Secrets of Successful Innovation (HBR Article Collection)

Gourmet jelly beans. Baseball fantasy camps. A film about a French rat who yearns to be a chef. These and other smash-hit products were all dreamed up in organizations focused on cooking up the Next Big Thing before rivals could. The secret behind such innovations? It's not just a penchant for creative thinking. Even the freshest idea isn't worth much unless consumers are hungry for it and you can transform the idea into a profitable offering. To meet these criteria, blend creativity with discipline. First, unleash your employees' creative powers by activating their thirst for a juicy challenge. Keys include giving them stretch assignments and allowing them to decide how to tackle tasks. But don't let people run amok--you'll end up with unmarketable ideas. Structure brainstorming sessions to include people with diverse thinking styles. And guide their creative thinking by posing concrete questions. For example, the query "What businesses could we invent if we reproduced something children love in an extreme form for adults?" sparked the creation of Rollerblades and the Spider-Man movies. Season creativity with discipline, and you get a feast of great ideas you can transform into profitable reality.