Want to learn the ideas in Imagine It Forward better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of Imagine It Forward by Beth Comstock, Tahl Raz here.
Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.
Video Summaries of Imagine It Forward
We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on Imagine It Forward, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Beth Comstock, Tahl Raz.
1-Page Summary of Imagine It Forward
Ongoing change is messy and chaotic, collaborative and inspiring.
Organizations must embrace change when it comes. They can’t be afraid of it and they shouldn’t try to fight against it. Instead, they should accept the fact that they don’t have all the answers, but rather than just trying to ignore change or pretend like nothing is happening, organizations should welcome new ideas and make changes as needed in order to navigate around complexity and unpredictability.
Comstock says that the Industrial Revolution was a time when machines were all standardized and controlled. This created a world where people weren’t allowed to be creative or take risks. Today, we need imaginative solutions to our problems, so it’s important for us to overcome this “imagination gap.”
GE wanted to take advantage of the changes in technology. They did this by pioneering the Industrial Internet, which is when they embedded their big machines into digital systems. Comstock explains how GE recognized it had to change and adapt quickly and learn new things. In order for that to happen, GE needed to shift its perspective from one focused on risk avoidance and perfection-seeking habits toward one focused on discovery. This shift didn’t happen overnight or without conflict; however, “change is a conversation.”
Fear is a powerful deterrent to change. As GE’s CMO, Beth Comstock helped transform the company into a digital powerhouse. However, their success was short-lived as they were unable to sustain this transformation.
Change makers must embrace the “outsider-inside” role and be independent while remaining loyal to the culture.
Comstock says that in business and life, we often encounter people who are afraid of change. They’re suspicious of divergent thinking and anxious about new things. In order to bring about change, you have to confront those people or find a way around them. Most leaders surround themselves with people who confirm their beliefs, but they seldom challenge them; instead, good leaders absorb the anxiety when there’s a radical change.
To combat complacency, you must be an outsider who is also an insider. You should live on the edge and bring new ideas into your organization while still being loyal to your company’s culture. At GE (General Electric), Nancy Comstock had to navigate between her corporate culture and the outside world in order to build bridges with both groups. She also had to innovate at GE under Jack Welch when he was CEO, which required taking risks that created a lot of uncertainty for those around her. By the time Jeff Immelt became CEO, GE was like a bank because it stopped doing many risky things for two decades after Welch retired from his position as Chief Executive Officer. When Immelt took over as CEO just before September 11th happened, he began innovating again by bringing more risk-taking back into his company.
Believe in, protect and share new ideas. Don’t give up on a great idea.
GE had been a part of creating the world we live in, but it was troubled by economic troubles. To overcome that, GE changed its branding to “Imagination at Work” and set out to embrace change rather than rely on processes. The author writes that corporate America has been talking about thinking outside the box for years, but they still seem to love the box.
The author explains how GE (General Electric) created a series of incubation programs called “Imagination Breakthroughs” in order to generate new products and ideas. The company realized that innovation is not just about technology or business, but the connections between them.
