Kick-start Idea Generation to Catalyze Innovation

Innovative ideas are the fuel of success. But how do you encourage an ongoing stream of game-changing concepts within your organization? 

In this article, we delve into strategies for kick-starting idea generation at your company, exploring the power of idea management, inclusivity, rewards, and the role a digital tool can play in creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation.

Idea Generation - Definition

Idea generation, the cornerstone of innovation, represents the process of coming up with novel and implementable ideas that have the potential to drive growth. 

This process can be constant or punctual depending on your organization's culture of innovation. A company with an open culture of innovation encourages continuous idea generation. Meanwhile, punctual idea generation becomes imperative when responding to a specific problem and identifying its solution.

Regardless of their job title, department, or tenure, everyone has the potential to be a source of new ideas. As the ability to generate ideas is universal, one way that organizations can foster a diverse array of thoughts and solutions — which is what catalyzes the kind of innovation that propels companies forward — is through inclusive ideation. 

According to research from Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD): "The number of distinct ideas generated also influences the quality of the selected subset." In other words, the quantity of ideas generated impacts the quality of the best ideas chosen.

For example, imagine selecting the five tallest people from a city of 1,000,000 people and comparing them to the five tallest people from a city of just 1,000 people. The chances are that the tallest individuals from the larger city will be taller than those from the smaller one. Hence, a large pool of ideas significantly increases the likelihood of uncovering game-changing concepts.

Yet, idea generation and implementation present considerable challenges in the idea lifecycle. These stages cannot be automated and require a significant individual and collective effort. Creativity and motivation are two critical factors that fuel idea generation. These factors, though individually dependent, are also strongly influenced by the overall company culture.

Navigating the challenges of idea generation and meeting your organization's goals may seem complex, but it's not impossible. In this article, we'll delve into some methods that can stimulate a fertile environment for idea generation in your business.

Also read: Idea Validation: How To Test Your Business and Product Ideas

Idea Generation Strategies at the Level of an Organization

To foster an environment conducive to idea generation, businesses must adopt strategic approaches that stimulate creativity and engagement. Key strategies involve promoting continuous innovation, rewarding idea contributions, and ensuring psychological safety.

Promote open and continuous innovation in your company

Renowned firms like Google and Apple, or companies practicing idea meritocracy, have demonstrated that having innovation ingrained in your company's DNA inspires employees to generate more and better ideas. 

However, there's more to fostering such a culture than just talking about it — you've got to live it. Leaders should embody this mindset and consistently communicate it across the organization.

Activities such as ideation sessions and incorporating innovation into speeches can also reinforce this culture.

Innovation also thrives on diversity and inclusivity. Encouraging diverse ideas and ensuring everyone feels welcome to contribute is integral to creating an innovative culture.

As innovation becomes entrenched in company culture, employees will naturally engage in more idea-centric conversations, leading to high-quality idea generation.

‍A study by Harvard Business School found that "conversations that individuals have with peers play an important role in idea generation." This reinforces the importance of fostering an environment where ideas are continually shared, discussed, and developed. 

Also read: Keys for Enabling Blue Sky Thinking in Your Business

Reward contributors for their ideas

Rewards also play a significant role in fueling motivation and engagement, driving individuals to generate and share more ideas. However, in order to implement a reward system effectively, you may need more than just an old-fashioned suggestion box.

A transparent system to track ideas and their contributors is essential. With a system that identifies and acknowledges the individuals behind the ideas, you can motivate employees to actively participate in idea generation.

The concept of rewarding contributors is not just about incentivizing idea generation. It's about creating an environment where ideas are recognized, valued, and celebrated.

Also read: How Idea Crowdsourcing Really Works

Promote psychological safety at work

Psychological safety is fundamental for effective idea generation — without it, the best ideas may go unheard if they belong to less confident employees that don't feel safe sharing them. 

With this in mind, it's crucial to ensure that people feel comfortable proposing their ideas and are confident they’ll be heard within a group.

Essentially, creating an atmosphere of psychological safety requires a system where employees can freely suggest ideas and receive constructive feedback. But, thanks to digital idea management tools such as Ideanote, this hybrid approach can be employed outside of ideation sessions as well.

Modern idea management systems allow individuals to express their ideas confidently and open a space for others to contribute to the ideation process through feedback. By encouraging this dynamic exchange, businesses can nurture a psychologically safe environment that fosters continuous and effective idea generation.

Also read: The 10 Best Crowdsourcing Tools on The Market

How to Generate More Ideas with a Digital Idea Generation System

An ideal way to incorporate the idea generation strategies we’ve discussed is to adopt a digital solution for idea generation — namely, an idea management tool. Going digital allows companies to:

• Foster a continuous, inclusive idea generation framework
• Transparently track ideas and reward contributors
• Alleviate the "fear of evaluation" by promoting a relaxed process, even offering anonymous suggestions if needed
• Facilitate individual idea generation and collective progress through feedback features

The advantages don't stop there. Having a digital system can also help:

• Measure participation and impact, ensuring fair recognition and incentives
• Prevent unethical behavior or idea manipulation
• Streamline idea management, accelerate idea implementation, idea collection, and boost motivation

In essence, a digital tool helps engrain idea generation into your company's day-to-day, leading to an influx of ideas and improving the odds of discovering genius concepts. 

Coupling a digital idea generation system with ideation sessions that target specific problems sets the stage for a universally innovative mindset. This blend of continuous and focused idea generation can help foster an innovation-led culture and drive growth.

Also read: Idea Evaluation Process & Criteria to Select the Right Business Ideas