Does your organization repeatedly gravitate toward comfortable ideas when you are assessing possible innovations? If that’s the case, try an alternative prioritization strategy, one that can help you break the cycle of safe innovation.
It’s a typical four-box prioritization grid, but with a twist to lead to productive strategic conversations.
Having your group prioritize ideas in this way opens up new areas of strategic discussion on tendencies you have to prefer familiar, non-innovative ideas.
Here's how to set up the strategic conversations on the varying ideas:
The key with uncomfortable ideas is getting to the heart of the innovation discomfort. Is it because there are significant flaws in the idea, or is it really because the idea is new, challenging, and unfamiliar?
If it’s the latter, that’s often a clear sign that the idea could yield tremendous potential for customers who aren’t part of the inertia inside a company that thwarts developing new products and services.
Try this approach and see what it does to move your group toward innovative possibilities that represent more dramatic market changes and impacts. - Mike Brown