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How Stella Saved the Farm: A Tale About Making Innovation Happen
How Stella Saved the Farm is a simple parable about making innovation happen, written by the authors of the New York Times bestselling Reverse Innovation : Create Far From Home, Win Everywhere, Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble.
This story resonates in organizations of all types―public sector, private sector, and social sector, from mammoth corporations to small organizations employing just a few dozen people.
The parable is about a farm in trouble. Bankruptcy, or the grim prospect of being acquired by a hostile competitor, threaten. The farm succeeds only if the team pulls together and innovates.
The main characters in the story―Stella, Deirdre, Bull, Mav, Einstein, Rambo, Maisie, and Andrea―are all like people you know, maybe even yourself. The tale includes an unexpected leadership challenge, an ambitious call to action, a bold idea, countless internal obstacles and conflicts, fears, joys, triumphs, and even a love interest.
It's a story that can be enjoyed by anyone. How Stella Saved the Farm delivers eight simple lessons to guide innovation initiatives to success. It prepares business leaders to avoid some of innovation's most toxic myths, teaches how to build the right kind of team, and shows how to learn quickly from experience.
This story resonates in organizations of all types―public sector, private sector, and social sector, from mammoth corporations to small organizations employing just a few dozen people.
The parable is about a farm in trouble. Bankruptcy, or the grim prospect of being acquired by a hostile competitor, threaten. The farm succeeds only if the team pulls together and innovates.
The main characters in the story―Stella, Deirdre, Bull, Mav, Einstein, Rambo, Maisie, and Andrea―are all like people you know, maybe even yourself. The tale includes an unexpected leadership challenge, an ambitious call to action, a bold idea, countless internal obstacles and conflicts, fears, joys, triumphs, and even a love interest.
It's a story that can be enjoyed by anyone. How Stella Saved the Farm delivers eight simple lessons to guide innovation initiatives to success. It prepares business leaders to avoid some of innovation's most toxic myths, teaches how to build the right kind of team, and shows how to learn quickly from experience.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2011
71 people are currently reading
881 people want to read
About the author
Vijay Govindarajan
42 books62 followersVijay Govinadrajan is the Earl C. Daum 1924 Professor of International Business at the Tuck School at Dartmouth's Center for Global Leadership.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
June 7, 2018
Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble are business rockstars. They have enormous amounts of street cred, having spent over a decade researching how companies successfully innovate. They have, by and large, put quantitative metrics to a system that, by its very nature, defies quantification. Their watershed book, The Other Side of Innovation, is full of well-documented efforts, internally sound conclusions and traceable thought processes. It's a blueprint for folding explosive innovation into your business.
Which makes it all the more disturbing they thought How Stella Saved the Farm would be a good idea. Full of racism, ageism, and misandry, this work of fiction promotes a "wishing will make it so" approach to innovation. At a 180 degree about-face from their prior work, one wonders if this effort wasn’t ghostwritten.
As the author(s) take great pains to point out in the preface, the book is marketed as an illustrated fable. This is a teaching aid, and the book's language and storytelling pattern are consistent with this premise. Because this is a fable, you must keep in mind the attributed subtext this simplistic style depends on in order to illustrate its point. Also, bear in mind that as a fable there are no wasted words or descriptions. In a "short, wise tale," everything must have meaning in order to highlight the fable's moral. Whether it's the story of the Greedy Monkey, or The Frog and the Scorpion, these tales resonate from the assumed context, as much as from the tale itself.
And, it's the assumed context, these attributed "teaching points," that I take the most issue with. Be advised, the remaining review contains spoilers.
Who is the innovator?
Stella - the fresh out of college, just back from world-saving walkabout. The individual in this tale with the most sense of entitlement and the least amount of real-world business knowledge. She has this great idea for getting her boyfriend over to the states...uh..saving the farm.
Who is the barrier to innovation?
Bull - Faster. Stronger. More Efficient - The individual with the most amount of real-world business knowledge and with the greatest amount of cultural experience. He knows the farm. He reacts violently to disappointment, abusing his fellow employees and threatening to leave if he doesn't get his way. He is a bully. He feels he is owed his due. His behavior is condoned and worked around.
