Creating an Imagination Machine In an era of technological upheaval and declining global growth rates, organizations need to harness the power of imagination in business. Imagination Can Unlock Key Management Priorities—Such as Business Transformation and Growth Most leaders agree that imagination in business is crucial for success. But they struggle to cultivate this capability. Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller have demystified this curious, transformational capacity in the BCG Henderson Institute’s new book, The Imagination Machine: How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company’s Future. In their view, imagination gives companies the ability to see and create valuable possibilities that do not yet exist—and to build new businesses around them. Imagination Is an Infinite Corporate Resource Every great company was founded on an act of imagination—an idea that went against conventional wisdom at the time. But many companies have lost the ability to imagine. How can organizations reignite imagination and keep it alive systematically? Play Video Is Your Organization Imaginative? The BCG Henderson Institute has developed a survey to assess organizations’ capacity for imagination. Answer just seven questions to discover whether your organization is imaginative and has the capability to move from imagination to innovation. TAKE THE IMAGINATION SURVEY If you did not rate your organization highly, you are not alone. Fewer than one-third of respondents are confident of their organizations’ ability to harness imagination. The Challenges an Imaginative Organization Can Conquer Recovering from Crisis Learn how to build resilience systematically Reimagining Work Combine the best of human and machine cognition Discovering New Paths to Growth Engage in innovation strategy, product innovation, and business model innovation Thriving amid Disruption Equip leaders and employees with the inspiration, tools, and agency to move from imagination to innovation Tackling Environmental and Societal Challenges Develop new and sustainable approaches Responding to Fast-Changing Business Environments Anticipate and capitalize on new opportunities through reimagination, reinvention, and rejuvenation The Napkin Gallery Explore an immersive virtual gallery celebrating founding acts of imagination by business leaders and inventors like Leonardo Da Vinci, Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney, Erno Rubik, and others. Let the messiness of their early-stage thinking and subsequent dedication to working their ideas serve as inspiration for innovation in business. LEARN MORE Connect with the Imagination Team Book an Imagination Workshop ORDER THE BOOK The Imagination Machine How to Spark New Ideas and Create Your Company’s Future By Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller Amazon Bookshop IndieBound Walmart Leaders on Imagination Play Video Making Space for Imagination Peter Gassner, CEO and co-founder of Veeva Systems, talks giving promising new ideas the oxygen they need to survive and nurturing corporate imagination to keep the organization vital. Insights from the Authors We Need Imagination Now More Than Ever BCG’s Martin Reeves and Jack Fuller emphasize the importance of imagination to seizing and creating opportunities in tough times. “With imagination,” they say, “we can do better than merely adapting to a new environment—we can thrive by shaping it.” Competing on Imagination Big businesses often struggle to make use of imagination. But there are ways to cultivate imaginative capacity without relying on chance, intuition, or mechanistic processes. Free Up Your Mind to Free Up Your Strategy Games can get us out of our ruts and give us permission to think about what could be, not just what is. Here are some you can use as the prelude to—or even instead of—a formal strategy process. The Playful Corporation When we play, we improvise, imagine, and inspire—all of which are good for business. Here’s how to add playfulness to business strategy. Connect with the Authors Martin Reeves Managing Director & Senior Partner, Chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute San Francisco - Bay Area Jack Fuller Founder and CEO of Casati Health, BCG Alumnus New York The pandemic will one day be behind us, but businesses can't just return to business as usual. They’ll have to pivot quickly and refocus their attention to solve critical challenges in the years ahead. FOLLOW US France | FR © 2021 Boston Consulting Group Careers Contact Subscribe Alumni About Offices Privacy Policy Terms of Use Sitemap Boston Consulting Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 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