The 2008 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards - Innovation & Creativity

Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently
by Gregory Berns (Harvard Business Press, October 2008)

What is an iconoclast? "A person who does something that others say can't be done." Gregory Berns researched iconclasts and found that their brains function differently from the average person in three respects: perception, fear response and social intelligence. "Flawed perception, fear of failure, and the inability to persuade others" keep us from being as creative as we could be. Berns shows us how to overcome each of these barriers or, at the very least, understand iconoclasts.

The Innovator's Guide to Growth: Putting Disruptive Innovation to Work
by Scott D. Anthony, Mark W. Johnson, Joseph V. Sinfield & Elizabeth J. Altman (Harvard Business Press, July 2008)

Clayton Christensen has said that to be innovative, companies must incorporate disruptive innovation. That means creating a standard language for communicating about innovation and understanding that each innovation must be treated differently. Christensen's four colleagues carry on his theories with this detailed guide for how companies can build a language of, and process for, innovation and grow as a result

Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company
by Robert Brunner & Stewart Emery with Russ Hall (FT Press, August 2008)

Design has long been an afterthought to company strategies. But it's the companies that embrace design that succeed (think Apple). Design is incorporated in every step along the way, making for an unforgettable experience that's user-friendly and genuine. That experience is what makes customers swoon for a company's product or service, and, ultimately, guarantees that a company matters.

Big Ideas to Big Results: Remake and Recharge Your Company, Fast
by Michael T. Kanazawa & Robert H. Miles (FT Press, February 2008)

Organizations are expected to innovative more than ever before. The first step of innovation is the creation of ideas; the follow-up step is putting those ideas into action. Often, putting ideas into motion can seem more complicated than is necessary. Michael Kanazawa and Robert Miles give readers a simple process for taking their big ideas and turning them into big results.