The Ten Faces of Innovation

The Ten Faces of Innovation – Tom Kelley

At IDEO, one of the world’s most celebrated design and innovation firms, great ideas come from teams of people who bring different perspectives and skills to the table. In The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO’s Strategies for Defeating the Devil’s Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization, Tom Kelley, general manager of IDEO, written with Jonathan Littman, describes the roles that people can play to help organizations innovate.

Kelley argues that the devil’s advocate, the person who always finds reasons why a new idea will not work, can stifle creativity. To counter this, he identifies ten personas that can foster innovation. The learning personas, the Anthropologist, the Experimenter and the Cross-Pollinator, help teams gather new insights and ideas. The organizing personas, the Hurdler, the Collaborator and the Director, help move ideas through organizations. The building personas, the Experience Architect, the Set Designer, the Caregiver and the Storyteller, help bring innovations to life.

For each persona, Kelley explains what it contributes, how it works in practice and how individuals and teams can develop these capabilities, with examples drawn from IDEO’s work with leading companies and from other innovative organizations.

Written in a lively, accessible style, the book is full of stories, tips and inspiration.

Practical and energizing, The Ten Faces of Innovation is a valuable resource for managers, designers, entrepreneurs and teams who want to build a culture of creativity and innovation in their organizations.