Thinking in New Boxes

A New Paradigm for Business Creativity

De: Luc de Brabandere, Alan Iny

Narrado por: Alan Iny

When BIC, manufacturer of disposable ballpoint pens, wanted to grow, it looked for an idea beyond introducing new sizes and ink colors. Someone suggested lighters.

LIGHTERS?

With an idea that seemed crazy at first, that bright executive, instead of seeing BIC as a pen company—a business in the PEN “box”—figured out that there was growth to be found in the DISPOSABLE “box.” And he was right. Now there are disposable BIC lighters, razors, even phones. The company opened its door to a host of opportunities.

IT INVENTED A NEW BOX.

Your business can, too. And simply thinking “out of the box” is not the answer. True ingenuity needs structure, hard analysis, and bold brainstorming. It needs to start THINKING IN NEW BOXES —a revolutionary process for sustainable creativity from two strategic innovation experts from The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

To make sense of the world, we all rely on assumptions, on models—on what Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny call “boxes.” If we are unaware of our boxes, they can blind us to risks and opportunities.

This innovative book challenges everything you thought you knew about business creativity by breaking creativity down into five steps:

• Doubt everything. Challenge your current perspectives.

• Probe the possible. Explore options around you.

• Diverge. Generate many new and exciting ideas, even if they seem absurd.

• Converge. Evaluate and select the ideas that will drive breakthrough results.

• Reevaluate. Relentlessly. No idea is a good idea forever. And did we mention Reevaluate? Relentlessly.

Creativity is paramount if you are to thrive in a time of accelerating change. Replete with practical and potent creativity tools, and featuring fascinating case studies from BIC to Ford to Trader Joe’s, Thinking in New Boxes will help you and your company overcome missed opportunities and stay ahead of the curve.

This book isn’t a simpleminded checklist. This is Thinking in New Boxes. And it will be fun. (We promise.) Includes a bonus PDF of puzzles and images to kick-start your creativity

Praise for Thinking in New Boxes

“Excellent . . . While focusing on business creativity, the principles in this book apply anywhere change is needed and will be of interest to anyone seeking to reinvent herself.”—Blogcritics

“Thinking in New Boxes is a five-step guide that leverages the authors’ deep understanding of human nature to enable readers to overcome their limitations and both imagine and create their own futures. This book is a must-read for people living and working in today’s competitive environment.”—Ray O. Johnson, Ph.D., chief technology officer, Lockheed Martin

“Thinking In New Boxes discusses what I believe to be one of the fundamental shifts all companies/brands need to be thinking about: how to think creatively, in order to innovate and differentiate our brands. We need to thrive and lead in a world of accelerating change and this book challenges us to even greater creativity in our thinking. One of the best business books I’ve read in a long time.”—Jennifer Fox, CEO, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

©2013 Luc De Brabandere and Alan Iny (P)2013 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Thinking in New Boxes is a five-step guide that leverages the authors’ deep understanding of human nature to enable readers to overcome their limitations and both imagine and create their own futures. This book is a must-read for people living and working in today’s competitive environment.” (Ray O. Johnson, Ph.D., chief technology officer, Lockheed Martin)

“Thinking In New Boxes discusses what I believe to be one of the fundamental shifts all companies/brands need to be thinking about: how to think creatively, in order to innovate and differentiate our brands. We need to thrive and lead in a world of accelerating change and this book challenges us to even greater creativity in our thinking. One of the best business books I’ve read in a long time.” (Jennifer Fox, CEO, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts)

Insightful and Useful Contents

This book provides a how-to guide to approach a topic in new perspectives along with real life examples from current industries and businesses.

Too many visuals for audio

Would you try another book from Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny and/or Alan Iny?

Yes. The actual content of the book was fine, albeit rather simplistic. But there were some insights from time to time that were worth keeping.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I would have done something different about the visuals. There were more than 30 visual aides, which the narrator typically didn't even try to describe. As such, I found most of the story easy to follow, but feel like I'd need to buy the print book to get my money's worth.

What didn’t you like about Alan Iny’s performance?

His pronunciations were very distracting. Various words and phrases would sometimes require rewinding to try and decipher what he was saying, which is especially frustrating while driving or running, which is 99% of my Audible consumption.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Frustration. I was mainly frustrated by this book, simply because of how difficult it was to glean useful information. Many sections were repetitive or didn't relate to one another at all. Mostly still upset about how many visuals there were, though...

Any additional comments?

Don't. Buy. This. On. Audio.

I'm surprised Audible would allow a book this graphically intensive to be available for download.