文档介绍：BEST OF HBR
1985
The Discipline
of Innovation
by Peter F. Drucker
How much of innovation is inspiration, and how much is hard work? If it's mainly
the former, then management's role is limited: Hire the right people, and get out
of their way. If it's largely the latter, management must play a more vigorous role:
Establish the right roles and processes, set clear goals and relevant measures, and
t review progress at every step. Peter Drucker, with the masterly
—^^ subtlety that is his trademark, comes down somewhere in the
middle. Yes, he writes in this article, innovation is real work,
and it can and should be managed like any other corporate function. But that
doesn't mean it's the same as other business activities. Indeed, innovation is the
work of knowing rather than doing.
Drucker argues that most innovative business e from methodically
analyzing seven areas of opportunity, some of which lie within •
panies or industries and some of which lie in broader social or demographic
trends. Astute managers will ensure that anizations maintain a clear
focus on all seven. But analysis will take you only so far. Once you've identified
an attractive opportunity, you still need a leap of imagination to arrive at the
right response-call it "functional inspiration."
In business, innovation DESPITE much discussion these days