The Science of Serendipity: How to Unlock the Promise of Innovation

What if we tried something new? To innovate at scale, and do it over and over, is the great business challenge. To see through the fog, connect the dots, battle the machine and drive an idea to launch is the Holy Grail for the corporate innovator. Much of the innovation in big business appears to be a happy accident – born out of luck rather than planning. But ‘luck’ is the label of the onlooker. Corporate innovators know how to make their own luck – they force connections, try things out and never give up. This is The Science of Serendipity and to benefit from it takes determination, provocation, experimentation and political savvy.

Introduction 1 The Real Heroes of Innovation 1 The Protagonist 19 ‘Captain One Minute, Pirate the Next’: The qualities innovators need to succeed in a corporate environment. 2 The Quest for Provocation 49 The Deliberate Management of Inspiration: Tackling the unknown, finding new insights to solve old problems and challenging the status quo. 3 Making Ideas Real 89 The Innovator’s Favourite Weapon: A philosophy and approach for developing, validating and selling ideas. 4 Collision Course 133 Creating Space for Serendipity: How the physical environment can be used to promote innovation. 5 Battling the Corporate Machine 183 Navigating Naysayers and the Inevitable Organisational Barriers: How corporate innovators succeed. A Call to Arms 229 Thanks 233 Sources 235 Index 241

MATT KINGDON has been at the front line of innovation for more than 20 years. What If! , the company he co–founded, partners with the world’s most successful, forward–looking companies to galvanise innovation and deliver impact. In plain English, Kingdon tells the stories of companies grappling with innovation at scale, how they′ve succeeded or struggled, and what this can teach ambitious, frustrated corporate executives. " Bottom line: you are not alone and this is the practical guide for you. " John Kao , creator of Harvard Business School′s Innovation program & Chairman of the Global Advisory Council on Innovation of the World Economic Forum