By Daniel Pink; Riverhead Books 2006

Review: Recent brain research has shown that our early understanding of left- and right-brain thinking was a little simplistic. Pink suggests that it’s integrated thinking — taking advantage of the analytical skills of the left brain and the more creative skills of the right brain — that will characterize the leaders of tomorrow.

He says that Abundance, Asia, and Automation are forcing us to move past the purely data-driven skills of the past. The new skills that will add value are Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. It’s a convincing case, and a must-read for anyone who actually wants to drive innovation in any organization.

I’d give it a 9.7 on the LL Innovation meter. Great for CEOs, managers and individuals.

Lynda Lawrence is an innovation consultant with Ideaworks Consulting. She teaches Strategic Innovation and Design Management at the Merage School at UCI, and is an advisor to the Beall Center.