Idea Crafting

Idea Crafting
Why do ideas need to be crafted?
crafting innovation together

Confidential © Crafitti Consulting Private Ltd. June 5, 2009 1

Typically, in an organization,
ideas come from various channels

Employees
(work) Business &
Competitors technology
strategy

Customers
and customer R&D
facing teams

Ideas
Partners,
Organizational
suppliers and
processes
collaborators


And these ideas may have various purposes . . .

(New )product ideas

New service
ideas

Brand building improvement
continuous
and marketing Ideas for
ideas


Ideas may also be

Serendipitous Orchestrated

OR


Organizations have some
processes to help ideas
reach their objectives


A few ideas
New product or service or business make it

model ideas –
A typical funnel and stage gate model

Many get
stuck midway

And most
lose steam
very early

Ideas The filtration The stage gate
(from various funnel process
channels) (based on (with evaluation
and decisions at
various various stages)
criteria)


Continuous improvement models
(these typically apply on the grass-roots processes and activities and
are aimed at gradual change)

(Deviations are bad!)

Standardize and
ensure repeatability

Six Sigma Focus on controlling
Reducing error and system parameters
deviations from the norm


The Technology and Intellectual Property value
chains

Trade secret

Idea Invention Intellectual
Property
Patent

Value

Exploit Protect


Clearly, at any given point in time there are several
different types of ideas being conceptualized,
implemented and pursued across various levels of
the organization

They have different purposes and different
rhythms

All of them contribute to the innovation
quotient of an organization

But a majority of the ideas die
or fall by the wayside

Why do our innovation processes not work
as well as we think they should?


Ideas are lonely

Several serendipitous
ideas may actually be

inherently
synchronous –
they can be combined


Ideas may be disconnected
from the larger context

As opposed to getting launched
Ideas end up making an
out of a context
emergency landing in a context


Filtration processes systematically
eliminate the outliers -
the ones that don’t fit into the
current and present

The outliers are actually
the real ideas!


We are used to

Logical thinking
Analytical thinking
Reductionist Approaches
Linear approaches Ideas and innovation are
by their very nature
which helps us to
Non-linear

Exploratory
converge
Divergent
narrow down
select
decide


Only live ideas can be productive

How to nurture ideas and keep them alive?
How to craft ideas?


Idea Crafting
IDEAS are those thoughts that bring in the genesis of change – many times fundamental.
These are thoughts that one doesn’t get in the regular run-of-the-mill thinking.

IDEAS can happen serendipitously in the human mind. They can happen at any time. They
can be fleeting glimpses of problem solutions, can be dreams of possible new
opportunities, can be new design structures or simply new experiences.

IDEAS don’t happen just like that. They come to prepared minds. Only prepared minds
can transform these thoughts into change. It requires ability to generate and execute at
the same time.

IDEAS need to be crafted through orchestrated immersion. Contrary to popular belief of
organizations having lots of ideas and “it is all about execution”, our experiences show
ideas need to be crafted through orchestrated immersion of minds that work inside and
with the enterprises.
Idea Crafting helps generate and build ideas that
become the genesis of change for large enterprises


In addition to Analytical and Logical Thinking
we need . . .

Inventive Thinking
(inventive triggers,
laws of evolution,
scenario building,
focus on function) Systems Thinking
Lean Thinking
(holistic approach,
(Value maximization,
global optima,
experimentation,
expanded and
learning approach,
connected system

elegance)
context)
LIST
(Lean
Inventive
Systems
Thinking)


Lean Inventive Systems Thinking
Powerful scientific structured
mechanisms to

Help individuals tap and
exploit their creative skills

Help teams synergize better and
exploit the non-linear energies of
brainstorming and set-based
concurrent approaches



Help teams and individuals

• Effectively diverge and converge
• Expand the context
• Explore non-linear paths
• Build future scenarios
• Generate truly novel ideas

• Connect ideas together
• Identify key value parameters
• Assess solutions in a structured
manner
• Take informed decisions



Help organizations craft their own
unique innovation processes that
are in sync with the overall
organizational culture and vision

There cannot be any cookie-cutter
solutions

One size doesn’t fit all!


The cogs of the organizational
innovation wheel
Ability to reach out to and utilize
external talent and people networks
More creativity and skill in
individuals and teams

More productive, reliable, more and better
efficient internal processes functionality
Seamless integration with Improved fit in
external ecosystem processes e.g. the ecosystem
the supply chain

Closer to
customer needs

For the wheel to move forward,
all cogs have to move
synchronously, in unison and
feed energy to each other

A question that often crops up . . .

Does this mean that in order for ideas to be effectively
crafted

We need to have all the systems and processes in place
All people trained on various frameworks, tools and techniques
Buy-in from top management across the organization

Before we can get started?

In effect, is it “all” or “none”?
Do we have to boil the ocean first?

The short answer is NO.


Embedding Innovation DNA in organizations
• Short cycle experiments

• Application of innovation frameworks to multiple contexts – ranging
from grass-roots project activities to business and technology strategy

• Small successes breed larger successes

• “Learning by doing” is the best way to inculcate innovative thinking

• Build unique organic perspectives on innovation and design innovation
processes accordingly

• Innovation buzz and conviction spreads faster sideways as opposed to
top down – internal word of mouth marketing works best (only possible
if real value is seen by the people using the innovation processes)

To help craft ideas in any context,
Crafitti uses a broad 3-stage process

• Explore
– Connect with the practitioners; understand the context
– Explore multiple perspectives and dimensions
– Come up with a customized approach (usage of frameworks)
• Engage
– Co-craft innovation in a “live” context using the customized approach

– Facilitate deep learning of the innovation frameworks through “learning by
doing”
• Empower
– Hand-hold to maximize the probability of success
– Set the context for future experimentation and application
– Create a cadre of minds prepared for idea crafting (for organic diffusion)


Idea Crafting for a Business Strategy and Growth Context -
Using the LIST framework in the Engage Phase

Creating
solution
execution
Generating strategies and
multiple novel roadmaps
and interesting
solution

directions
Finding the
right problem/
opportunity

Crafitti recently conducted a series of workshops for one of the world’s
leading data and content providers to generate new strategic directions and
roadmaps for one of their business units.

More than 30 senior associates came together over 4 days to generate more
than 300 ideas, later clustered into 5 key strategic initiatives.

Details of the Idea Crafting Process used in business
strategy and growth contexts
Solution Evaluation/
prioritization Set-based concurrent
•Key Value parameters approach
•Analytic Hierarchy Process
•Playing out scenarios SPOT
•Strategy
Converge Create Solution depth •Process
•Key Value Parameters •Clustering •Organization
•Prioritization using the •Resources and constraints •Technology
Analytic Hierarchy
Process Idea Explosion
•Inventive triggers Creating
Collect and connect •Scenario building
•Mind Maps •Brainstorming solution
•Clustering execution
•Dependency Analysis
Generating strategies and
roadmaps

Expand and explore the multiple novel
context
•Scenario building and interesting
•Space-time expansion solution
•Value Networks
directions
Finding the right
Crafitti recently conducted a series of workshops for one of the world’s
problem/ leading data and content providers to generate new strategic directions and
opportunity roadmaps for one of their business units.

More than 30 senior associates came together over 4 days to generate more
than 300 ideas, later clustered into 5 key strategic initiatives.

Crafitti looks forward to
active collaboration and help
craft ideas in multiple

innovation contexts.


Idea Crafting

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