Breaking Innovation Barriers

by Gijs van Wulfen

Breaking Innovation Barriers by Gijs van Wulfen offers a refreshingly practical and highly readable guide to inspiring and sustaining innovation even in the most change-resistant organisations.

Van Wulfen doesn’t glamorise innovation. Instead, he exposes the real, and often frustrating, obstacles that prevent good ideas from reaching execution, and then equips the reader with a structured methodology to overcome them. At the heart of the book is the FORTH innovation method (full steam ahead, observe and learn, raise ideas, test ideas, and homecoming), a five-step approach that helps teams navigate the messy early stages of innovation with clarity, direction, and alignment. Van Wulfen believes the key to successful innovation is to fail fast, or scale fast.

The book strikes a balance between strategy and empathy. Van Wulfen recognises that innovation isn’t just a technical challenge, it’s a human one. He tackles the fear of failure, inertia, and internal politics that stall progress, and provides pragmatic tools to overcome these barriers.

Each chapter is packed with real-world examples, practical templates, and reflective prompts that push readers to think more deeply about their own innovation culture. It’s especially valuable for people responsible for transformation across dispersed teams or legacy systems, challenges many in the Royal Signals will recognise.

Although the book is written in an upbeat tone, it avoids jargon and remains grounded. Whether an experienced leader or new to innovation projects, it offers a clear roadmap to move from ideation and invention to delivering tangible results.

Breaking Innovation Barriers isn’t just another book on innovation theory, it’s a working manual for those determined to make meaningful change happen, even in resistant environments. For anyone seeking to lead innovation with structure, purpose, and momentum, the book offers a brilliant foundation to build upon.

Major Phil Blight

Published by: BIS; 1st edition (19 Nov. 2024). 192 pages.

ISBN-13: 978-9063697204