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The Imagination Machine: How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company's Future
A guide for mining the imagination to find powerful new ways to succeed.
We need imagination now more than ever—to find new opportunities, rethink our businesses, and discover paths to growth. Yet too many companies have lost their ability to imagine. What is this mysterious capacity? How does imagination work? And how can organizations keep it alive and harness it in a systematic way?
The Imagination Machine answers these questions and more. Drawing on the experience and insights of CEOs across several industries, as well as lessons from neuroscience, computer science, psychology, and philosophy, Martin Reeves of Boston Consulting Group's Henderson Institute and Jack Fuller, an expert in neuroscience, provide a fascinating look into the mechanics of imagination and lay out a process for creating ideas and bringing them to
The How to open yourself up to surprisesThe How to generate new ideas The How to rethink your idea based on real-world feedbackThe How to spread an evolving idea to othersThe New How to turn your novel idea into an accepted realityThe How to repeat the process—again and again.
Imagination is one of the least understood but most crucial ingredients of success. It's what makes the difference between an incremental change and the kinds of pivots and paradigm shifts that are essential to transformation—especially during a crisis.
The Imagination Machine is the guide you need to demystify and operationalize this powerful human capacity, to inject new life into your company, and to head into unknown territory with the right tools at your disposal.
We need imagination now more than ever—to find new opportunities, rethink our businesses, and discover paths to growth. Yet too many companies have lost their ability to imagine. What is this mysterious capacity? How does imagination work? And how can organizations keep it alive and harness it in a systematic way?
The Imagination Machine answers these questions and more. Drawing on the experience and insights of CEOs across several industries, as well as lessons from neuroscience, computer science, psychology, and philosophy, Martin Reeves of Boston Consulting Group's Henderson Institute and Jack Fuller, an expert in neuroscience, provide a fascinating look into the mechanics of imagination and lay out a process for creating ideas and bringing them to
The How to open yourself up to surprisesThe How to generate new ideas The How to rethink your idea based on real-world feedbackThe How to spread an evolving idea to othersThe New How to turn your novel idea into an accepted realityThe How to repeat the process—again and again.
Imagination is one of the least understood but most crucial ingredients of success. It's what makes the difference between an incremental change and the kinds of pivots and paradigm shifts that are essential to transformation—especially during a crisis.
The Imagination Machine is the guide you need to demystify and operationalize this powerful human capacity, to inject new life into your company, and to head into unknown territory with the right tools at your disposal.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
375 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 8, 2021
53 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 16, 2025
You know I went into this thinking it was BCG propoganda (it is, and you can ignore the sycophantic reviews by BCG acolytes here on goodreads), and I was very disconcerted by the haphazard, disorganised, messy, unclear format of the book.
But you know what, it was pretty cool.
I wanted structures to help innovate, get an idea on paper, and find product-market fit and I think I found those things in the first half of the book.
It's not a revolutionary philosophy, and it's not an all time great book, but it was pretty good and really exceeded my low expectations.
I've left the second half (on org structures and tweaking companies) for a time when that feels more relevant.
The book could be much more clearly signposted, laid out and structured. The chapters are barely labelled and have this odd blue column with lots of text at the beginning that isn't immediately obvious as a chapter heading. The 30 cm wide sideways layout is truly awful. Even worse, some pages have special insert sections that take up the top 4/5ths of both pages so the normal text is just 2 or 3 lines at the bottom. Whoever thought that was a good idea has lost the plot.
I wouldn't pay for it, but not bad.
But you know what, it was pretty cool.
I wanted structures to help innovate, get an idea on paper, and find product-market fit and I think I found those things in the first half of the book.
It's not a revolutionary philosophy, and it's not an all time great book, but it was pretty good and really exceeded my low expectations.
I've left the second half (on org structures and tweaking companies) for a time when that feels more relevant.
The book could be much more clearly signposted, laid out and structured. The chapters are barely labelled and have this odd blue column with lots of text at the beginning that isn't immediately obvious as a chapter heading. The 30 cm wide sideways layout is truly awful. Even worse, some pages have special insert sections that take up the top 4/5ths of both pages so the normal text is just 2 or 3 lines at the bottom. Whoever thought that was a good idea has lost the plot.
