The Innovation Journey

Andrew H. Van de Ven and his co-authors published probably the best book out there on the Innovation 'process'. It has been based on real business cases that have been 'generalized' with thorough academic rigour (which most of the books on the subject lack of). To top it off, it is written with great simplicity which just shows the level of understanding the authors have on the subject. If you want to read just one book on the topic, this is probably the one.

Andrew H. Van de Ven and his co-authors, quite an innovative crew, have crafted a thorough academic model of the corporate innovation process. The authors use a river rafting trip analogy for the innovation journey, where uncharted, challenging territory demands leadership and cooperation. The river metaphor is good to keep in mind here, because the subject matter gets a little dry. The team found that common factors exist in every quest for innovation, and constructed a cohesive model for innovators. The material - resulting from 17 years of research at the University of Minnesota's Minnesota Innovation Research Foundation (MIRP) - is truly exhaustive, detailed and academic. Because of this, a reader with no background in innovation theory might find it somewhat arcane. We [...] recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the complex process of corporate innovation.