Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on years of unprecedented access to the best and most influential culinary R&D teams in the world, Vaughn Tan reveals how they exemplify what he calls the uncertainty mindset. A revelatory look at the R&D kitchen,
The Uncertainty Mindset upends conventional wisdom about how to organize for innovation and offers practical insights.
Trade ReviewWhether you’re new to the culinary world or have dined in some of the world’s top restaurants, you’d be hard pressed not to find
The Uncertainty Mindset fascinating. Vaughn Tan has written an intriguing, well-researched account of how some of the world’s top chefs and their teams approach culinary innovation—this book is full of valuable insights for forward-thinking, innovation-minded organizations and teams in any sector. -- Nathan Myhrvold, coauthor of
Modernist Bread, Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking and
Modernist Cuisine at Home, author of
The Photography of Modernist CuisineVaughn Tan spent long periods observing some of the world’s most famous chefs at work in their prize-winning restaurants and tells his readers what they do and how they do it. A real contribution to our understanding of how experts combine artistic creation and business success. -- Howard S. Becker, author of
Art WorldsThe Uncertainty Mindset takes a close look at the secret inner workings of some of the most innovative food R&D teams worldwide. It shows organizations in other industries how to redesign themselves to become more resilient, innovative, and adaptable—by simply changing how they think about the future. -- Amy C. Edmondson, author of
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and GrowthThis is one of the best books to appear in the last several decades about how to design organizations for continual innovation in high-pressure environments. It offers explanations for why some companies work and others don’t, and made me embrace a new, more subtle way of thinking about hiring, managing, and trusting innovators in leading-edge technology companies. -- Jerry Neumann, founder of Neu Venture Capital
Chefs are responsible for some of today’s most novel innovations. Vaughn Tan goes behind the scenes to show how R&D is organized inside the world’s most famous kitchens, uncovering surprising lessons that have wide application. This is a provocative contribution to studies of culture and R&D. -- Woody Powell, Stanford University
If you’re an R&D executive or practitioner, The Uncertainty Mindset is a worthy if occasionally repetitive (in the time-honored academic style) read that should spark ideas for improvement. And if, in this pandemic year, you are missing high-end cuisine, you will surely find it an appetizing read as well. * Strategy + Business *
In this closely researched book, the emphasis is on culinary innovation. * Times Literary Supplement *
A fascinating account of how top chefs and their teams approach innovation. * Welcome to the Jungle *
Vaughn’s book is the most insightful treatment I’ve read of industrial R&D organizational practices—and now I’m hungry for more. -- Andy Matuschak
Insightful. * LSE Review of Books *
The empirical evidence offered by this book not only adds to the research in food studies but will stimulate current discussions on the nature of uncertainty in the market economy among economic sociologists and political economists. * Food Culture and Society *
An engrossing account of the challenges faced by some of the world’s leading food organizations that highlight the remarkable mindset of those tasked with overcoming them, celebrating the future’s inevitable uncertainty as an engine for growth. * Gastronomica *
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Part I. A Partial History of New Ideas in Food1. From the Margins to the Center
2. The Undercurrents of the New
Part II. What Is Innovation in Food?3. Well-Known, Barely Understood
4. Four Types of New Ideas in Food
Part III. Innovation Is Uncertainty5. A Nondelusional Worldview
6. The Uncertainty Mindset
Part IV. Building the Ever-Changing Team7. Innovation Implies Change
8. Building Innovation Dream Teams
Part V. Creating the New Familiar9. The Power of Familiar Novelty
10. Learning House Style
Part VI. Staying in the Discomfort Zone11. The Motivation Paradox
12. Desperation by Design
Part VII. Insights from the Frontiers of Food13. All Change
14. A Mindset for an Uncertain World
Notes
References
Index
