Tag Archives: Little Bets

Are Little Bets a recipe for better innovation?

in Innovation

A few weeks ago I reviewed Peter Sims new book on experimental innovation, Little Bets. Since then I’ve received emails from friends asking me for concrete examples of businesses doing experimental innovation as well as why this is a better approach to innovation.

For those of you who haven’t read Little Bets or want to familiarize yourself with the concept, Tim Kastelle wrote a great write up about how little bets work.

With that said, internet companies are exemplary of taking a little bets approach. Because of the nature of the net, internet companies can do trial and error in real-time. And because of the size of their user base, they can get results very quickly. 

Two of these companies are Google and Mozilla.…

Innovation book review: Little Bets by @petersims

in Innovation, Strategy

Little Bets by Peter Sims

“The side that learns and adapts the fastest often prevails.” – General David Petraeus

You can’t mess with evolution. That’s the message I got from the book Little Bets by Peter Sims.

If you are well versed with the state of current innovation thinking, you will find that the main ideas are heavily influenced by design thinking. This is not a recipe book for design thinking. There are no how to’s. It’s strength lies in it’s synthesis of the main principles of experimental innovation. Today, more commonly known as design thinking.

It’s a well written and engaging book. I read Little Bets in a little over 6 hours. It’s a short read but entertaining read.

What stands out about the book is the distinctive stories and characters Mr. Sims uses to illustrate the main ideas. For example, how Chris Rock tests new jokes in small venues with small audiences before taking them to bigger events. This helps him tests and refine jokes that he knows will resonate with audiences at bigger events. The story of how Pixar’s Toy Story begun from little bets. How the the success of the U.S. Military’s ‘Surge Strategy’ is influenced by Design Thinking.…