Who Influences Your Thinking?

The results are in from the recent survey about who influences your thinking. Some respondents chastised us for only looking at books and we admit we couldn’t figure out how to expand the list of candidates in a way that everyone might be meaningful to a broad audience. Also, of course, this survey is definitely skewed because the universe invited to respond was pretty much limited to the friends of the InnovationNetwork.

However, we were looking for general insights not science and here’s our biggest insight: in general, innovation books aren’t at the top of most “must read” lists. Even giants in the field of innovation such as Peter Senge, Tom Peters, Clay Christensen and Peter Drucker rated high in the “haven’t read” category. It was the same for creativity writers: Edward deBono, Tony Buzan and Roger von Oech (who was the first business creativity writer to have a best seller) are still unread by a large percentage of the responders.

I’m trying to find the bottom line in this pile of data, so I’d love to have your thoughts about what this might mean –

1. Are people getting most of their information from other sources (magazines, conferences, training sessions, blogs, websites, and so on)?

2. Do we need other ways to provide important information to people?

3. Or, perhaps people already have all the information they need and these subjects are saturated? What do you think?

Attached is a spreadsheet Download thinker_influence.xls summarizing the data and you can see the details at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/Report.asp?U=77478371281

Comments

[John Hunter]

> 1. ...from other sources...
That would be my guess. Similar to the phenomenon of "the long tail" See: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html
Also they (we) are just failing to get all we should.

> 2. ...other ways...
Yes.

> 3. ...perhaps people already have all the information they need...

I don't think think so, which is why I think the answer to question 2 is yes. People need to use the ideas of deBono, Senge, Hamel, Rodin... It is not that there ideas would not help, they would.

The book model of transferring information is great. But still, is not close to sufficient. Many other ways of learning and support for applying new ideas are available but they also are lacking (for someone who believes, like I do that we are failing to apply all sorts of good knowledge that would help us if we would apply it). Some of those ways are: hearing someone like Senge speak, reading various blogs, reading magazines, working with others on how to apply some of the ideas in your organization, applying the ideas and learning from that application, talking to colleagues trying similar things in other organizations, videos, listening to recorded lectures, interactive computer models, exercises (learning experiences), argument, coaching from a consultant...

I don't have any great new idea on "other ways." My believe is we do need to do a much better job of using the knowledge that is available. So what we are doing is not sufficient. And since I don't have some great new idea all I am left with is do a better job of the the things that do work to some extent. Maybe with that people will find great new ways that will provide an easier path for those that follow.

[fekreno group]

hello

thanks for your writing

fekreno group

[fekreno group]

hello

thanks for your writining

fekreno group