Sometimes the lightbulb moments happen – you’re walking the dog down the street and something lights up. Your invisible antennas receive an amazing idea and you can’t wait to begin! However, more often than not, new ideas don’t begin this way. Great ideas are developed organically and deliberately, in teams, with brainstorming, research and planning.
The expression coined by either Gary Player or Arnold Palmer (the jury is still out on who said it first), “The more I practise, the luckier I get” applies to product development. The most innovative products that have gained market share for our clients, or developed a significant competitive edge, have come from sustained product research and planning. In our experience, the more you invest in proactive product development, the more wonderful ideas you can uncover.
In order to generate new ideas in-house, we bring people together and conduct a series of Innovation Workshops. These are aimed at uncovering raw materials that can be developed into successful products.
Generating great ideas requires two key steps.
Divergent Thinking.
This method is free-flowing and creative, allowing many ideas to be voiced and heard without judgement. We explore numerous solutions to the need we are solving in the marketplace.
Convergent Thinking.
Conversely, this stage involves more scrutiny of the ideas that came forward. We evaluate and analyse, selecting the best ideas to move forward with.
We’re careful to undertake these two activities sequentially. It’s crucial to avoid evaluating ideas during the divergent thinking stage, so the best raw materials have a chance to reach the table. Switching between divergent and convergent thinking while brainstorming can prevent success in the creative thinking process. It’s therefore important to stay open and withhold judgement in the divergent thinking stage, to allow the birthing process of new ideas.
The brain can be stimulated to produce innovation, or it can be inhibited to focus on problems only.
Innovation Workshops are designed to take your team on a journey – we foster a productive environment that opens communication and establishes the desire to innovate. Firstly, workshops focus on left and right brain stimulation, designed to get the creative juices flowing. Secondly, we launch into a series of creative thinking exercises focused on generating a volume of broad-ranging ideas. During this stage, no idea is a bad idea. Lastly, we evaluate the ideas in a group assessment exercise, establishing the best ideas to go forward with.
As final decisions are best made with a smaller group of people, we conclude the convergent idea evaluation process with only the key members of a team.
Workshop Topics Include:
- Problem or Opportunity Identification
- Left/Right Brain Stimulation
- Creative Thinking Exercises
- Divergent/Convergent Idea Generation
- Group Assessment
- Go/No Go Test
- Evaluation Matrix
- Feasibility Judgement
Find Out How We Can Help You Innovate.
We’ll help your team navigate the unknown, and develop invigorating ideas to propel your business forward. Call us on for a confidential conversation about our Innovation Workshops, and how we can work together.