The Organization and Architecture of Innovation 1st (first) edition

by Thomas J. Allen

Excellent Book

Genres: Business

Paperback

First published October 19, 2006

About the author

Thomas J. Allen (1931- )

Reviews

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely extended essay on the interplay between formal organization, architecture and communication, and hence into innovation. Allen and Henn argue that there are 3 core types of communication: for coordination, for information, and for inspiration. Arguing that innovation is a fundamentally recombinant process, they stress that managers should consider designs that emphasize the possibility of happenstance communication for inspiration. The authors argue persuasively that many managers have neglected the possibility of using space and architecture as a way of shaping the possibility of interaction.

The essay is not without its limitations. It relies heavily on assertion, and I sometimes wondered how much data there was to support some often bold assertions. While the authors acknowledge a need to balance between communication (social) and concentration (individual) in the production of knowledge, they offer little guidance as to how one manages that mix, nor how one attempts to identify the right (or a better) mix. Still, these feel like quibbles. The core ideas are lucidly and beautifully developed, and strikingly provocative.

[John Barnard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly common sense, but need this kind of evidence-based reminder in the digital age when we think we are connected, but are not. Proximity and face to face still reigns supreme when meaningful connections are important.

[Alberto Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Professor Allen is as insightful as it gets. A very interesting book