Lessons to be learned?
1. Only young people can innovate.
2. Long-term employees will obstruct innovation. Their hard work must be marginalized and they must be isolated, and if possible ignored.
3. Hard work is bad. It will not solve the issue.
4. Confrontation is bad. Unacceptable behavior is to be ignored until it goes away.
-----
Who are the heroes?
The animals, they are better at farming and therefore have a natural right to a farm.
Who are the villains?
The humans, they have machines (which pollute, and pollution is bad). They are more efficient, which makes their farms bigger and more fiscally successful, but somehow they are just not as intrinsically good.
Lessoned to be learned?
People who strive for financial success are bad because they are selfish.
-----
Who is the chief villain?
Farmer McGillicuddy - what do we know about him? He's Irish. As a stereotypical Irish farmer, that makes him white. He's constantly driving around in his big red tractor, clearly compensating for something. He is successful (which is bad, because he isn't "family" oriented - due to his swallowing up of family farms). Deirdre is terrified of him, to the point of using one of her dreams about him as vilification. "Selling the farm-especially to McGillicuddy- was unthinkable." At that point, the only thing he had done was visit Deirdre.
Lesson to be learned?
Being successful is bad. Privilege equals meanness. Wealth is unearned because acquiring it is unfair.
-----
What is the pattern for innovative success?
Decide on a plan. Have a party celebrating deciding on the plan. Draw up an org chart so you know just where you sit in the company under the new plan. Deal with day-to-day business. Execute whatever part of the plan you can in the remaining time, and with the remaining resources.
Lesson to be learned?
Celebrate creation, because execution rarely occurs.
-----
Who leads the innovation?
Maverick - Young, full of himself, ignores established business practices, has no experience.
Lesson to be learned?
Young people are not only the only ones that can innovate, they are the only ones that can lead innovation.
-----
Who is the most (un)believable character?
Maisie - Holstein cow, the farm's top milk producer. But, she doesn't want the job she was hired for. She has a passion, but no training, for design, so Deirdre puts her in design. She's rather key to the success of the "the-silver-bullet-project-to-save-the-farm" and she hasn't a clue what's she's doing; it’s only been her hobby. She fails. Instead of putting her back to work in the diary, where she excelled, Deirdre not only doesn't replace Maisie's lost capacity, despite being in dire financial straits, she shoehorns Maisie into a position where she'll do the least amount of damage. The position kinda smells like design, so it's okay.
Lesson to be learned?
Style trumps substance, particularly if tears are involved.
-----
Who is the most unrealistically depicted character?
Bull - After spending years building the farm, his efforts are marginalized, his ideas ridiculed, and his leadership abandoned. Who do you know that wouldn't jump at a better job offer after that? Bull, after being a first class pain in the butt, suddenly showed his saintly side for a plan he never professed belief in before, for a farm that clearly acted as if they didn't need him anymore.
Who is the most realistically depicted character?
McGillicuddy - Despite the great effort at portraying him as a mustache-twirling villain, that very portrayal underscores a savvy businessman, continuing to present fair, and more than fair offers for the farm, despite its decline. He's the only character that acts in accordance with growing a business.
Biggest SJW flaw?
Unfortunately, this work has a bad case of "The Simpsons" Syndrome. Like pretty much any primetime television show, the caretakers, and leaders of the family, Deirdre, and Stella are female. The "idiot children," Bull and McGillicuddy, are male. This reinforces the stereotype that males are not capable of complex thinking, but rather distinguish themselves by exhibiting outbursts of stupidity, violence, selfishness, and greed.
But wait, what about Einstein?
In a truly deus ex machina moment, Einstein sudden appears and poof! Everything's gravy. This was confusing on a couple of levels. Had Einstein been so disconnected from the day-to-day workings of the farm (including the all-hands meeting and celebratory party) that he was unaware of the potential issues? He seems to have an automatic grasp of the problems and provides immediate solutions. His name indicates that he was clearly the smartest individual on the farm. Despite that, he isn't consulted until the reader is over 75 percent through the story? This has the distinct feel of "...and a wizard walked by." Also troubling, this would make it Einstein's story. He is the white knight, making Deirdre and Stella damsels in distress. Fortunately (?), this is mitigated through Einstein's use as an oracle only, in vending machine fashion --- put in your request, get your answer. As a character, Einstein could have also been named Wesley Crusher.
