Books Slideshow: Ten Questions to Inspire Innovation

CIOs are constantly being asked to push the envelope and come up with creative, unconventional ways to run business processes and make teams more productive. And as businesses become more agile and move more quickly, IT managers need to be quick on their feet and capitalize on the spontaneous innovations dreamed up by their teams. In his new book, "Leapfrogging: Harness the Power of Surprise for Business Breakthroughs" (Berret-Koehler/available now), author Soren Kaplan explores how IT leaders can help their teams think outside the box. Unexpected experiences, Kaplan says, can lead to both positive and negative outcomes, but both can be used as teachable moments. By asking your team these questions, you can help them be more creative thinkers and bring fresh ideas to the table. Kaplan is founder and managing principal of InnovationPoint, which has provided leadership development for organizations such as Disney, PepsiCo, Visa and Medtronic. He also previously oversaw business innovation and tech solutions for Hewlett-Packard.