Recommended Reads from the Pittsburgh PDMA Chapter Board of Directors

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore and Regis McKenna
This bestselling guide created a new game plan for marketing in high-tech industries. Crossing the Chasm has become an essential guide for bringing cutting-edge products to progressively larger markets. You’ll receive new insights into the realities of high-tech marketing, with special emphasis on the Internet.

The Innovator's DNA, Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, Clayton M. Christensen
The authors build on what we know about disruptive innovation to show how individuals can develop the skills necessary to move progressively from idea to impact. By identifying behaviors of the world’s best innovators, the authors outline five discovery skills that distinguish innovative entrepreneurs and executives from ordinary managers: Associating, Questioning, Observing, Networking, and Experimenting.

The Design of Business by Roger L. Martin
To innovate and win, companies need design thinking. This form of thinking is rooted in how knowledge advances from one stage to another - from mystery (something we can't explain) to heuristic (a rule of thumb that guides us toward solution) to algorithm (a predictable formula for producing an answer) to code (when the formula becomes so predictable it can be fully automated). As knowledge advances across the stages, productivity grows and costs drop-creating massive value for companies.  Martin shows how leading companies such as Procter & Gamble, Cirque du Soleil, RIM, and others use design thinking to push knowledge through the stages in ways that produce breakthrough innovations and competitive advantage.

Grabbing Lightning by Gina O'Conner
Established companies are clamoring for breakthrough innovation, but are often hamstrung by the highly reliable, repeatable processes of their management systems. Based on years of research, Grabbing Lightning shows how twelve companies have tried to develop a capability for sustainable breakthrough innovation and outlines best practices for your organization.