From finding customers using your product in the "wrong" way, to listening to market misperception, to the role of ego in decision making, Fast Company's "How to Turn That Nasty Surprise into the Next Disruptive Idea" describes why surprises can be an innovator's best friend.
Most companies view surprises as things to be avoided... The underlying assumption is that predictability and control are good, and uncertainty is bad. No wonder every management book on Amazon with the word 'surprise' in its title is about how to prevent the phenomenon. But here’s the counterintuitive catch: If you want a breakthrough, something that really changes the game, surprise is actually the name of the game.
