You’re trying to drive business innovation. What are the best tools to help you get there?

One of the best methods that I use all the time is Crazy 8's. Crazy 8's are about generating many ideas fast, so you can remove bad ones, vote on the good ones, combine them, and get an even better one. You will sketch ideas individually, diverging from the group, and then converging back as a group, voting, and building the best idea from individual ones. It's great for unearthing simple ideas (they are often the best) as well weeded out not so good ideas quickly. The dynamic of individual thinking combined with group builds is really good. Top tip - particularly important to have a diverse group of contributors!

One of the best tools for generating ideas is writing in the stream of consciousness. This method can be effective when creating a list of ideas or, once you choose an idea to develop further, when writing about the idea itself. A powerful exercise is to make a list of 10 to 20 ideas every day, ideally first thing in the morning, and then simply go about the day. Don't worry too much about the quality of the ideas; just create a collection. At the end of one week, you will have generated 100 ideas. If you manage a creative team, you can ask team members to do this exercise for a week. Hold a meeting once a week to compile a running list of ideas. Such a meeting will stimulate even more ideas.

O tópico propõe ferramentas para inovação negócios. É comum ocorrer confusão quando não se define o tipo de inovação que estamos falando antes de falarmos em ferramentas. Quando o assunto são os tipos de inovação, é comum encontrarmos essas três categorias: processo, produto, marketing e organizacional. No geral, as organizações vão definir sua estratégia de inovação pensando em qual desses três querem dar foco. E essa definição vem do Manual de Oslo.  No entanto, apesar das quatro  categorias estarem certas, há ainda outra abordagem sobre isso. E ela está no livro “Dez tipos de inovação”, de Larry Keeley.  Sugiro como passo inicial identificar nestes 10 tipos, de qual inovação estamos falando antes de falarmos em ferramentas.

Brainstorming & Mind Mapping: Collaboratively generate a flood of ideas, then visually organize and connect them to spark unexpected solutions. SCAMPER & TRIZ: Inject innovation into existing products or processes by systematically asking questions and applying creativity techniques. Idea Matrix: Map your ideas against different axes like feasibility and impact to prioritize the most promising ones.

Es gibt sehr viele Tools zur Ideenfindung. Was immer am besten funktioniert hat, ist wenn die erste Ideenfindung individuell und alleine stattfindet und dann jeder/jede seine Ideen präsentieren kann. So können alle Ideen berücksichtigt werden, was sehr wertvolm ist! Bei gemeinsamen Team-Brainstormings kann es schnell vorkommen, dass die leisen Stimmen nicht gehört werden und die immer gleichen lauten Mitarbeitenden ihre Ideen vorstellen.

There are loads of really great research tools and techniques and the most impactful is getting out and about spending time with customers. Observing, understanding and listening to uncover their ambitions and unmet needs. The key aspects of this technique is to look for the less obvious, listen between the lines and be very clear when you are making an assumption versus having clear evidence

Driving innovation in an existing business environment of a company comes along with understanding the own capabilities in the following dimensions: - abstracting from hardware (a physical item) to software - accelerating innovation through a culture of lifelong learning and know how retention - transit into an information-based business model that commercialize data for experience, service or outcome. Researching the own capabilities means then here: - How unique is the domain expertise in engineering / crafting physical items that distinguish its software representation? - To which extent is learning and know how management organized fully integrated? - How is a data ecosystem built up?

Research tools are your compass in the innovation maze. They help you: Validate: Test your ideas against reality, ensuring they solve real problems. Understand: Deep dive into your customers' world - needs, preferences, behaviors. Collect data: Surveys, interviews, focus groups - gather valuable insights. Test hypotheses: Experiment and measure to refine your approach. Uncover hidden gems: Find unmet needs, pain points, and unique opportunities. Examples: Surveys: Gauge customer sentiment and gather specific data. Focus groups: Spark in-depth discussions and uncover hidden motivations. Observation: Watch real behavior to understand needs and challenges. Ethnography: Immerse yourself in your customers' world for rich insights.

We have created an entity called the lexden lab. We know it's where innovation happens. The boundaries which can constrain us are not allowed to thrive there.

Aqui, cabe questionar o objetivo da inovação pretendida. Nem sempre o Design Thinking e seu arcabouço criativo é a melhor resposta. O Design Driven Innovation também é uma poderosa abordagem de inovação de significado e não prega a centralidade no cliente como o Design Thinking.

Once the own capabilities in an organization are identified for abstracting from hardware to transit to an information based business model that commercializes data for experience, service or outcome, design tools should start from the perspective of the user / consumer: what is the problem to be solved / the job to be done? With these determinants (e.g. documented in a persona), the design process can start with sketches or wireframes that tell the story of how the user's problem will be actually solved.

Design tools are your bridge between innovative ideas and tangible solutions. Prototype & Visualize: Experiment with low-fidelity models, seeing your ideas come to life. Refine & Iterate: Test, gather feedback, and improve your design based on real-world insights. Align & Communicate: Get everyone on the same page with clear visuals and impactful stories. Key tools: Sketches & Wireframes: Quickly capture ideas and test basic layouts. Mockups & Storyboards: Bring your vision to life with detailed visuals. Personas & Customer Journeys: Understand your users' needs and motivations. Value Proposition Canvas: Clearly communicate the benefits and value you offer.

Enterprise design tools are resources that help businesses create and manage designs efficiently and collaboratively. These tools are designed to meet the specific needs of design teams in a corporate environment, enabling better communication, collaboration, and project organization.

