WHY A SPECIALIST?
Specialists know how. That’s why they’re always the first people to call when there’s an important task that needs to be expertly dealt with. The exact same rule applies to people you call to conduct an Innovation Workshop.
At I-8ighty6ix, we’re specialists and our one-stop, all-inclusive approach to Innovation Workshops can be quickly adapted to meet a multitude of business needs and objectives, such as:
We work in virtual, in-person, or hybrid formats. Everything customized to suit a client’s specific needs. Everything designed to help generate an extensive range of innovative, cutting-edge ideas.
Let us lead your next Innovation Workshop
The design and execution of every Innovation Workshop is artfully crafted and meticulously executed so that it realizes its potential and meets established goals.
We identify internal and external participants, determine their respective roles and responsibilities, and assign them to teams.
Establish the focus for idea generation including what is in and out of scope.
Recommend an optimal in-person and/or online idea generation venue or environment.
Agree on the optimal scheduling for the Workshop, including the preparation of a detailed agenda.
Design and create idea generation materials and exercises, including participant homework assignment, visual stimulus materials for the Workshop, and a mix of exercises that will stimulate different types of ideas.
In many cases, we may recommend the inclusion of our Creative Catalysts – lateral thinkers that steer Innovation Workshop participants to think in ways that are not intuitive, predictable or obvious.
Importantly, we realize that collaboration with the client is at the cornerstone of Innovation Workshop planning to ensure alignment in purpose, approach and desired outcome.
We have found that the following 5 principles are critical to the design of every Innovation Workshop:
1 Learn from the past
Systematically build on previous innovation Workshop efforts by utilizing what has worked and eliminating what has gotten in the way.
2 One size never fits all
Every client brings different needs, objectives, history, experiences and challenges to each Innovation Workshop, and these all need to be taken into account when designing the optimal approach so as to achieve the desired outcome.
3 Know the “pillars” of the marketplace
Our Innovation Workshop approach begins with an understanding of the four pillars of the marketplace: a) unmet consumer wants and needs; b) competitive offerings; c) client company/brand capabilities and competencies; and, d) key trends within the category and across popular culture.
4 Ensure a diversity of people & perspectives
Invite people to participate in the Innovation Workshop that have a diversity of backgrounds, varying skill-sets, work in a variety of functional areas, and are at different levels within the company hierarchy. At the same time, include a mix of individuals that are strong at identifying problems, coming up with and conceptualizing solutions, or that excel at building and expanding on ideas and concepts.
5 A balanced pipeline
Always strive for an Innovation Workshop that generates a large pipeline of new ideas and concepts that provides for a wide range of innovation - from incremental concepts to category breakthrough ideas that may even lead to transformative or disruptive ideas for future consideration.