Are you ready to take your business to the next level? PAUL SLOANE shares a valuable brainstorming exercise.
In the fast-paced and competitive world of business, innovation is not just a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Businesses must continually evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of customers, outpace competitors, and adapt to new market dynamics. One powerful method I use for generating innovative ideas is called Tri-Force Ideation.
It involves focusing on three key elements: strengths, values, and assumptions. This structured approach ensures the brainstorming process is comprehensive and aligned with the organisation’s core competencies and aspirations.
Building on strengths
The first step in this brainstorming process is to identify and leverage the key strengths of your business. Strengths are the areas where your organisation already excels.
By recognising these strengths, you create a foundation for generating ideas that can propel your business forward.
Identifying strengths: Begin by gathering your staff to list all the strengths that define the business. This might include advanced strategies you’ve developed, unique skills within your staff, extensive market reach, or a highly effective marketing strategy.
It’s important to be thorough in this exercise, as each strength represents a potential springboard for innovation.
Generating ideas: Once you have a comprehensive list of strengths, the next step is to brainstorm ideas that build on these strengths. For example, if your business has a robust technology platform, consider how you might expand its capabilities to create new products or services.
If your strength lies in marketing, consider innovative ways to reach new customer segments or enhance customer engagement.
The goal is to use each identified strength as a catalyst for innovation, ensuring that the ideas generated are creative and aligned with what your business does best.
Innovating through values
The second element of this brainstorming method focuses on your company’s values.
Values represent the principles and beliefs that guide your organisation, such as a commitment to customer service, diversity, employee growth, or even fostering a fun workplace culture.
These values are not just ethical guidelines; they can also be powerful sources of inspiration for innovation.
Identifying values: Start by listing the core values that your business embodies or aspires to. These could include a dedication to sustainability, a focus on employee well-being, or a commitment to continuous learning.
Values such as these not only define your business’ culture but also influence how you interact with customers, employees, and the broader community.
Generating ideas: For each value, brainstorm ways to innovate that are consistent with and enhance that value.
For example, if your company values diversity, you might develop new initiatives to foster inclusivity in your hiring practices or create products that cater to a more diverse customer base.
If customer service is a core value, consider innovative approaches to exceed customer expectations, such as personalised service offerings or new communication channels.
By aligning innovation with your company’s values, you ensure that the ideas generated resonate with both your internal staff and your external stakeholders.
Challenging assumptions
This brainstorming method’s third and final element involves challenging the fundamental assumptions underpinning your business.
Assumptions are the beliefs or expectations you have about your customers, markets, products, and competitors. While assumptions can provide a valuable framework for decision-making, they can also limit your ability to see new opportunities.
Identifying assumptions: Begin by listing the assumptions under which your business operates. These could be assumptions about customer preferences, the landscape, or the effectiveness of products or services.
It’s essential to be candid during this step, as identifying the assumptions that might be holding you back is crucial for innovation.
Challenging assumptions: For each assumption, ask, “What if this is not true?” or “What if this changes?”
Challenging these assumptions opens the door to new ways of thinking and innovative ideas.
Selecting and implementing
After generating a wealth of ideas through this structured brainstorming process, the next step is to select the most promising innovations. Evaluate the ideas based on feasibility, alignment with your business goals, and potential impact.
Once the best ideas have been selected, develop a clear plan for implementation and ensure that the necessary resources and support are in place.
