO, Gatorade, Disney, USAA, Novo Nordisk, and many others, used this approach to stave off competitive threats and achieve great success. He outlines the organizational practices that unintentionally torpedo this approach to innovation in many companies and shows how organizations can overcome those challenges.
Aimed at leaders seeking strategies for sustained innovation, and at the quickly growing numbers of managers involved with creating new products, The Power of Little Ideas provides a logical, organic, and enduring third way to innovate.
About the Authors
David Robertson
David Robertson joined the faculty of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2011. He is a Professor of Practice and teaches Innovation and Product Development in Wharton’s undergraduate, MBA, and executive education programs. For more on Robertson’s background, and to contact him for speaking and consulting engagements, visit www.robertsoninnovation.com. ... More
Kent Lineback
Kent Lineback has spent more than twenty-five years as a manager and executive and, before that, several years as a consultant and a creator of management development programs. He has collaborated on several books, including Being the Boss. ... More