Product review (5 stars): Becoming more innovative by opening yourself to conversations with "strangers"
I have enjoyed Dr. Alan Gregerman's weekly blog ([...] and two previous books since taking an innovation class with Alan over a decade ago.  He opened my eyes to seeing the world in a fresh way and also taught me structured techniques that I can use to increase the creative problem solving skills of teams and individuals.

Alan untangles the difference between invention and innovation and makes it much easier to see that 99%+ of innovation is adaption of proven inventions borrowed from other industries, disciplines, contexts, and cultures.

His previous book, Surrounded by Geniuses, is excellent.  It is a great mix of ideas and memorable examples of his insights in action.

His newest book, The Necessity of Strangers, builds on that previous body of knowledge and delves further into a critical dimension of his innovation research about the power of making connections outside of one's group to discover alternative approaches to addressing a challenge.  The book is full of excellent examples of individuals and organizations tackling challenges by seeking ideas and insights from "strangers".  Alan borrows heavily from personal experience which enriches the storytelling aspect that makes his writing so accessible.

If you have not seen Alan teaching his ideas or present to an audience, I would highly recommend it.  He has been a featured speaker at a solution architect leadership development program at our firm.  He recently presented the ideas from The Necessity of Strangers to a large audience of executives at our firm that left people talking, engaged, and energized.

I highly recommend his books and Alan's live presentations.