Innovation Abyss - The Book

Attention, Innovation Professionals!

 

Prolific Innovator Dr. Chris DeArmitt Shows You Why Innovation

Fails and How You Can Succeed

You’ve tried reading books and articles but they don’t help. Why? Because the books are by business school professors and other pretenders who have never done any innovation. They don’t know the real barriers that you and I face every day. That’s why innovation success rate has not improved in the last 40 years.

I set out to write about the real problems and how they can be addressed. I took notes for years and then started writing, after a gentle nudge from my wife. As I started to write down my experiences and views, I went looking to see if there was any hard evidence to support them. I was shocked by what I found. It turns out that the answers are already out there with hard data to support them. Here’s a hint about what you will learn.

»   Hear why the tools you use now are your enemy

»   Learn how your company kills innovation from within

»   See why the best ideas come from outside your organization

»   Discover proven methods for cheaper and ultra effective innovation

I can read your mind!

Here are the three questions I would be asking in your shoes.

»  Is this guy really such an expert?

»  Does he really have proof for these claims?

»  Will he be able to teach me how to do do it?

If you work for a company like Exxon, P&G, HP, Total, Eastman, Ascend, Invista, Celanese, Americhem, Omya, Imerys, J M Huber or any other major plastics or minerals companies, then you or your colleagues have probably heard of me already. I’ve spent the last 25 years innovating, making new plastics, chemicals, additives, cosmetic ingredients, smart materials and more.

I’ve won several awards and have brought many new products to market but I’ve also spent decades watching all the innovation mistakes happen and that’s how I found the answers. I can now reveal those answers and the proof to back it up.

I’m an award winning presenter with around 50 articles, patents, book chapters and encyclopedia chapters but I can say that this is the work I am most passionate about. I’ve spent years seeing the same mistakes over and over again. Now, finally, we have the tools to make some progress!

What’s it Worth?

How much is mediocrity costing you and your company? Innovation success is incredibly low. It takes 3000 raw ideas to produce just one profitable new product launch. Normally companies have a very low success rate and waste fortunes on fruitless R&D efforts. That’s the Innovation Abyss in action. What if there was a better way? It turns out that you can halve your R&D spending and still get more profitable products launched!

Contents

IDEAS
Introduction
Idea Creation
Seek the 7th Sigma
Open Innovation
Stars of the Big Screen
The Apple Core

PROJECTS
Introduction
More Haste, Less Waste
Stage Gate Means Long Wait
Across the Border
Risk and Reward

THE COMPANY
Introduction
HR: Human Resources or Holiday Resort?
From the Top
Size Matters
The Danger of Safety

CONCLUSIONS

AFTERWORD
Being an Innovator in a Large Corporation

What will you get?

Here is just some of what’s inside with real examples and proven methods to get results that are far, far better than you ever imagined.

»   Think Stage Gate works? Think again!

»   Quickly identify the special type of person that gives 10x better profitability

»   Discover how your internal functions are destroying results

»   Finally see quantitative proof that open innovation pays

»   Understand why large companies cannot innovate

Praise for Innovation Abyss

This book is an essential reference for anyone interested in how Innovation really happens. It explains the balanced role of free- and out-of-the-box thinkers, creative mavericks and visionary leaders who lead their people instead of managing them. You will find loads of great examples, thought provoking ideas and the book is full of helpful insights.”

Rob Kirschbaum CEO, SakuragiConsult & former VP Innovation at DSM

“I thought that Chris’ ideas and opinions were clear and his complaints well-founded. Reading Innovation Abyss felt more like sitting down at the pub to discuss work challenges with a friend as opposed to the more analytical or inspirational content commonly seen today. Innovation Abyss is a quick read, but full of helpful feedback to take into consideration.” 

Amelia Johannsen – InnovationManagement.se

“Dr. DeArmitt has written an engaging, thoughtful, and provocative book about innovation.  He has drawn on his extensive personal experience at companies both large and small, recent research, and many other innovators’ experiences.  The result is a framework of how companies actually operate in practice today, how that often hampers instead of helps innovation, and a set of suggestions and practical recommendations useable by individuals up to company directors.” 

Micah Yairi, Co-Founder and CTO, Tactus Technology

“Chris DeArmitt enjoyably relates his adventures as a true innovator in a substantially automated world. He identifies all those structures and procedures we have installed that prevent progress from happening: it is a call for all of us working in any position in a larger organization to get our targets straight. Reading this book will make you laugh and cry. It invites you to start thinking and may even make you act…if you dare…like Chris.”

Professor Gerrit Luinstra, University of Hamburg

“Really packed with useful information – with sufficient references to sources, personal and honest  – plus useful advice and conclusions, it should be on the Christmas book list of anyone serious about getting results from innovation.”

Martin Whitcroft, Solutions Architect, Motorola Solutions

INTERESTED?

More Praise for Innovation Abyss

“I just finished reading this book on a flight back from Asia, and it was so engaging that I couldn’t put it down. Chris’s insights on the innovation process, and the corporate hurdles to producing new products, was right on the mark. As someone who has spent his career working for both small and large companies in the US, and who has had to work around these obstacles to invent new products, I can attest to the validity of his arguments. I give this book two thumbs up!

Philip Jacoby, Founder Jacoby Polymer Consulting LLC

“Chris is one of the most technically adept and innovative people that I have met. He is not only an idea machine, but also has the proven ability to turn ideas into products. He has a multidisciplinary understanding of markets and is able to drive product development. With his years of international experience it seems as if he knows everyone in the business. He is a very outgoing and fun person who always has a great rapport with colleagues and customers. I gained a lot from working with him.”

Mike Carr, Co-Founder Hybrid Plastics Inc.

“Read the book. Thought it did a thorough jobs of showing how foolish even the largest organizations can be. “

Ken Rockwell, www.kenrockwell.com

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