You want Harvest ideas but you don’t know how to do it outside the traditional ideas. Some fundamentals are to be considered before you embark on the application of methods.
To welcome ideas, show maximum openness and never spread an idea without having studied and analyzed it. Indeed, a casual attitude would harm your goal. If in the context of an innovation caused, it is not uncommon to set a theme, you must most of the time leave the field free to the expression of each. Be careful to indicate to your managers that ideas must be treated with equity. Above all, do not brake them. In fact, it is a question of collecting as much as possible without a priori and not to make judgments to promote the essential spontaneity to creativity.
Essential brainstorming and critical thinking
The brainstorming method, “stir-mening”, is to spontaneously produce the greatest possible number of ideas on a given subject. You can do it alone but also put it in place with a group to maximize its effectiveness. Thus, you can search for existing dissatisfaction in the use of a product, in the use of a service or in the functioning of an institution. The objective is to improve or even improve:
- identify all defects, drawbacks or weaknesses of a product or service;
- classify them according to certain criteria;
- Then search for improvement or deletion solutions of these unsatisfactory elements.
The essentials of the approach
If you want to collect as many ideas as possible, you must have a well -structured approach. A 4 -step process is generally used so as not to fall into bad flaws which in the long term could harm the approach:
- Collection and listening to ideas: your goal is to get as many ideas as possible and have a clear process so that each idea is well listened to / received.
- Selection of ideas and feedback: you are not going to set up all the ideas and you will have to select some. However, you must not forget to make a return to those who expressed them so that they understand why you decided to go further on an idea or why you don’t do it for another.
- Validation of innovations: If the idea in question has been selected, you must make it known and possibly imply the author in his implementation. It is often advisable to give time, means and technical support to the person at the origin of the idea.
- Replication: If an innovation is used for a trades, it is often duplicable elsewhere. Take the time to treat judicious innovations well.
The fundamentals not to forget
To obtain as many ideas as possible, respect several “fundamentals”:
- Set up animators linked to participatory innovation. They can help supervision and support it in the development of innovative ideas but also help management train in techniques.
- Define a process. He does not stop at the collection of the idea but continues during the study and decision-making. Thus, it precisely details the selection process.
- Establish a delay. An idea should not remain unanswered for too long. This is why, you must explicitly define a maximum delay to treat an idea.
- Give information. Taking into account or not is not fundamental from the moment you provide argued information.
General processes to properly treat ideas. Think of:
- Create an appeal if the idea is rejected;
- Define the process of implementing accepted ideas;
- Set up a monitoring of implementation;
- Communicate on the ideas to duplicate;
- Follow these replications;
- Create general results indicators;
- Develop a process of continuous improvement in the process;
- Watch the aspects of patent deposits …