Who saves the farm?
Literary device. It's the only way the farm could be saved. The author(s) wished it so. Everything Deirdre did worsen the situation. The "miracle of wool" happened to justify the final act.
-----
How do you deal with someone you disagree with?
We've covered isolating, marginalizing, and ignoring; but if those efforts will not work, as the case with McGillicuddy, then ridiculing and, eventually, spitting on him is perfectly acceptable.
Lessons to be learned?
1. When dealing with people you disagree with, no act of revulsion is too much.
2. When dealing with lackwits, just wait and buy it at auction. Acts of kindness will only get you covered in loogies. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
-----
When this work was first released, I thought I'd just missed the boat on the story; that I just didn't "get" it. In an effort to understand, I read some of the initial reviews. They were all positive. Not one critical review in the bunch. Really, not one critical review? Was I the only guy that thought this book was a huge mistake? Well, it wouldn't be the first time that I have been wrong, but it would be the first time that I was the only one wrong. Usually, I have loads of company.
Which makes it all the more disturbing they thought How Stella Saved the Farm would be a good idea. Full of racism, ageism, and misandry, this work of fiction promotes a "wishing will make it so" approach to innovation. At a 180 degree about-face from their prior work, one wonders if this effort wasn’t ghostwritten.
As the author(s) take great pains to point out in the preface, the book is marketed as an illustrated fable. This is a teaching aid, and the book's language and storytelling pattern are consistent with this premise. Because this is a fable, you must keep in mind the attributed subtext this simplistic style depends on in order to illustrate its point. Also, bear in mind that as a fable there are no wasted words or descriptions. In a "short, wise tale," everything must have meaning in order to highlight the fable's moral. Whether it's the story of the Greedy Monkey, or The Frog and the Scorpion, these tales resonate from the assumed context, as much as from the tale itself.
And, it's the assumed context, these attributed "teaching points," that I take the most issue with. Be advised, the remaining review contains spoilers.
Who is the innovator?
Stella - the fresh out of college, just back from world-saving walkabout. The individual in this tale with the most sense of entitlement and the least amount of real-world business knowledge. She has this great idea for getting her boyfriend over to the states...uh..saving the farm.
Who is the barrier to innovation?
Bull - Faster. Stronger. More Efficient - The individual with the most amount of real-world business knowledge and with the greatest amount of cultural experience. He knows the farm. He reacts violently to disappointment, abusing his fellow employees and threatening to leave if he doesn't get his way. He is a bully. He feels he is owed his due. His behavior is condoned and worked around.
Lessons to be learned?
1. Only young people can innovate.
2. Long-term employees will obstruct innovation. Their hard work must be marginalized and they must be isolated, and if possible ignored.
3. Hard work is bad. It will not solve the issue.
4. Confrontation is bad. Unacceptable behavior is to be ignored until it goes away.
-----
Who are the heroes?
The animals, they are better at farming and therefore have a natural right to a farm.
Who are the villains?
The humans, they have machines (which pollute, and pollution is bad). They are more efficient, which makes their farms bigger and more fiscally successful, but somehow they are just not as intrinsically good.
Lessoned to be learned?
People who strive for financial success are bad because they are selfish.
-----
Who is the chief villain?
Farmer McGillicuddy - what do we know about him? He's Irish. As a stereotypical Irish farmer, that makes him white. He's constantly driving around in his big red tractor, clearly compensating for something. He is successful (which is bad, because he isn't "family" oriented - due to his swallowing up of family farms). Deirdre is terrified of him, to the point of using one of her dreams about him as vilification. "Selling the farm-especially to McGillicuddy- was unthinkable." At that point, the only thing he had done was visit Deirdre.
Lesson to be learned?
Being successful is bad. Privilege equals meanness. Wealth is unearned because acquiring it is unfair.
-----
What is the pattern for innovative success?
