Successful Organizations Continually Innovate and Use Diverse Methods

Innovation is not easy. Many companies fail because they are not continually innovating or they take a very myopic approach to innovation.

We believe the keys to success are to

· Be expansive - get external expertise, as well as internal

· Be inclusive - the more diverse perspectives you gather, the greater the insights and the better you can measure or reduce your risk.

· Keep going - When inspiration isn’t coming from what your are doing, don’t assume there isn’t any.

Different approaches derive different results. The important thing is to be proactive and always looking forward.

Here are ways we collaborate with organizations to drive new thinking.

INSIGHT TOURS - Insight Tours fuel the innovation process internally for organizations by gaining insights into best practices of other successful businesses. They create exposure to US or international cross-industry leaders to inform a challenge or improve operations and processes. This exclusive, in-person experience allows two organizations to learn form each other by sharing what is working, as well as their key challenges based on a specific topic. Read more about Innovation Summits.

SCOUTING - Scouting is a way of finding appropriate technology, acquisitions, or processes through the development and use of trained specialists focused on identifying specific opportunities outside the company. Scouting can be structured in a variety of ways. An internal Scouting team allows organizations to leverage existing resources to build external awareness, reducing the cost of investment and supporting an organization’s growth strategy. Read more about Start-up Scouting.

GLOBAL RESEARCH: Listening Posts – This is a great way to broaden organizational awareness and preparation for the future. This research can ultimately inform the executive management’s growth strategy plan by better understanding global trends that may impact their future business. Through this diverse perspective, organizations gain a better understanding of potential market influencers, raising awareness about consumer behavior and helping to mitigate their investment risks. Read more about how Intersection uses Listening Posts as an innovation methodology.

INNOVATION SUMMIT: A Human-Centered Design Innovation Summit gathers select, cross-disciplinary industry experts and internal stakeholders to develop new ideas and work on company challenges. It sends a positive message internally and externally that your organization is thinking proactively about the future of its products, services and employees. Read more about Innovation Summits.

SPRINTS are a popular way to learn the Human-Centered Design framework with stakeholders by rallying around a specific organizational or market challenge. SPRINTs are concentrated bursts of Design Thinking activities, typically taking place over a five-day time span or a couple of weeks. SPRINTS are excellent for energizing teams, building excitement around Design Thinking, and providing shareable “quick wins” and tangible proof-points, which can be leveraged into larger projects or requests for further investment. SPRINTs also serve as a great way to re-energize groups at critical stages and quickly address priority issues. Read more about Sprints.

HCDi™ Human-Centered Design Innovation - Many organizations generate a lot of concepts through design thinking, but don’t know how to manage all these great ideas. HCDi™ is a foundational innovation framework, which provides a structure to prioritize and manage an innovation portfolio achieved from Human-Centered Design Thinking activities and measure their results. Read more about HCDi™

So you want to innovate? We can help. Contact us