Inprint: Cats: The Nine Lives of Innovation June 11, 2009
By Jane Bozarth
While I am always skeptical of a book utilizing the cute animal (or dairy…) metaphor, I found this a surprisingly good read. Stephen Lundin, coauthor of the popular "Fish," uses the idea of cats to set up a model and practices for the effective individual innovator.
While there may not be much new here (innovation favors the prepared mind; you need to get out of your box; successful innovators embrace their mistakes), Lundin's writing style and suggestions put a fresh spin on much existing literature on creativity and innovation. Lots of quick bites and bulleted text make for engaging, inspiring reading: My favorite parts address the power of the thoughtless critic—including the one in your head—to kill your innovative idea, ideas for breaking out of boxes, and the conundrum of being normal: Our real need for routines and standard practices, alas, has made "normal" the "default position for the brain."
A couple of things in closing: First, I tend to think of "innovation" in terms of a product or tangible result. Lundin's use of the word "innovation" is closer to what I would call "creative thinking." There's not much on building and implementing a creative idea—turning it into a product or result—or getting others on board with it. Also, I'm sure a wave of "Cats" workshops soon will be upon us. Great, if organizations use them to help rather than punish. But take note of a lesson Whirlpool learned: After lots of time and money invested in "creativity training," it turned out the problem wasn't that employees weren't innovative, it was that company culture and processes were blocking it.
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