Driving innovation in an existing business environment of a company comes along with understanding the own capabilities in the following dimensions: - abstracting from hardware (a physical item) to software - accelerating innovation through a culture of lifelong learning and know how retention - transit into an information-based business model that commercialize data for experience, service or outcome. Distilling distinguishing elements in above transition are crucial to beat the competition. For example, long research phases and complex engineering exercises that require a spectrum of different domain expertise areas may increase the entry barrier for new market players.

The Strategy Canvas (from Blue Ocean Strategy framework) It offers clarity, comparison with competitors, and identifies Blue Ocean opportunities. It aligns stakeholders, aids communication, and guides strategic decision-making, making it invaluable for businesses seeking innovation and competitive advantage.

Assess & Analyze: Conduct a rigorous SWOT analysis, understanding your internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats. Competitor Insights: Leverage Porter's Five Forces to dissect your competitive landscape, identifying both challenges and potential leverage points. Market Exploration: Utilize the Ansoff Matrix to explore growth strategies across existing and new markets with existing and new products. Business Model Design: Craft a clear and concise Business Model Canvas, visualizing your value proposition, target customers, key partnerships, and revenue streams. Agile Experimentation: Implement the Lean Canvas to rapidly test and iterate ideas, ensuring resource efficiency and data-driven decisions.

Strategie-Tools sind wichtig, doch noch wichtiger ist, wie die Idee/die Innovation in die Strategie integriert werden kann. Es gibt viele Innovationen, die toll sind, doch wenn der Match zur Strategie fehlt, kann die Idee nicht umgesetzt werden. Strategietools können nicht eine grosse Unterstützung sein um diesen Abgleich permanent zu machen und genau zu wissen, wie die Innovation auch erfolgreich innerhalb der strategischen Richtlinien integriert werden kann.

Another widely used tool in everyday business strategy is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). The BSC is a methodology that aims to translate a company's vision and strategy into a set of performance indicators, covering different perspectives. The Balanced Scorecard seeks to balance traditional financial metrics with other important perspectives, such as the customer perspective, internal process perspective, and learning and growth perspective. These perspectives are interconnected and reflect the key drivers of business success.

Changing customer engagement patterns require for more speed and individual experience. Both criteria that need to be grounded on the collaboration glue of diverse teams, that are interacting in a seamless way about ideation, design and solution.

These tools transcend mere communication, empowering teams to: Connect seamlessly: Slack fosters real-time discussions, while Zoom bridges geographical gaps with video conferencing. Coordinate effortlessly: Trello visualizes project workflows, while Google Docs enables collaborative document editing, ensuring everyone's on the same page. Cooperate creatively: Miro transforms online whiteboards into brainstorming playgrounds, fostering joint problem-solving and idea generation. Share openly: Secure platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive facilitate knowledge sharing and resource access, breaking down silos and promoting transparency.

In my professional experience, using tools with Miro has been tremendous. With visual resources and organization of ideas, it is able to support team collaboration effectively.

Uma poderosa estratégia para trabalhar a inovação de forma sistêmica é diagnosticar o nível de maturidade em inovação que a organização possui e tentar situá-la em uma cronologia evolutiva para que todos estejam na mesma página e com as mesmas percepções acerca do que é e do que não é inovação. O Framework 10 Tipos de Inovação, criada pelo grupo Doblin (agora da Deloitte), demonstra que existem (e sempre existiram) dez tipos de inovações (10 TI) distintas, que precisam ser coordenadas com certo cuidado para que se possa criar uma inovação revolucionária. O modelo prega que quanto maior for mix dos tipos de inovação maior será a probabilidade de sucesso da empresa.

Alle Ideen sind super! Und es mangelt selten an guten Ideen und Vorschlägen. Meiner Erfahrung nach, braucht es gute, auch KI-gestützte Tools um die Ideen auch konkret umsetzen zu können. Denn: nur eine konkret umgesetzte und gut durchdachte Idee hat das Potenzial, zu einem Produkt zu werden!

Innovation management tools are resources that help businesses streamline and optimize their processes for generating, capturing, and implementing innovative ideas. These tools are designed to support the entire innovation lifecycle, from ideation to execution, and assist in managing and tracking the progress of innovation initiatives.

To drive business innovation, first, identify your Northstar where are you heading as an organization through a clear gap analysis. Once this roadmap is defined, the right tools naturally align to pave the way forward.

Innovation is as much about mindset as it is about processes, tools and methods. Creating a culture of innovation requires leaders to create an physiologically safe space that is inclusive where people feel they can share their perspectives and be heard. It also requires leaders to create an environment where growth is encouraged and people take accountability for their own learning. Innovators don't succeed or fail - they test, learn and try again!

In the dynamic landscape of business innovation, experience has been my compass. Embracing creativity as a guiding principle, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of fostering an environment where new ideas flourish. By leading through action, investing in training and resources, and embracing failure as a stepping stone to success, I've navigated the challenges of driving innovation while seizing the boundless opportunities that lie ahead. With each obstacle overcome and lesson learned, I remain steadfast in my commitment to propelling my organization towards a future defined by innovation and success.

Some ways to get started: - Trend Analysis - Market Analysis and Research You need to understand the market and the need of large population rather than focusing on concentrated zone. Once you get that, you need to fine tune your innovation process and work accordingly. Failure will teach refine your innovation. Once you are on the track, you should check the adoption rate in the market. The more the adoption and the more it reaches the greater mass, you are on the success track. Last but not the least, you should always think by putting yourself in the end-user’s shoe

Business model innovation must guarantee competitive advantage from new skills that the company acquires through innovation management. As critical success factors, I highlight the generation of Value for customers and Revenue Generation.