After many years in this innovation business, I can tell in an instant (Blink, thanks Mr. Gladwell) whether a client will succeed or struggle with innovation. If they say that they want to meet me, then delay for a variety of vague reasons, then want me to meet someone else, then delay some more, there's no hope. They need a kick in the pants and someone to shake them out of their little analytical comfort zone.
If they want to do a lot of upfront analysis, there's hope, but the odds are that they'll dither in the end.
Clients who say, "Let's go. When can we start?" tend to be the successful innovators.
Friday, January 16, 2009
If nobody spoke unless he had something to say, the human race would very soon lose the use of speech. - W. Somerset Maugham
Online Idea Generation and the Wow! Factor.
As someone who has facilitated idea generation sessions (flipcharts, markers, off-site locations, etc.) for over 20 years, I’ve been watching and to some extent worrying about the development of online idea generation tools for several years now. Will face-to-face idea generation become extinct? Will clients see that they can get the same level of creativity from online sessions at a dramatically lower cost? Will I become the buggy whip of the innovation world? Yikes!
But..no worries. So far, most clients have seemed disinterested in online tools. Or they’ve tried them and found them lacking. “I want something that explodes in the room! Something that makes me feel like ‘I’ve gotta have it!” said a guy from a money management firm. A market researcher from a consumer product company told me, “We’re going the other way. More face to face to get people engaged.”
Among those who have tried online tools the biggest complaint I heard was that there’s ‘No Jim Ferry, no one to stimulate our thinking. It’s really just an elaborate communications tool. Boring.“ Whew! I thought.
But…now along comes this new version of Idealyst. Oh-oh, I say. I’ve been working with AMS to put creativity stimulation into its idea generation tool. It definitely has that Wow! Factor. Nice graphics. Easy to use. Stimulating.
I still think people will want the face to face element. That’s one of the more enjoyable (but sometimes frustrating) side benefits of business- the interaction with team members.
But I see Idealyst as a really nice complement to face to face. It allows people who can’t be in the room to add their ideas and build on others’ ideas. And it’s a terrific way to get people engaged BEFORE they come into a brainstorming session.
Yes, it makes me nervous. But it’s inevitable. So I will adapt to it and use it myself.
Online Idea Generation and the Wow! Factor.
As someone who has facilitated idea generation sessions (flipcharts, markers, off-site locations, etc.) for over 20 years, I’ve been watching and to some extent worrying about the development of online idea generation tools for several years now. Will face-to-face idea generation become extinct? Will clients see that they can get the same level of creativity from online sessions at a dramatically lower cost? Will I become the buggy whip of the innovation world? Yikes!
But..no worries. So far, most clients have seemed disinterested in online tools. Or they’ve tried them and found them lacking. “I want something that explodes in the room! Something that makes me feel like ‘I’ve gotta have it!” said a guy from a money management firm. A market researcher from a consumer product company told me, “We’re going the other way. More face to face to get people engaged.”
Among those who have tried online tools the biggest complaint I heard was that there’s ‘No Jim Ferry, no one to stimulate our thinking. It’s really just an elaborate communications tool. Boring.“ Whew! I thought.
But…now along comes this new version of Idealyst. Oh-oh, I say. I’ve been working with AMS to put creativity stimulation into its idea generation tool. It definitely has that Wow! Factor. Nice graphics. Easy to use. Stimulating.
I still think people will want the face to face element. That’s one of the more enjoyable (but sometimes frustrating) side benefits of business- the interaction with team members.
But I see Idealyst as a really nice complement to face to face. It allows people who can’t be in the room to add their ideas and build on others’ ideas. And it’s a terrific way to get people engaged BEFORE they come into a brainstorming session.
Yes, it makes me nervous. But it’s inevitable. So I will adapt to it and use it myself.
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