I wouldn't pay for it, but not bad.
February 28, 2021
Wow! I simply cant wait to start working on translating this. This is definitely a bestseller and a must read for every corporate leader. Amazing!
August 14, 2023
Well-distilled key foundations of imagination. I've especially enjoyed the spot-on descriptions of forces that reduce imagination capacity of an organization.
April 3, 2022
I received this book right after my job reviewing business books for a Wiley journal ended, but the title was so intriguing I read it anyway. I have had plenty of books cross my desk that promise new ways to spark imagination, but this one truly delivered. The material is presented in a light tone, but don't mistake that for fluff, it's packed with information and a pleasure to read. When I'm reading on my own time, I rarely bookmark or highlight anything—but I tabbed this one as I read anecdotes I wanted to share and other ideas I wanted to try. The authors also provide a terrific companion website that I was going to link to here, but I didn't want to spoil the book for you. This is a great resource for anyone, in any field, in need of a creativity boost.
March 2, 2022
I enjoyed this book, off the NSSI reading list. It was for businesses, but it’s techniques for thinking. Outside the box could definitely be used in my squadron. Some highlights:
Fun story about the evolution of the Lego to send the business in the direction I love
Make an idea that began as a surprise eventually become unsurprising
- Text free building instructions are key
Need less stimulus for imagination - wakeful rest. Office gardens, wellness rooms lol
Lego did this persist iterate and be continually open to surprise and use that to continue to improve
Not failing is not the same as succeeding
The entire company is a work in process. It belongs to employees who can contribute to its development
Protect the Mavericks
Fun story about the evolution of the Lego to send the business in the direction I love
Make an idea that began as a surprise eventually become unsurprising
- Text free building instructions are key
Need less stimulus for imagination - wakeful rest. Office gardens, wellness rooms lol
Lego did this persist iterate and be continually open to surprise and use that to continue to improve
Not failing is not the same as succeeding
The entire company is a work in process. It belongs to employees who can contribute to its development
Protect the Mavericks
August 15, 2021
Great book that goes way beyond the usual platitudes around innovation. Lots of tangible, research-driven advice on how to maximise the creative potential of both people and their organizations. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the book's illustrations (there's useful sketches on almost every page), the steady drip of humorous asides, and not least the various historical anecdotes the authors provide. You can feel that this book was written by people who think about more things than just P&L statements (although they think about those, too).
November 29, 2024
Very original and thought provoking messages for contemporary firms pondering their next "big" moves.
Highly structured, highly researched and illustrated in a quirky yet arresting manner. I will very likely be picking this book up multiple times per day and just randomly re-reading certain lessons and perspectives.
Definitely demonstrated some novel and non-linear thoughts about the topic.
Highly structured, highly researched and illustrated in a quirky yet arresting manner. I will very likely be picking this book up multiple times per day and just randomly re-reading certain lessons and perspectives.
Definitely demonstrated some novel and non-linear thoughts about the topic.
June 27, 2021
This book is simple awesome for opening new horizons for thinking over creativity and innovation! It is a great mix of learning experiences, great stories and practical tips to implement the new skills right away. It can be recommended for curious minds, entrepreneurs and C-level executives alike. I have read it in one go and couldn't stop reading till the final thought.
December 30, 2021
A book on how to foster an imaginative mindset. I really liked it. It's business oriented, so more relevant for company leaders, but there's still some generally relevant principles. I especially liked the main point that imagination is not about random individual inspiration but is something that can be fostered, and has to be done in a group. It offers super practical advice as well.
July 11, 2021
This book has wealth of insights on how to cultivate imaginative thinking in the minds of people in organizations. The organization as well as the illustrations in the book all help drive home the important points. It was fun to read for those who are interested in creativity of business people.
December 14, 2021
A practical and fun update to the old question, “how can we be more creative as a company?”