Decide on a plan. Have a party celebrating deciding on the plan. Draw up an org chart so you know just where you sit in the company under the new plan. Deal with day-to-day business. Execute whatever part of the plan you can in the remaining time, and with the remaining resources.
Lesson to be learned?
Celebrate creation, because execution rarely occurs.
-----
Who leads the innovation?
Maverick - Young, full of himself, ignores established business practices, has no experience.
Lesson to be learned?
Young people are not only the only ones that can innovate, they are the only ones that can lead innovation.
-----
Who is the most (un)believable character?
Maisie - Holstein cow, the farm's top milk producer. But, she doesn't want the job she was hired for. She has a passion, but no training, for design, so Deirdre puts her in design. She's rather key to the success of the "the-silver-bullet-project-to-save-the-farm" and she hasn't a clue what's she's doing; it’s only been her hobby. She fails. Instead of putting her back to work in the diary, where she excelled, Deirdre not only doesn't replace Maisie's lost capacity, despite being in dire financial straits, she shoehorns Maisie into a position where she'll do the least amount of damage. The position kinda smells like design, so it's okay.
Lesson to be learned?
Style trumps substance, particularly if tears are involved.
-----
Who is the most unrealistically depicted character?
Bull - After spending years building the farm, his efforts are marginalized, his ideas ridiculed, and his leadership abandoned. Who do you know that wouldn't jump at a better job offer after that? Bull, after being a first class pain in the butt, suddenly showed his saintly side for a plan he never professed belief in before, for a farm that clearly acted as if they didn't need him anymore.
Who is the most realistically depicted character?
McGillicuddy - Despite the great effort at portraying him as a mustache-twirling villain, that very portrayal underscores a savvy businessman, continuing to present fair, and more than fair offers for the farm, despite its decline. He's the only character that acts in accordance with growing a business.
Biggest SJW flaw?
Unfortunately, this work has a bad case of "The Simpsons" Syndrome. Like pretty much any primetime television show, the caretakers, and leaders of the family, Deirdre, and Stella are female. The "idiot children," Bull and McGillicuddy, are male. This reinforces the stereotype that males are not capable of complex thinking, but rather distinguish themselves by exhibiting outbursts of stupidity, violence, selfishness, and greed.
But wait, what about Einstein?
In a truly deus ex machina moment, Einstein sudden appears and poof! Everything's gravy. This was confusing on a couple of levels. Had Einstein been so disconnected from the day-to-day workings of the farm (including the all-hands meeting and celebratory party) that he was unaware of the potential issues? He seems to have an automatic grasp of the problems and provides immediate solutions. His name indicates that he was clearly the smartest individual on the farm. Despite that, he isn't consulted until the reader is over 75 percent through the story? This has the distinct feel of "...and a wizard walked by." Also troubling, this would make it Einstein's story. He is the white knight, making Deirdre and Stella damsels in distress. Fortunately (?), this is mitigated through Einstein's use as an oracle only, in vending machine fashion --- put in your request, get your answer. As a character, Einstein could have also been named Wesley Crusher.
Who saves the farm?
Literary device. It's the only way the farm could be saved. The author(s) wished it so. Everything Deirdre did worsen the situation. The "miracle of wool" happened to justify the final act.
-----
How do you deal with someone you disagree with?
We've covered isolating, marginalizing, and ignoring; but if those efforts will not work, as the case with McGillicuddy, then ridiculing and, eventually, spitting on him is perfectly acceptable.
Lessons to be learned?
1. When dealing with people you disagree with, no act of revulsion is too much.
2. When dealing with lackwits, just wait and buy it at auction. Acts of kindness will only get you covered in loogies. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
-----
When this work was first released, I thought I'd just missed the boat on the story; that I just didn't "get" it. In an effort to understand, I read some of the initial reviews. They were all positive. Not one critical review in the bunch. Really, not one critical review? Was I the only guy that thought this book was a huge mistake? Well, it wouldn't be the first time that I have been wrong, but it would be the first time that I was the only one wrong. Usually, I have loads of company.
