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Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation
This myth-busting book shows large companies can construct a strategy, system, and culture of innovation that creates sustained growth. Every company wants to grow, and the most proven way is through innovation. The conventional wisdom is that only disruptive, nimble startups can innovate; once a business gets bigger and more complex corporate arteriosclerosis sets in. Gary Pisano's remarkable research conducted over three decades, and his extraordinary on-the ground experience with big companies and fast-growing ones that have moved beyond the start-up stage, provides new thinking about how the scale of bigger companies can be leveraged for advantage in innovation. He begins with the simply reality that bigger companies are, well, different. Demanding that they "be like Uber" is no more realistic than commanding your dog to speak French. Bigger companies are complex. They need to sustain revenue streams from existing businesses, and deal with Wall Street's demands. These organizations require a different set of management practices and approaches -- a discipline focused on the strategies, systems and culture for taking their companies to the next level. Big can be beautiful, but it requires creative construction by leaders to avoid the creative destruction that is all-too-often the fate of too many.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 15, 2019
114 people are currently reading
623 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 4, 2019
Since a while, there are a bunch of books out there on innovation, leadership and organizational development. Now Harvard Professor Gary Pisano adds another one to the shelf. However, we are once again getting a heavyweight in our hands that has the potential to change the way industry thinks and stands next to books like Clayton Christensen's "Innovators Dilemma" or Kotter's "Leading Change".
Pisano delivers the secret sauce to promote a kind of leadership in companies, that lead to creative construction. A state that a company, which wants to survive in the future, has to reach, but it's only possible through rigorous innovation. The book does not only give us the single elements, the traits, and steps to get there, no, Pisano proofs by numerous specific examples, the captivating logic of his theses. And it’s also about consistency, rigor and hard thinking, making pretty clear we’re not one a cakewalk.
He brings in the term „Creative Constructors“ to describe a special kind of innovator, which in any organization everybody could become. He proofs, your organization won’t be innovative and thrive without this special kind of people: "Creative constructive enterprises are not born, and they do not happen by accident. They are a product of leaders throughout an organization: Creative Constructors are organizational „system architects“.
As you can expect from a scientist everything bases on own observations, backed with acknowledged original sources, arguably open to being discussed and proven wrong. Creative Construction is for the shakers and movers of the 21. Century, but when innovation matters something to you and you’re prepared to deliver to this goal, this book is a MUST READ.
Pisano delivers the secret sauce to promote a kind of leadership in companies, that lead to creative construction. A state that a company, which wants to survive in the future, has to reach, but it's only possible through rigorous innovation. The book does not only give us the single elements, the traits, and steps to get there, no, Pisano proofs by numerous specific examples, the captivating logic of his theses. And it’s also about consistency, rigor and hard thinking, making pretty clear we’re not one a cakewalk.
He brings in the term „Creative Constructors“ to describe a special kind of innovator, which in any organization everybody could become. He proofs, your organization won’t be innovative and thrive without this special kind of people: "Creative constructive enterprises are not born, and they do not happen by accident. They are a product of leaders throughout an organization: Creative Constructors are organizational „system architects“.
As you can expect from a scientist everything bases on own observations, backed with acknowledged original sources, arguably open to being discussed and proven wrong. Creative Construction is for the shakers and movers of the 21. Century, but when innovation matters something to you and you’re prepared to deliver to this goal, this book is a MUST READ.
May 29, 2019
The myth that big incumbent companies can create transformative innovation. Is at the core of this excellent book. Pisano digs his own research and his colleagues from Harvard to propose three key aspects innovation strategy innovation system and innovation culture to be created and what he calls in congruence to balance routine innovation and transformative innovation in large companies.
This connects with my own thesis and work as I have been a proponent of an "Innovation system " to be established in our clients as well.
What we digress though is in the " How" part. Pisano has more of what these functions could be .. innovation strategy of 4 types divided on technology and business model axis, innovation system is on three key functions of search synthesis and selection and culture is on complex balancing of divergent values and behaviours through what is calls Creative constructive leadership.
The how to do that is not very clear in the book. Which is where we have the blueprint of setting up what we call the innovation system through a co crafting model.
Nevertheless this is one of the best and most flowing book on innovation that brush asides many expert opinions and methods .. including business model innovation and Canvas etc.
Transformative innovation is going to be the challenge for incumbent what I call 4th and 5th wave of innovation companies as creative destructions comes in the form of the sixth wave of innovation.
The incumbents will have to start doing creative construction as described in the book at a high level. But how to do it is the missing piece in the book. That is where we have the devil though.
Nevertheless a book that will potentially become a classic in my view.
This connects with my own thesis and work as I have been a proponent of an "Innovation system " to be established in our clients as well.
What we digress though is in the " How" part. Pisano has more of what these functions could be .. innovation strategy of 4 types divided on technology and business model axis, innovation system is on three key functions of search synthesis and selection and culture is on complex balancing of divergent values and behaviours through what is calls Creative constructive leadership.
The how to do that is not very clear in the book. Which is where we have the blueprint of setting up what we call the innovation system through a co crafting model.
Nevertheless this is one of the best and most flowing book on innovation that brush asides many expert opinions and methods .. including business model innovation and Canvas etc.
Transformative innovation is going to be the challenge for incumbent what I call 4th and 5th wave of innovation companies as creative destructions comes in the form of the sixth wave of innovation.
The incumbents will have to start doing creative construction as described in the book at a high level. But how to do it is the missing piece in the book. That is where we have the devil though.
