The Innovation Paradox: The Success of Failure, the Failure of Success

Richard Farson and Ralph Keyes are unique thinkers whose refreshing insights and reflections on how we live our lives - what we bring to our workplaces and relationships -are paradoxically simple and complex. On page 129 they caution about "learning how not to be shattered by the humiliation of failure or unnerved by the stress of success," a running theme. They see the two, failure and success, as two sides of the same coin. The primary focus of The Innovation Paradox is on business but the lessons transcend management and leadership in the workplace. For example, you will be fascinated to read on page 45 that "it's unlikely our friendship will survive a friend's triumph." This slim 129 page book is one that you will dog ear and come back to time and again. You will find yourself alternately scratching your head (huh?), nodding in knowing agreement (aha!), and getting angry (agghh); and having a lot of fun along the way. I highly recommend this book that delivers uncomfortable truths, knowing wisdom and uncommon common sense.

I was first drawn to this book when I was writing a college research paper on the topic of "Success". This book is extremely intersting in that it documents exellent, real-world examples of how failure leads to success (as well as the paradox, how too much success can/will lead to failure).I found this book to be a quick and easy read that caused me to question our societal norms and values in the subjects of success and failure.On another note, I think that this book can be particularly useful to people who are perfectionists or who are stressed out about their need to succeed in whatever they are doing. This book helps to demonstrate that succeeding in everything is not always the route to being "successful" in the long run, and that playing it safe can end up costing you later on.Thus, if you have any interest in the subjects of success/failure, economics, business, psycology or really any other topic...I would recommend this book. Definately glad I read it. Helped me to "succeed" in my paper about success.

This book makes a good case for not making a big distinction between success and failure; that mistakes are a necessary part of the learning process; and that managing risk and fear - and acting in spite of them - is fundamental to truly fulfill the life of individuals and companies. The book is quite short and very easy to read.

I purchased this bomb on the premise that Farson has been a highly respected analyst of social issues, former Dean of my school and one of the original wise men. This premise is outdated and reads like a turn-of-the-century treatise for junior business majors.

The following is my positive review of The Innovation Paradox, by Farson and Keyes. The book actually didn't become interesting until 40 pages in. I nearly gave up on it. Plotting through, giving the benefit of the doubt, paid off by revealing some cunning management insight concerning innovation. I also enjoyed their take on winning and success: that you can't achieve it by focusing on it. There is room for debate on the issue, but they defend their point well.Let's have the meat! Littered throughout the book were small tokens of management insight. It makes me want to read their management book actually. Nevertheless, Farson and Keyes don't have a full grasp of innovation. According to them, all that's needed is a risk friendly, mistake absorbing management philosophy. They don't address the issues of upward and downward mobility. Without that understanding, taking the risk and enter a new market could seem foolish, and most likely be done in a way that would lead to disaster. A dry, but much more insightful read on the subject is  The Innovator's Dilemma .So what tokens of management insight could be had? Let me quote from page 88. The following text deals with allowing mistakes in hope of fostering innovation. Not the best way to learn, I know. They are criteria for determining if mistakes are excusable, or not. * Did the employee design this project contentiously or was it carelessly organized? * Could the failure have been prevented if necessary research or consultation had been accomplishes properly? * Was the project conducted in a spirit of collaboration, or did the employee ignore the input from the others who could have helped , or fail to check with colleagues who should have been informed? * Did the project fail because it was burdened by requirements that weren't germane to the actual goal, but served only to meet personal needs of the employee? * We there clear instances of deception with respect to projections of risk, cost, time, and son, or were variations from projections the results of honest mistakes? * Was the mistake in question committed repeatedly?Another section of seldom expressed reading describes how early success ( high school ) doesn't dictate success later in life. In fact the opposite is sometimes true. Having difficulty at this age either defeats you, or sows a seed of determination. It's the early success stories, the Heisman trophy winners and such, that feel a sense of entitlement, and therefore simply try less. They pointed to a study of young people performing a task: The group that was complimented more didn't perform as well as the group that wasn't. The simple managerial deduction was to be genuinely interested in an employees laudable actions rather than throwing out complements.It was neat to hear their take on public education. It's purpose is to reward the non-risk takers, and weed out the risky. That helps explain why C's were hard to come by for me, but running a business is a hoot.This 100 page read was worth my time, easily.

If I had seen that Tom Peters wrote "I'm furious with Richard Farson and Ralph Keyes! They've written the book I always wanted to write" I wouldn't have bothered to buy this book. This is very much in the Peters style, just a little less breathless?! And minus the IRRITATING punctuation!!The Innovation Paradox is a 130 page B4 size series of statements supported by examples. It wears thin by page 30. "The Agony of victory, the thrill of defeat" "Nothing succeeds like failure" "Management by calamity" "Nothing fails like success" "Treat success and failure alike" etc etc.It boils down to this: 1. Circumstances will change. 2. What made things a success or a failure with change. 3. Keep trying.Farson and Keyes are two consultants who know how to game the system. They got me.

This book was referenced quite a lot, that's why I got it. Most of the stuff I found common sense.

Among "management of the absurd" here we have another great book, short and direct to the point, with distilled gems of wisdom about reality and its absurdities and surprises. It is a book you will surely read again some time after and find new meaning out of the same text.

Qu'est ce qui fait un succès, qu'est ce qui fait un échec? Ce livre nous montre que les gens qui réussissent sont ceux qui acceptent d'échouer beaucoup et vite! Un ouvrage stimulant, qui se lit assez vite. Je le recommande à toute personne amenée à manager un projet en équipe.