March 17, 2013
A short, simple read that you can finish in a day if one is not too busy. It is helpful for young business people like me who has no educational background in running a business but have been asked by their folks to carry on the business which they have began. It doesn't really tell you the details and bulk of intensive business management/ development but it has provided an overview of the basic elements enough to understand where to begin with in making your kind of business thrive. The book itself says "innovation" inspired me to intentionally think of creative ways to run our family business and make it grow further.
February 21, 2024
This was required reading for a work retreat. 5 stars to the audiobook voice actor for all of the animal voices
April 8, 2013
I won a free copy of “How Stella Saved the Farm” as a first-reads giveaway.
This short, 160 page novella is about the future of an animal run farm after the boss decides to retire. It addresses issues of innovation, leadership, and organizational change. It’s slightly less boring than a text book but not what I would consider fun or light reading.
I would agree with another reviewer that this book is best read/discussed as a group. It’s probably best suited for high school or college students. However, if someone is interested in running a business or potentially being a senior level corporate executive someday than this book could provide good food for thought.
This short, 160 page novella is about the future of an animal run farm after the boss decides to retire. It addresses issues of innovation, leadership, and organizational change. It’s slightly less boring than a text book but not what I would consider fun or light reading.
I would agree with another reviewer that this book is best read/discussed as a group. It’s probably best suited for high school or college students. However, if someone is interested in running a business or potentially being a senior level corporate executive someday than this book could provide good food for thought.
September 12, 2017
A very good case study on innovation.
Amazing book was recommended to me by my boss. Amazing case study on innovation. Want my entire team to go through this. A must read who wants to feel how innovation time feels till the graph shows an up tick.
Amazing book was recommended to me by my boss. Amazing case study on innovation. Want my entire team to go through this. A must read who wants to feel how innovation time feels till the graph shows an up tick.
October 21, 2017
A case study retold as an amazing journey of perceverence
Dont be deceived by the title. There's a lot that can be learnt from this book on how to deal with change and innovation. A good translation of a case study into a story of pereceverence in the face of failure.
Dont be deceived by the title. There's a lot that can be learnt from this book on how to deal with change and innovation. A good translation of a case study into a story of pereceverence in the face of failure.
January 21, 2018
How Stella saved the farm is a short fascinating fable inspired by the George Orwell classic, ‘Animal Farm’ and John Kotter’s ‘Our Iceberg is melting’. It illustrates an impressive way of not just thinking about innovation, but also implementing it. In its simplicity, lies its sheer brilliance like the rarest of things and thus it cannot be equated with multitudes of books describing innovation frameworks, treatise and the like which are available. In today’s world, most organizations, big and small understand the relevance of this ten-letter word “Innovation”. If we think about any innovative idea we tried, and want to know exactly why it failed, the book can provide concrete answers beyond the reasons we have told ourselves and others when it did not work.
So, when we work on launching a new idea, product or innovation and think through implementation, we can ask ourselves these questions more often during the innovation process to make it a success: -
Is our idea breakthrough? Are we making something that customer wants? Do we have the right team structure? Are we communicating enough and well? Are we learning from experiment? Are we measuring innovation in the right way?
Maybe what we encounter and assume to be a fault with the idea, is more the fault with our execution. The essence is to not get lost in every obstacle, and remember the big picture while analyzing right measures suited to nurture innovation.
So, when we work on launching a new idea, product or innovation and think through implementation, we can ask ourselves these questions more often during the innovation process to make it a success: -
Is our idea breakthrough? Are we making something that customer wants? Do we have the right team structure? Are we communicating enough and well? Are we learning from experiment? Are we measuring innovation in the right way?
Maybe what we encounter and assume to be a fault with the idea, is more the fault with our execution. The essence is to not get lost in every obstacle, and remember the big picture while analyzing right measures suited to nurture innovation.
December 26, 2020
This book follows a fairly popular format for business books, taking something is complicated and boiling it down into a chiildren's book story-ish, bite-sized chunk of "wisdom." In this case, it is way too cutesy and formulaic for me. The "wisdom?" Oh, just empower your people, and they will be loyal and devote all their energies and creative talents to make the business sing. That works, right? That's the secret! Ridiculous.
