The Lean Startup Guide to Managing Innovation

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries is THE bible for entrepreneurs launching new products and new ventures. It’s also the essential guide for innovators in organisations wanting to crack the stranglehold of traditional management. Instead of getting things done, the Lean Startup philosophy shows you how to manage to create new things.

Who is Lean Startup For?

The original aim of Eric Ries’ book was for an entrepreneur to start a new private venture (a startup). However, it is equally important for anyone working within an organization to manage innovation. And projects in general (especially any change management project).

Ries defines a startup as “an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty”.

The key principle here is dealing with uncertainty. The changes caused by the recent pandemic have shown how uncertain the current business environment is. How do we manage this uncertainty and constant change? Using these principles helps.

It’s like going on a holiday to a foreign country. Yes, you can plan for what it will be like for things like the weather and the food. You can even read about the customs, the history and which side of the road they drive on. But you can’t plan for other things. For instance, how you might feel or what you might see that is not in your guidebook eg beggars in the street, rudeness or friendliness or the sensory overload of noisy and busy streets.

A Summary

In this slideshow from my Book Rapper book summary, you can absorb the essential ideas of the Lean Startup philosophy in a matter of minutes. Simply click on the slides to scan the book.

If you want to read more check out this post on the five principles of Lean Startup. It will frame the philosophy for you in a fast and simple way.