| | |  | Scott Berkun | Home » » Innovation and Entrepreneurship | | | | | | | Description: | | Peter Drucker's classic book on innovation and entrepreneurship This is the first book to present innovation and entrepreneurship as a purposeful and systematic discipline that explains and analyzes the challenges and opportunities of America's new entrepreneurial economy. Superbly practical, Innovation and Entrepreneurship explains what established businesses, public service institutions, and new ventures need to know and do to succeed in today's economy. | | | Features: | |
• ISBN13: 9780060851132
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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| | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Peter F. Drucker | | Paperback:
| 288 pages | | Publisher:
| Harper Paperbacks | | Publication Date:
| May 01, 2006 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0060851139 | | Package Length:
| 7.8 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.7 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.35 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 10 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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5 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 No Thanks AmazonMay 03, 2009
Amazon suggested this book to me because I had purchased a couple of books on management. This is the first Peter Drucker book I've read and according to his bio on the back cover he is quite a management guru.
Two things tipped me off about this baby though, the first was that all the quotes of praise on the covers are about Peter as an author, not one of them mentioned this book. That's usually a tip off that the book you are about to read is a sub par knock off from an otherwise decent author. The Second tip off was that in the introduction he states "this is not a how to book". Why am I reading this again? That's right because I want to learn how to be more entrepreneurial. The fact that this isn't a how to means that I've got the wrong book.
I did pay my money and I'm was too lazy to return it to Amazon so I did the only practical thing and read it. The first parts where the history of entrepreneurship in the world and in American culture. It was a fascinating read to an extent but still it was like reading a business class textbook. That is if your business class textbooks ranted on about tax policy, preached woe to those who disagree with your ideas for business and also didn't go in depth enough with the case studies to allow you to try to duplicate them in a real business.
The most value I got from this book was the last chapter titled Conclusion. This was an essay that had some suggestions for government that I agree with (get rid of irrelevant agencies), a suggestion for tax policy that I disagree with (stop taxing people), and career advice for professionals to stay educated and stay flexible that by now should be self evident.
So Amazon, thanks for the suggestion but I'm picking my own books from now on.
 An entrepreneur classic.Apr 18, 2009
An entrepreneur classic. Tremendous insight from an innovative opportunity & entrepreneurial management standpoint. As always, I highly recommend all of Peter Drucker's books.
 Essential ReadingJan 04, 2009
Don't be fooled by the reviews of this book so far. This book is a must read for anyone developing products from technology to services. Unbelievable insight. The context is out of date as it was published just as the web was just starting to take off. But the book is still incredibly relevant.
This isn't just for technology companies, but as far as I am concerned, it should be required reading for all project managers.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Decent read - not a page turner but has great conceptsOct 23, 2008
Peter Drucker -the godfather of management science - has done a good job of creating a handbook that contains an excellent set of tools for any aspiring (or current) entrepreneur. This book contains tips for the existing business, start-ups, and non-profits; so there's something in it for everyone. The first part of the book describes Drucker's Seven Steps for Innovation - which provide a great template to use to analyze the environment in search of new business opportunities. Anyone who wants to strike out on their own (like myself) can definitely utilize these steps to help gain direction in their journey.
Admittedly, not a page turner but a good read for any business person who wants to advance their business or selves through innovation and entrepreneurship.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Innovation and EntrepreneurshipAug 16, 2008
Drucker always seemed to be years, if not decades, ahead of anyone in his field, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship was the first book to treat the subject in a systematic, non-sensational way. Drucker is clear that his book is not about the psychology or character of entrepreneurs. It is not the mysterious "invention", or `flash of genius' so often ascribed to the wealth creator that interests him, but actions and behaviour - how innovation and entrepreneurship can be boiled down to a system that can be applied by anyone. By 1914, the time World War I broke out, "invention" had become "research," a systematic, purposeful activity, which is planned and organized with high predictability both of the results aimed at and likely to be achieved. Something similar now has to be done with respect to innovation. Entrepreneurs will have to learn to practice systematic innovation.
Successful entrepreneurs do not wait until having a "bright idea"; they go to work. Altogether, they do not look for the "biggie," the innovation that will "revolutionize the industry," create a "billion-dollar business," or "make one rich overnight." Those entrepreneurs who start out with the idea that they'll make it big--and in a hurry--can be guaranteed failure. They are almost bound to do the wrong things. Drucker states that a management team should be already built before the business will grow mid-side; otherwise it would be too late. He gives the examples when the founders of Ford Motor and Honda Motor to not start the venture until they have found a reliable partner who will run administration, finance, distribution, marketing, sales, and personnel.
Drucker somewhat envisioned the I.T. bubble of 2001. Many new ventures, especially high-tech, fail because they ignore the basic principles that were known for centuries. He states that high-tech is not intrinsically risky. It is not riskier than any other business, if properly applied. Entrepreneurship is only risky, he observes, when so-called entrepreneurs `violate elementary and well-known rules.' It is not risky when it is systematic, managed, and purposeful.
Accroding to Drucker, Innovation does not have to be technical, does not indeed have to be a "thing" altogether. Wherever introduced, it changes the economy from supply-driven to demand-driven, regardless almost of the productive level of the economy. "Innovation," then, is an economic or social rather than a technical term. It can be defined as changing the yield of resources.
The book consists of three sections.
In the first section, Drucker describes seven sources of innovative opportunity: The Unexpected, Incongruities, Process Need, Industry and Market Structures, Demographics, Changes in Perception, and New Knowledge. He debunks the believe that innovation is "a bright idea" and maintains that dependable innovative ideas come from systematic exploration of the seven sources of innovative opportunity.
The second section covers entrepreneurship and especially the development of an entrepreneurial culture within an organization. Along with suggestions for things to do, there are a couple of suggestions of things that will probably fail such as buying an entrepreneurial company in order to help a non-entrepreneurial company change.
The third section covers four major entrepreneurial strategies ("fustest with the mostest", "hit them where they ain't", ecological niches, and changing values and characteristics) with a discussion of some derivatives of each strategy and a look at the advantages and pitfalls of each.
I highly recommend the book "The Effective Executive" by Peter Drucker, in addition to this book.
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