The Innovation Approach - by David C Roach (Hardcover)

About the Book

Revisiting the fundamentals of innovation by considering the strengths and weaknesses of Design Thinking and the Lean Startup, expert David C. Roach focuses on innovation management and emphasizes the importance of managing the front-end of innovation, where critical decisions are made and concepts are shaped.

Book Synopsis

Innovation and entrepreneurship have always had a strong and synergistic relationship. While Design Thinking and the Lean Startup have emerged as popular methodologies for managing innovation and entrepreneurial endeavours, the time is ripe for a rethinking of the innovation approach by going back to core principles.

By considering the strengths and weaknesses of Design Thinking and the Lean Startup within their respective contexts, expert David C. Roach revisits the fundamentals of innovation management. Addressing the cultural gap between STEM and business perspectives, Roach emphasizes the importance of managing the front-end of innovation, where the most critical decisions are made, and concepts shaped. Demonstrating how Design Thinking's enthusiasm for observational research can be particularly useful, while the Lean Startup's passion for hypothesis-driven minimum viable product (MVP) testing is a clear strength, Roach argues that the success of innovation depends on a robust concept coupled with a realistic business model.

The Innovation Approach: Overcoming the Limitations of Design Thinking and the Lean Startup challenges the notion that brainstorming or constant pivoting can solve all problems. It demonstrates that when aspects of both these methodologies are embedded in a structurally sound innovation management approach, the results can be world-class.

Review Quotes

David Roach's The Innovation Approach: Overcoming the Limitations of Design Thinking and the Lean Startup addresses a critical challenge in product innovation: perfecting the front end of the innovation process. Roach introduces a robust approach that guides innovation towards creating robust product concepts that are desirable, feasible, and viable. His model presents a novel, well-constructed iterative process, each cycle comprising four core activities: secondary research, benchmarking, primary research, and ideation. Each cycle in his model is meticulously detailed, combining the strengths of Design Thinking and Lean Startup methodologies while skillfully avoiding their common pitfalls. Clear, insightful, and engaging, this book is not only an enjoyable read but also an indispensable resource for managers in product and service innovation. A must-read for those seeking to drive successful innovation in their organizations.

About the Author

David C. Roach is Associate Professor within the Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University, Canada. In addition to sitting on the Board of Directors and acting in an advisory capacity for enterprises in Canada, he is also Co-founder, President and CEO of DMF Medical Incorporated, a MedTech company focused on making anesthesia safer.