I’m proud to work at the sister branch of the BCG office that produced this book. BCGers are smart, creative, and personable—and Imagination Machine feels that way. Cynics begone.
I’m proud to work at the sister branch of the BCG office that produced this book. BCGers are smart, creative, and personable—and Imagination Machine feels that way. Cynics begone.
March 2, 2022
This book has a hopeful message about the future of work, with artificial intelligence taking over the mundane tasks while humans elevate their work time by creating and developing new ideas for products and services.
The authors cover topics well enough, but it’s not the most engaging read. The questions and games at the end of each unit are helpful and well-considered.
The authors cover topics well enough, but it’s not the most engaging read. The questions and games at the end of each unit are helpful and well-considered.
July 19, 2021
Great beginning, repetitive at the end
September 28, 2022
Qualifies as a must_read.
October 9, 2022
Nothing more than a BCG manifest with some trite case studies. Ok if you miss reading this one.
July 9, 2025
good book, with some inspiring ideas for project management and triggering creativity.
i found it engaging.
a few quotes and ideas i found interesting from the book:
“in this mindset, instead of looking for a binary response from the world, did the idea work or not, we’re looking for the world to disrupt the way we think. this mindset is valuable beauty of the complexity or the world. we often forget how little we know and how much the world has to teach us. the two mindsets are not mutually exclusive. we should look to validate and evolve at the same time. the danger comes when we forget to be open to surprise as we act in the world and fall into the habit of only seeking validation. when we are open to surprise, we set up a re-imagination loop, where action triggers surprise, rethinking, and further action, a continuous interplay between mind and world, which accelerates imagination .”
“immersion in a new social or geographical environment accelerates the development of mental models (…) when choosing an environment to spend time in, we should think about colliding our idea with extreme environments, going where the need for new things is the highest, or where the constraints are strongest”
what is an area i can explore to inspire/expand an idea?
by sharing an idea, you can get engagement on it, potentially expanding the idea, or get validation of it, or other types of feedback. shared mental models are important, so that others can relate to the idea, and be able to participate.
(about new ideas) “you need to understand that it is not hype, and will collapse”
company/product scripts (processes and protocols) should be clear, but also flexible, to permit the company/product’s evolution based on new ideas.
corporate scripts should be regularly assessed for relevance, and extended or amended if necessary.
AI can be used to support creativity, challenge or refine ideas, it has access to vast amount of information, with probabilistic correlations. it also offers the ability to adjust the deviation from probabilistically positive results, to potentially generate interesting responses.
“surprise is only surprising if it is perceived”
i found it engaging.
a few quotes and ideas i found interesting from the book:
“in this mindset, instead of looking for a binary response from the world, did the idea work or not, we’re looking for the world to disrupt the way we think. this mindset is valuable beauty of the complexity or the world. we often forget how little we know and how much the world has to teach us. the two mindsets are not mutually exclusive. we should look to validate and evolve at the same time. the danger comes when we forget to be open to surprise as we act in the world and fall into the habit of only seeking validation. when we are open to surprise, we set up a re-imagination loop, where action triggers surprise, rethinking, and further action, a continuous interplay between mind and world, which accelerates imagination .”
“immersion in a new social or geographical environment accelerates the development of mental models (…) when choosing an environment to spend time in, we should think about colliding our idea with extreme environments, going where the need for new things is the highest, or where the constraints are strongest”
what is an area i can explore to inspire/expand an idea?
by sharing an idea, you can get engagement on it, potentially expanding the idea, or get validation of it, or other types of feedback. shared mental models are important, so that others can relate to the idea, and be able to participate.
(about new ideas) “you need to understand that it is not hype, and will collapse”
company/product scripts (processes and protocols) should be clear, but also flexible, to permit the company/product’s evolution based on new ideas.
corporate scripts should be regularly assessed for relevance, and extended or amended if necessary.
AI can be used to support creativity, challenge or refine ideas, it has access to vast amount of information, with probabilistic correlations. it also offers the ability to adjust the deviation from probabilistically positive results, to potentially generate interesting responses.
“surprise is only surprising if it is perceived”
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews