The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Yukio Ohsawa
ForewordThe authors have been hunting diligently to develop insights into the causality of complex socio-technical systems, including: products, services, businesses, and enterprises at all scales. The Innovators' Marketplace is a structured activity that increases the probability of discovery, less by chance, more by design.In this regard their earlier book, "Chance Discovery," offers a timely duality in the meaning and utility of the phrase. From one point-of-view it is all about how to discover a chance to innovate. In the alternative point-of-view, it is all about increasing the probability of a chance to discover. In fact they are pragmatic realists deeply committed to evidence based exploration, analytics in the face of un-measurable uncertainty and ambiguity. Their pragmatism is revealed in the requirement that one balance the two points-of-view, letting neither become a fixation, a rut, or worst of all, a dogma that would diminish our chance to innovate.In my own laboratory, we have found a hunting metaphor is an effective means for communicating the importance of developing good hunting skills (you might call them gaming skills). With our unit of analysis focused on the hunting team we are at all times following the advice of Ohsawa and Nishihara to keep the interests, needs, and real life actions of all stake holders in view and in balance. It makes for a better team, a better game, and a better chance discovery opportunity in the Innovators' Marketplace.I especially appreciate the author's highly integrative approach. Examples, cases, and literature citations are highly diversified. Their strategy helps assure me that the methods and results have broad applicability and impact potential.The Innovators' Market Game has matured from a thought piece, through several development stages and validation experiments. Its maturity deserves your attention. In many situations, it will be the tool of choice for dealing with ambiguity. Never stop hunting. Deliver your discoveries to the market.
StanfordLarry Leifer Stanford University v •
PrefaceIn today's reality, it has become increasingly important to sense values of the events and details of everyday life. For example, a small earthquake may be the sign of a big quake in the future, and we should take careful note in order to prevent or reduce possible damage in advance. Another example is a claim by a picky customer who calls the customer relations section of a company and points out a serious problem in a product. In this case, the section manager should assume that a flood of similar claims may arise in the near future. Even if this assumption is too harsh, he should talk to product de...