Nevertheless a book that will potentially become a classic in my view.
August 16, 2020
Published in January 2019. A book primarily focused on corporate innovation (routine, disruptive, architectural, radical). Many golden nuggets for anyone needing to pivot. The world is in the middle of a pandemic. Social unrest and economic strife is everywhere. Uncertainty is upclose and personal. I have the hardback and digital versions of the book. I'm on my 3rd read capturing key concepts and frameworks to help me pivot in 2020. May Gary's book serve you like it has served me. Love and light! - Books Rule the World
December 14, 2019
The conventional wisdom is that only disruptive, nimble startups can innovate; once a business gets bigger and more complex corporate arteriosclerosis sets in. Big organizations require a different set of management practices and approaches—a discipline focused on the strategies, systems and culture for taking their companies to the next level
March 8, 2021
I read this for my masters program. It was a good tour particularly of questioning assumptions about where or when innovation can happen. It manages to present the content and supporting stories and examples without being repetitive. My biggest gripe was with some weird formatting decisions that sometimes made it hard to draw out the important content. All in all a good read.
July 26, 2020
Was a little underwhelmed by the book, quite superficial and too vague. Even though it is an interesting read it just summarizes a lot of the common innovation knowledge. Probably 4 stars if I wouldn’t have had higher expectations
February 1, 2021
Great book if you wanted to structure your thought process around innovation in your org. It breaks innovation into 4 categories.
Stresses on the absolutely necessary cultural + thinking shift needed to bring it about.
Stresses on the absolutely necessary cultural + thinking shift needed to bring it about.
November 17, 2021
Ok book in general, but with very descriptive approach, like reading crime story or smth similar. Many well-known examples, obvious ones often, would have loved to find smth more original. Maybe suits better for total newcomers on innovation field?
January 23, 2019
To be reviewed in the May-June issue of Global Business and Organizational Excellence.
March 23, 2019
All too iffy for me. Not sure that anyone can really implement these ideas, even if they make sense.
July 3, 2019
Content similar to blogs about innovation. Quite generic. Only first chapter was stimulating
December 21, 2019
Insightful book about how to stay relevant and innovative even if you are in a big corporation. A little dry in the middle but overall worth a read!
October 18, 2020
Great read
Highly recommended for those looking to reimagine their role or company in becoming more innovative and forward thinking. A must read!
Highly recommended for those looking to reimagine their role or company in becoming more innovative and forward thinking. A must read!
May 3, 2021
A well-written and insightful discussion of some of the foundational ingredients of innovation strategy.
August 30, 2021
I appreciated this a lot, some good insights here, even if the examples given are limited to a few industries and classic examples.
January 8, 2025
Läste för kneget. Intressant bok om hur man skapar och behåller en innovativ (framgångsrik) organisation
April 30, 2025
I had high hopes for this, being published in 2019, but it is a summary of the most popular business changes I sort of already knew about. Intel, Netflix to Blockbuster, iTunes to iPhone, Xerox, which I think is from the 2000s. Page 135 “could not bring pieces together” regarding separate divisions with their own budget. I wanted to know what that means. It categorizes 4 components, Routine, Radical, Disruptive and Architectural by matching them to major companies. It mentions bioengineered vegetables as 'radical.' Google offering an OS as disruptive. Architectural related to Polaroid/Kodak. page 167, “clear path for how hypothesis can be tested” this is one of the main objectives, but I didn't gather where is the framework how to make a clear path, which I think was mentioned in the book introduction.
Book title is misleading. With construction and DNA in the book title, I felt sold, expecting a clear DNA analogous component, a layout of materials for innovation, scaffolding, human processes, innate or however, for constructing innovation. Maybe the categorizations help, saying an innovation system is where problems are defined. Or things like, strategy is not a todo list. I picked up other things like: Use tools to drive questions, in addition to numerical comparisons. Use event driven resource allocation. Strategy is where you spend money and time. One page 99, said "all the usual types" where the books reads like this often. Nothing is spelled out. It's a big topic to cover, "So many companies fail to respond to disruptive threats," is another quote, but this part isn't examined in detail.
No More Throw Away People by Cohen writes a hypothesis and how he formulated it and tested it in making Time Dollars.
How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim: A Fable About Inspiring Creativity And Bringing New Ideas to Life by Jonathon A. Flaum, for how to position and integrate creativity and innovation. It talks more about how to apply it, more creativity, to a team.
Book title is misleading. With construction and DNA in the book title, I felt sold, expecting a clear DNA analogous component, a layout of materials for innovation, scaffolding, human processes, innate or however, for constructing innovation. Maybe the categorizations help, saying an innovation system is where problems are defined. Or things like, strategy is not a todo list. I picked up other things like: Use tools to drive questions, in addition to numerical comparisons. Use event driven resource allocation. Strategy is where you spend money and time. One page 99, said "all the usual types" where the books reads like this often. Nothing is spelled out. It's a big topic to cover, "So many companies fail to respond to disruptive threats," is another quote, but this part isn't examined in detail.
No More Throw Away People by Cohen writes a hypothesis and how he formulated it and tested it in making Time Dollars.
How the Paper Fish Learned to Swim: A Fable About Inspiring Creativity And Bringing New Ideas to Life by Jonathon A. Flaum, for how to position and integrate creativity and innovation. It talks more about how to apply it, more creativity, to a team.
March 2, 2019
Terrific primer for business leaders trying to build the innovation capability of their companies.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews