Author, Charting Change and Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire
“The question of how to effectively develop innovative business models with linkage to strategy innovation has remained unsolved – both in theory and in practice. This is one of the few books that unites the three components of strategy, business model innovations, as well as creativity techniques, by providing useful methods for corporate entrepreneurs.”
“Sniukas, Lee, and Morasky provide a powerful framework that encourages and empowers readers to apply their own creativity to developing their growth strategy.”
The Art of Opportunity is filled with new ideas and information, but we couldn't fit everything into the book, so we've added more content, resources, and downloads on our site. Join the conversation, sign-up for updates, and learn more by visiting us at:
And as a special offer to The Art of Opportunity readers, we are offering a 50 percent discount on any package at the Business Model Gallery:
www.businessmodelgallery.com/aoo
Just enter the coupon code: AAO201650
Cover image: Matt Morasky
Copyright © 2016 by Marc Sniukas, Parker Lee, and Matt Morasky. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
Design: Bryan Zentz, Matt Morasky.
Illustration: Matt Morasky, Nathan Stang, Guonan, Elisa Gipson, Susanne LeBlanc, Graham Barey.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. For more information about Wiley products, visit our web site at www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Sniukas, Marc, author. | Lee, Parker, author. | Morasky, Matt, author.
Title: The art of opportunity: how to build growth and ventures through strategic innovation and visual thinking / by Marc Sniukas, Parker Lee,
Matt Morasky.
Description: Hoboken: Wiley, 2016. | Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016002292 | ISBN 978-1-119-15158-6 (pbk.) | ISBN 978-1-119-15160-9 (ePDF) | ISBN 978-1-119-15159-3 (ePub)
Subjects: LCSH: Business planning. | Technological innovations – Management. | Organizational change.
Classification: LCC HD30.28 .S615 2016 | DDC 658.4/012 – dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016002292
Dedication
To my wife for being patient with me and encouraging me to persist.
To my RFL and my family for unconditional love and support.
And to Aric, for helping me to fly.
To Bob and Sandy, whose support has never wavered, not once.
Foreword
When many of today's leaders joined the workforce, “innovation” was synonymous with research and development or process efficiencies – the hallmarks of traditional competitive advantage. Little did any of us know then, that in our lifetimes an entire occupational discipline would emerge to keep companies “innovative” or continuously inventive. Or that titles like “director of innovation” and “chief innovation officer” or even “chief imagination officer” would decorate corporate organization charts.
But it did. And for good reason. The relatively short span of time in which we've seen some of the titans of industry displaced by “innovative” start-ups put the entire business world on notice. And the message is clear: merely maintaining your position is no longer sufficient. New growth, the kind associated with genuine innovation, that will bring value to your customers, your business, and even the world around you is the only way to ensure survival.
This urgency is not only felt by those with the word “innovation” etched into their job titles, but from the top of the company to the bottom, we are now all corporate innovators. With all these people focused on the problem, we should have it solved, right? Well.. , no.
The problem is, finding and capitalizing on new growth opportunities is hard – especially for established organizations that are often hampered by outdated mindsets, legacy business models, or large-scale bureaucracies. Core competencies can morph into corporate rigidities if we're not strategically alert and careful. Under these types of circumstances, the ability to “think outside the box” and create new growth initiatives is difficult. But with increased urgency comes the need to find a new path to growth – one that isn't rocket science. What we need is a road map to help discover, catalyze, and curate opportunities to deliver real growth. That's what this book helps us do.
Marc, Parker, and Matt have authored a rich, compelling journey for anyone pursuing new growth. In the process of introducing new ways of thinking about growth strategy and strategic innovation such as noncustomers, essential customer needs, and the building blocks of business and revenue models, they also introduce us to new ways of working. Throughout the book visual thinking methodologies and other business