I've managed people for 30 years and I've run my own business for the past 15. Only in children's stories does it work so simply. I found this book unbearably simplistic for what is about the most complicated mystery: how to motivate and inspire staff. It's not as easy as quickly identifying each staff member's hidden talents and putting them in a position where they will just be loyal and happy and the business prospers. People leave. People want the title of a position even it if isn't their best talent. People who have a hidden talent that you can actually discover may not want to do that thing, or at least not indefinitely. They want compensated more than the farm can sustain. They get ticked off when the daughter of the owner gets to take over the business because "she's the most qualified" in the eyes of the old patriarch who passes over his loyal operations manager. Yeesh. Insufferable and unhelpful for people actually in business.
I've managed people for 30 years and I've run my own business for the past 15. Only in children's stories does it work so simply. I found this book unbearably simplistic for what is about the most complicated mystery: how to motivate and inspire staff. It's not as easy as quickly identifying each staff member's hidden talents and putting them in a position where they will just be loyal and happy and the business prospers. People leave. People want the title of a position even it if isn't their best talent. People who have a hidden talent that you can actually discover may not want to do that thing, or at least not indefinitely. They want compensated more than the farm can sustain. They get ticked off when the daughter of the owner gets to take over the business because "she's the most qualified" in the eyes of the old patriarch who passes over his loyal operations manager. Yeesh. Insufferable and unhelpful for people actually in business.
August 15, 2019
This is a very short parable about innovation in business.
Diedre takes over the animal-run farm from her father. She must win over those who were passed over for the job, save the farm from buyout by McGillicuddy, and lead a successful innovation initiative before time runs out on the farm.
I must now write a paper for my EMBA class, making an argument whether it was really Stella who saved the farm. No spoilers...
Ha. I originally rated this book 3-stars. As I was writing my paper and reflecting on the lessons learned in the book, I found myself thinking I needed to give it to my partners to read, which meant the lessons were better and easier to grasp than I previously considered. Updated to 4-stars. :-D
Diedre takes over the animal-run farm from her father. She must win over those who were passed over for the job, save the farm from buyout by McGillicuddy, and lead a successful innovation initiative before time runs out on the farm.
I must now write a paper for my EMBA class, making an argument whether it was really Stella who saved the farm. No spoilers...
Ha. I originally rated this book 3-stars. As I was writing my paper and reflecting on the lessons learned in the book, I found myself thinking I needed to give it to my partners to read, which meant the lessons were better and easier to grasp than I previously considered. Updated to 4-stars. :-D
August 15, 2017
Impressive light read - about the challenges faced by a company when they try to alter their business model forced by the shift of the ways of the world. This highlights another important challenge of using youngsters in mix of their enthusiasm/ fresh ideas and yet deal with their inexperience and im-maturity. The stage boasts of a farm managed by animals competing with human farms - the strategy & execution when they try to get into a new line of business: Peru based premium clothing line. Sounds different. Indeed yes. High on creativity with a cross country love story at the heart of the change.
July 30, 2018
It was a cute fable, and I think some of the reviews here are too harsh. My chief complaint is that the authors don't make it clear who they think saved the farm... and a reader looking at this without guidance might get the wrong ideas (which is what I think happened with some of the reviews here).
Anyone who has been in an organization during a downturn, change, merger, etc., will be able to identify and relate to situations and characters.
Easy read. Took 2 hours - and I consider myself a slow reader.
Anyone who has been in an organization during a downturn, change, merger, etc., will be able to identify and relate to situations and characters.
Easy read. Took 2 hours - and I consider myself a slow reader.
May 9, 2024
This book is more an analogy for how businesses move into new product lines. Albeit it harkens back to Animal Farm it is not nearly so dark nor ominous. A lot of the story is what we see all too often. Seems to me we see this type of innovation crippling behavior all too often and we do not see the enabling activities outlined and instead the project fails and the company just moves on the the next big thing. From inception to growing pains to profitability there is a lot to Glen from this one.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
September 30, 2021
Leadership book concepts as a Fable seems perfect if I was given this during my high school. It's a nice way of showcasing possible conflicts with a focus on innovation across the organization. My favorite chapter was how to evaluate innovation leaders for a new project? Overall the book already had a lot of things which I had learnt/ read about. But it would be a great read for someone still in high school or college.
