Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using Triz

If your business goals include increasing the returns on your innovation investments, I would strongly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation provides a clear overview of the business issues involved in a growth through innovation strategy. After the business issues of innovation are discussed, the tactical and strategic aspects of the highly effective TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) structured innovation methodology are covered. The book ends with a synthesis of the TRIZ method into a total performance excellence model. It is often said, "That of all the major functions of most companies, innovation has the most competitive value and is managed with the least discipline." In Insourcing Innovation, the authors present a structured innovation methodology to resolve this vital business issue. In the study of innovation, there is also evidence that financial commitment to R & D is no substitute for creativity, analysis, and disciplined management. The methodology in Insourcing Innovation presents a structure for managing creativity and analysis in pursuit of R & D and innovation gains. The book is divided into four parts. Part One presents the business benefits of having a structured innovation methodology. A framework for business excellence and the highlights of TRIZ are also covered. Part Two presents the specifics of tactical TRIZ. In this section, is a discussion of how Psychological Inertia prevents real innovation from taking place in organizations. In Part Two are several case examples of how TRIZ has been implemented at different organizations. This section ends with a detailed look at how TRIZ was used to solve a number of problems in the development of a self-heating beverage container. Part Three discusses the strategic aspects of structured innovation using TRIZ. The eight evolutionary forces defined under TRIZ are covered along with a strategic TRIZ methodology. The importance of using these forces in the creation of a technology roadmap is also covered. Part Four discusses how a structured approach to innovation fits within the framework of total performance excellence. A total performance model is presented that shows how tactical and strategic TRIZ would work within an organization's drive for operational and strategic leadership. The strength of the book is in demonstrating how TRIZ works and how a structured innovation methodology fits within a total performance excellence model. Just enough technical information is presented so that the reader will be comfortable with the process. Innovation is a skill you want as many people within your organization to understand and hopefully master. The examples presented in Insourcing Innovation provide a basic understanding of the type of skills and thinking required to implement both tactical and strategic TRIZ. One of the highlights of the book is the comparison tables of Business as Usual versus Business as Exceptional at the end

Insourcing Innovation puts things in perspective. It is a great book to help business people understand the importance of Structured Innovation. Once they understand the Structured Productivity and Structured Quality movements, the Structured Innovation movement will be clear to them. I have already converted several managers with the book. You can't teach TRIZ with a book, and that's not the goal of the book. Having said that, I will be using the book as a required text in my "Creativity and Innovation in Management" course (which is a required course for the Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation at the University of Malta - I am a Visiting Lecturer). There is enough TRIZ in the book that students will be able to use it as a reference book and refer back to the TRIZ information I cover in the course. Had the book been available in August, it would have been a required text this fall in my Management course "Creativity and Innovation" at Luther College, where I am a full-time Professor of Management.

I just finished reading the much anticipated book by Michael Slocum Insourcing Innovation.As a senior executive involved with Corporate Development I am focused on a daily basis with how to grow (mature)businesses. It seems that everyone understands why Innovation is critical to build a differential sustainable growth strategy but few,if any,have successfully tackled the key issue of how to do it on a systematic basis. Dr Slocum is one of the pioneers to succesfully undertake this tremendous challenge. Dr Slocum outlines a methodology that bridges the why & the how which is a critical leap forward. I saw Dr Slocum's work first hand with Sterno, a very mature brand with a dominant share of market . Using in part the TRIZ methodology we were able to develop a new flameless heat technology that will put Sterno on an accelerated and aggressive growth trajectory. The words of Dr Drucker do resonate: "The best way to predict the future is to create it" The book is clear in illustrating the potential of TRIZ and what it can do for systematic innovation. The book is very thorough with good examples as well . It is also obvious that the TRIZ methodology is so strong and that the topic of innovation so critical in business that this book is,I hope ,a first of several more books by Dr Slocum on this very dynamic and important yet complex topic. I believe that Dr Slocum's contribution to Innovation will be what Dr Harry did with Quality & Six Sigma. The next wave in Performance Excellence will be Systematic Innovation. I highly recommend this book and a cannot wait for sequel. Looking forward to INsourcing Innovation II Eric

Before I read this book, I thought it would be just another rehash of the innovation literature that has been around for awhile. The book outlines the TRIZ method for innovation, which actually has been around for awhile being used in secret by companies who have become known for innovation (Toyota, LG, BMW, Intel and NASA to name just a few). This guide takes the TRIZ methodology and breaks it down into clear digestable bits. I think it makes sense that one of its authors also wrote the book Six Sigma for Dummies. I would reccommend this book for anyone searching for the next big idea. Who knows? TRIZ may become the next Six Sigma, adopted by leading companies to keep ahead of the curve. This book makes it possible.