In Search of the Perfect Brainstorm: An Update of Collaborative Ideation
Imaginary scenario: you have been invited to a meeting to explore new approaches to a wicked problem. Loudmouth Number 1 describes his solution. Loudmouth Number 2 vehemently disagrees. A heated argument ensues. Some people take sides. Others remain silent. There are bruised egos. You are not the only one who feels frustrated. All that time just one single idea has been considered. Have you ever experienced such a meeting? Have you ever wondered why brainstorming came to be? Brainstorming Today: Why It Needs an Update These days the noun “brainstorming” and the verb “to brainstorm” are used (and misused) extensively and in many different ways. Our working definition in this article is that brainstorming is a “process to enable purposeful, [...]
Why Your Innovation Process is a Recipe for Failure
Having a process for the front end of innovation is necessary but not sufficient. It also requires proper levels of funding, and a governance structure to support it. In this article, we'll look at how these aspects tie together, and how your company can support your full innovation lifecycle.
Innovators, How Do You Find Your Next Problem to Solve?
If you’re working in innovation there’s nothing as rewarding as making the long journey from inspiration to implementation.
25 Inspiring Innovation Quotes
Gijs van Wulfen shares 25 of his favorite motivational quotes to jump start innovation. Do you have more?
25 Tips for Innovation Session Facilitators
An ideation session is most rewarding when the facilitator skilfully encourages the participants and monitors the process. Gijs van Wulfen together with FORTH facilitators have compiled a list of 25 tips to help facilitate successful ideation meetings. Do you have more?
10 Mistakes at the Start of Innovation
Do you find that good ideas get trashed because of mistakes made in the organization's handeling of the creative process? Gijs van Wulfen outlines 10 common innovation blunders. Do you have more?
Solve Customer Frictions
Good ideas are most successful when they're not just a modern novelty, but fulfill an unmet customer need. Gis van Wulfen describes how to find innovation opportunities by identifying customer frictions.
25 Rules for a Perfect Brainstorm
There are numerous reasons why a brainstorm session can produce few great ideas or none at all. Gijs van Wulfen gives us his suggestions for the perfect brainstorm.
Observe and Learn
Getting fresh insights is a crucial step in the ideation process. Gijs Van Wulfen shares his suggestions on sourcing inspiration.
What’s Your Innovation Assignment?
New and creative ideas often happen spontaneously, however their implementation into your organization should be planned with clear goals and direction. Gijs Van Wulfen provides helpful questions to develop an innovation assignment.
Structure Your Ideation Approach
The fuzzy front end of innovation confronts you with a lot of questions. In my new book ‘Creating innovative Products and Services’ I try to solve them. This time I like to introduce a structured ideation method, which combines both creativity and business reality.
Five Ideation Dilemmas
When do companies decide to innovate and when do they decide to go incremental or radical? Gijs van Wulfen discusses the dilemmas of decision making.
Great Ideas Have Got the X Factor
Do TV programmes like the X-factor offer us a better way of thinking about how product ideas should be filtered? Gijs van Wulfen takes on the role of Simon Cowell.
Let Customers Destroy Internal Innovation Blockers
If you are pushing up against corporate resistance to innovation, then it might be time to switch tactics. Gijs van Wulfen explains a better way of dealing with the company's immune response.
Are Too Many Ideas Killing your Innovation Efforts?
How can having too many ideas be bad for your new product success? The problem isn't actually the number of ideas generated. The problem is allowing too many of them into the product development process at the same time, according to Michael Dalton.
A Process for Innovation Planning
All too often, hastily planned brainstorming sessions bring up a lot of good ideas that somehow never get used, while the boring kinds of ideas you are trying to get away from seem to be used again and again. One reason for this is the lack of an innovation plan, according to Jeffrey Baumgartner.
Group Brainstorming: Dot Voting with a Difference
After a group brainstorming session, how do you decide which ideas to pursue? Dot voting is a popular technique. Here is way to use this idea evaluation technique for the best results.
Project Management vs. Managing Innovation Projects
What's are the differences between managing an ordinary business project and managing an innovation project? Joyce Wycoff, in a recent issue of the InnovationNetwork's Heads Up! e-newsletter, provides some important insights:
Seven Strategies for Generating Business Ideas
How do organizations come up with new ideas? And how do they use those ideas to create successful new products, services, businesses, and solutions? Author Robert Tucker outlines seven proven strategies for unearthing breakthrough business innovations.