brainstorm

The ‘Best’ Ideas are Rarely the Most Creative

Frequently, brainstorms, idea campaigns and similar idea extravaganzas end with a vague notion of choosing the best idea. The problem here is that a truly creative idea, the kind of idea that has the potential to become a breakthrough innovation is seldom the best solution to the problem or the best path to achieving a goal - for the very simple reason that highly creative ideas are original. They cannot directly be compared to existing notions, warns Jeffrey Baumgartner.

Ideascale2021-12-05T08:41:29-08:00October 28th, 2012|Categories: Idea Management|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, breakthrough ideation, breakthrough innovation, creative ideas, Creativity, disruptive innovation, efficiency, Ideation, incremental innovation, invention, new technologies, original ideas|

Anatomy of an Effective Front-End of Innovation Cycle

The Front End of Innovation is that fuzzy bit where someone, or a group, conceives a new business concept. We say “fuzzy” because it’s the part of the innovation process that is the most purely creative. It’s a step into the unknown to create something new and calls for different tools and techniques. Because it’s fuzzy, we think it’s useful to break it down and look at it step-by-step.

Ideascale2019-11-28T09:30:53-08:00October 1st, 2012|Categories: Idea Management, Strategies|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, Collaboration, Creativity, customer research, front end of innovation, fuzzy front end of innovation, idea convergence, Ideation, in-depth article, innovation lifecycle, Innovation Strategy, market research, R&D, risk-taking, virtual ideation|

Designing the Perfect Ideas Competition

What's the most effective way to design an idea competition that doesn't just result in a huge pile of ideas, but enables teams to implement ideas that will help to make your organization more creative? Jeffrey Baumgartner shares one practical framework for making this happen.

Ideascale2021-12-03T11:31:08-08:00July 17th, 2012|Categories: Collaborative Innovation, Idea Management, Open Innovation, Organization & Culture, Strategies|Tags: brainstorm, Collaboration, Competition, creative problem solving, Crowdsourcing, how to, HR, idea competition, idea evaluation, Ideation, innovation tool, motivation, Problem Solving, project management, project proposal, proposal evaluation, reward system, team building, team management|

Creative Problem Solving Technique: Become the Problem

When we are trying to generate ideas in order to solve a problem, whether through anticonventional thinking, brainstorming or another method, we typically distance ourself slightly from the problem. We look for ideas on how to improve our company’s product, how to deliver better customer service, how to cut costs or alternative business models. In all of these cases, we separate ourselves from the problem and, by so doing, we potentially limit our understanding of the problem. Why not take a different approach and become the problem?

Ideascale2021-12-03T10:32:23-08:00May 31st, 2012|Categories: Collaborative Innovation, Strategies|Tags: anticonventional thinking, brainstorm, brainstorming, creative, Creativity, ideas, problem, Problem Solving, solve|

The Potentially High Cost of not Implementing an Idea

Many managers are very good at working out the cost of implementing an idea. But they often completely fail to calculate the cost of NOT implementing it. This may sometimes be far more expensive than implementing it, especially over the long term, warns Jeffrey Baumgartner.

Ideascale2021-12-03T07:01:11-08:00April 4th, 2012|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: bankruptcy, brainstorm, cost, Creativity, enterprise innovation, idea managment system, implementing ideas, innovative, innovator, managers, Polaroid, production line, risk, Technology, value potential|

How to Get Rid of Old Ideas?

Have you participated in a brainstorming session that felt like wasted time? For some reason no new and interesting ideas were formed? Perhaps you need to get rid of your old ideas first! Gis van Wulfen explains.

Ideascale2021-12-02T18:14:43-08:00March 15th, 2012|Categories: Front End of Innovation|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, choosing ideas, customer research, evaluating ideas, focus group, focus groups, Ideation, inspiration, new technologies, Technology, trends|

The Idea Game Helps Teams ‘Battle’ to Produce the Best Ideas

The Idea Game is a new group brainstorming tool that corporate teams can use to generate fresh ideas and insights. Developed by Swedish creativity consulting firm Realize AB, it provides a variety of creative stimuli using a card deck and game board to generate ideas, and "idea battles" to help identify and improve upon the best ideas.

Ideascale2020-07-07T20:50:28-07:00February 15th, 2012|Categories: Idea Management, Interview, Strategies|Tags: best ideas, brainstorm, brainstorming tool, business innovation, cards, corporate strategy, creative stimuli, Creativity, fresh ideas, game, group brainstorming, idea battles, idea game, idea ownership, Ideation, innovation game, interviews, marketing, mind manager, mind mapping, mindmapping, organizational issues, parallel thinking, Product Development, product devilment, software, strategy refinement, Teamwork|

How Human Behavior Can Skew Innovation

A variety of human group behaviors can undermine innovation. For best results, we need to be aware of them and mitigate those that can derail innovation efforts.

