For the last several months I’ve been involved in a worldwide innovation project for a global corporation. Innovation as in thinking about how to come up with new ideas and ways for improving the variety of things a global company does from coming up with new products or services to reducing turnover. Rather than focus on one particular thing, teams are looking at a variety of issues. The project is based on ideas that came out of IDEO.
As I’ve watched the process…and progress…I’ve been amazed at the variety of creative ideas that have appeared. Most importantly, they’re not just new ways of doing things but are new ways of doing things that are relatively inexpensive and easy to implement but will still have a big impact on operations and financial results.
The process is guided by only three simple rules:
1. Get lots of different eyes involved: Bring in people with wildly differing backgrounds, educations, experiences and get them talking together continuously.
2. Look at the problem from the consumer’s viewpoint: Do detailed interviews and observations with those actually using the product or service and pay particular attention to the outliers.
3. Make everything tangible: Mock it up and try it out in the real world to see how people really react to it.
So simple to say. Luckily it also turns out to be simple to execute…but a lot of work.
Anyone can incorporate design thinking into their organization. The most difficult thing is keeping it simple and allowing your people’s creativity free reign. It’s not a free for all. There is a structure to keep the process moving and ensure things stay on track. But within this structure…the ideas flow and creativity flourishes.
What is it that bothers you about your organization? Slow product development? Poor customer service? Unending manufacturing glitches? Falling quality? Defecting employees…and customers?
Try design thinking and release the answers hiding all around you and your people.