Book Review: The Design of Business
Why Design Thinking Is The Next Competitive Advantage
By Roger Martin
Harvard Business Press
pp 191
If the goal of an entrepreneur is to create a business that grows and becomes a successful long-term business, then The Design of Business by Roger Martin is an essential read. There are companies that are creative, and there are companies that are efficient. Roger Martin argues that in an increasingly complex and competitive world, a company needs to integrate creativity and efficiency. Martin calls the successful integration of creativity and efficiency design thinking, and his book is a step-by-step assessment of how to encourage and develop both within the same company. The heart of design thinking balances the exploration of new knowledge with the exploitation of current knowledge to generate what he calls knowledge breakthroughs and create new value for companies. The book is the result of Martin’s extensive hands-on consulting work and his analysis of multiple case studies of companies, including Proctor and Gamble, Research in Motion, and Cirque de Soleil. These very different companies, a large consumer products company, an analytics firm, and a entertainment company, are united in their execution of design thinking.
Joseph Puggelli
A former management consultant in New York City, Joe Puggelli tackled tough business problems that other consultants were too scared to touch. The management consulting field allowed Mr. Puggelli to combine two of his greatest talents: He is a master observer of human patterns and connections and can find which patterns and connections relate directly to a company's bottom line, and he is skilled at breaking down complex problems into clear, concrete thoughts that clients can use to make themselves more successful.