Ideascale2021-12-02T17:59:40-08:00January 5th, 2012|Categories: Idea Management, Trend Alert|Tags: acting globally, brainstorm, collaborative toolsets, collective consciousness, collective intelligence, Communication, community, conformity, creative thinking, decision making, fear-based reaction, forward-thinking, group cohesiveness, groupthink, herd behavior, herd mentality, Horizontal organization, idea sharing, Ideation, information cascades, innovation, innovation workshops, mass collaboration, mob mentality, openness, peer pressure, peering, psychology, sharing, status, Teamwork, Technology, trends|

Stop the Reckless Brainstorming and Focus your Creativity!

In their desperation to be innovative, companies often brainstorm themselves into idea overload, generating ideas that ultimately are failures. But what if companies could focus those brainstorming efforts and develop an efficient, targeted process for creativity? InnovationManagement asked Tony Ulwick to share his thoughts on how to leverage the creativity and get a better outcome.

Ideascale2021-12-02T16:20:48-08:00October 11th, 2011|Categories: Idea Management, Leadership, Life Cycle Processes|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, Creativity, focus, front end of innovation, idea generation, idea management, idea overload, Ideation, lateral thinking, platform, TRIZ|

Idea Management: How to Select the Right Solutions to Implement

Most ideation activities result in the generation of a number of ideas. However, in most cases, only one idea – or a collection of ideas combined into one bigger idea – will actually be implemented. This does not mean that any one of the solutions is actually the right solution. Only that one solution is chosen. Unfortunately, the designers of many an innovation initiative fail to consider this simple fact. As a result, the chosen idea is often not in the best interest of the individual or the organisation running the initiative. Worse, in many cases no idea is ever implemented.

Ideascale2020-07-09T10:56:00-07:00October 5th, 2011|Categories: Idea Management|Tags: anticonventional thinking, brainstorm, creative, idea management, Ideation, innovation, solutions|

How Improvisational Techniques can Benefit Innovators

The techniques of improvisational performance can be applied in helpful ways to any situation where people are collaborating to innovate or build something, says improv expert Kat Koppett.

Ideascale2021-12-02T16:10:25-08:00September 13th, 2011|Categories: Idea Management, Interview|Tags: achievement mindset, adapt, brainstorm, circus bow, courage, create, creative leadership, Creativity, cultural norms, empathize, entrepreneur, Failure, flex, habits, idea management, ideas, imagine, improvisation, innovation tool, intention, Interview, organizational development, paradigm, passions, reward structures, storytelling, tell stories, yes and rule|

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.

Ideascale2021-12-02T15:51:46-08:00June 21st, 2011|Categories: Front End of Innovation|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, collaborative ideation, Creativity, front end of innovation, Ideation, Teamwork|

The Top 6 Predictors of Creative Performance in the Workplace

Is it possible to accurately predict if a person will be an effective creative thinker at work? After conducting rigorous tests, one Australian innovation firm says definitely yes.

Ideascale2021-12-02T15:48:15-08:00June 15th, 2011|Categories: Uncategorized|Tags: analogy, brainstorm, collaborate, communicate, confidence, creative thinker, Creativity, cross application, curiosity, Failure, generate solutions, HR, intuition, openness to experience, positive reinforcement, resilience, self belief, self-efficacy, talent management, tolerance, workplace creativity|

Asking the Important Questions: A Guide to Design Thinking And a Better Way to Serve Customers

Design thinking should be a way of life for senior managers. Melba Kurman spoke to Sara Beckman, design and innovation expert at Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, about how to apply design thinking to the innovation process.

Ideascale2021-12-20T16:50:41-08:00May 30th, 2011|Categories: Interview, Strategies|Tags: Best Practices, brainstorm, consumer insights, creative problem solving, creative thinking, Creativity, Crowdsourcing, customer engagement, customer insights, design thinking, divergent thinking, empathy, Failure, holistic view, Ideation, Interview, lessons learned, market research, Problem Solving, Product Development, prototyping, reframing, storytelling|

Open Innovation for Small Companies

Open innovation may seem to be the preserve of big business. After all, it is often associated with long established monstrosities like Proctor and Gamble and IBM. But it is an approach that can be used by all companies, especially start-ups and small businesses, explains Jeffrey Baumgartner.

Ideascale2021-12-02T15:20:35-08:00May 25th, 2011|Categories: Collaborative Innovation, Open Innovation, Support for SMEs|Tags: brainstorm, challenge driven innovation, Creativity, Crowdsourcing, customer engagement, disclaimer, diversity, idea generation, ideas, insights, inspiration, intellectual property, IP & patent, legal, Open Innovation, perspectives, public competitions, reward, SME, startup|