December 6, 2025
Excellent and entertaining book on innovation in the workplace. The biggest takeaways were managing team dynamics during change and how changes can be done from a top down perspective.
It shows the struggles between core business vs innovation efforts through fun animals and how they run their farm. It covers issues such as limited resources, outsourcing and ops changes.
A must read for all industry leaders, especially during times of an M&A and major innovation upgrades.
It shows the struggles between core business vs innovation efforts through fun animals and how they run their farm. It covers issues such as limited resources, outsourcing and ops changes.
A must read for all industry leaders, especially during times of an M&A and major innovation upgrades.
May 7, 2017
Great book on innovation. This is 3 to 4 hour read with insightful lessons on how to make innovation happen in a company. I recommend this book for all leaders to read and understand better. The way of explaining lessons through fables is innovative. I am impressed and thanks to Vijay Govindarajan for writing this wonderful book
August 4, 2018
The story is relatable to what we sometimes experience in the workplace. It talks about how difficult innovation can be and goes through tools for making innovation happen. Govindarajan and Trimble did a good job in making the story light while making you think at the same time. I enjoyed reading this book!
February 14, 2020
Amazing! With great lesson!
I really love stories and learning something new. This book has both! It has a funny story, easy to read and good advices to make an innovation team. Also you can find some advices about teamwork, business innovation experiment and other things that you can face with when you want to make a change in a business.
I really love stories and learning something new. This book has both! It has a funny story, easy to read and good advices to make an innovation team. Also you can find some advices about teamwork, business innovation experiment and other things that you can face with when you want to make a change in a business.
April 27, 2018
This fable provides valuable lessons in a context that will be familiar to those whose business has gone through the difficult process of adding a new product line to an established business. I have, and the pitfalls and suggested paths in this book are spot-on
November 6, 2019
I feel like yhis yries to be like some of the other business parables (one minute manager, the phoenix project, etc) but tries to be too cute about it. Theres some good information, and maybe bringa you around to lean and validated learning in a whimsical way.
February 27, 2021
This was a cute story with takeaway lessons about innovation.
I wouldn't say I took anything away from this that I didn't already know, but it was a fun format to deliver some of the messages. Certainly cheesy at times, but it did what it set out to do, I suppose.
I wouldn't say I took anything away from this that I didn't already know, but it was a fun format to deliver some of the messages. Certainly cheesy at times, but it did what it set out to do, I suppose.
July 9, 2021
This book is a business parable about innovation, management, and human resources. The story is straight-forward and could easily be used as a full-class discussion, debate, etc. in any management or entrepreneurship class.
March 3, 2018
A nice allegorical tale that has lots of relevance to innovation in current corporate America.
March 12, 2018
An original, easy and powerful picture of what innovation is, what it brings and how to make it an helpful tool.
December 25, 2018
Una fabula muy bien escrita con lecciones clave para la innovación corporativa. Funciona bien como preludio de "Three box solution" del mismo Govindarajan.
April 28, 2019
It is what it claims to be - a modern day fable with corporate morals. Simple and to the point but doesn't do anything beyond that.
November 24, 2019
Meh! This was a quick read. Not a lot of fluff and business terms, but conveys the basics of business innovation.
February 16, 2020
Awesome !
A terrific way of explain how to run a innovation area . The business experiment culture is one of the biggest learnings that I obtained from this great tale.
A terrific way of explain how to run a innovation area . The business experiment culture is one of the biggest learnings that I obtained from this great tale.
February 20, 2020
Business explained in a light manner covering innovation, teaming, operations and all aspects. The small number of pages makes it a quick read.
February 29, 2020
A nice little fable on change management that brings out the key aspects of what makes a change initiative successful, or not.
December 27, 2020
Useful / quick read
Useful reminder of thinking in a different way.... I enjoyed the novel / fictional format and the use of metaphor...
Useful reminder of thinking in a different way.... I enjoyed the novel / fictional format and the use of metaphor...
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