Collaborating to Generate Creative Solutions

The WORK stage of the Innovation Funnel is where the magic of collaboration and creativity comes to life. After deeply understanding the problem during the LEARN phase, participants now come together to explore possibilities and generate solutions. This stage emphasizes teamwork, imagination, and structured ideation to ensure that innovative and actionable solutions are developed.

The WORK stage builds on the insights gained earlier, using them as a springboard for creativity. This phase drives the innovation process forward in meaningful ways by creating a space where participants feel empowered to share ideas and challenge assumptions.

The Purpose of WORK

The primary objective of the WORK stage is to harness the collective creativity of the group to develop potential solutions to the problem. This stage fosters a collaborative environment where ideas can be freely shared, expanded upon, and refined. Specifically, the WORK stage aims to:

• Encourage Diverse Perspectives: The WORK stage ensures that a broad range of ideas is considered by bringing together people with different backgrounds, experiences, and expertise.
• Generate Multiple Ideas: Teams work to produce a variety of potential solutions, embracing quantity to increase the likelihood of uncovering innovative approaches.
• Lay the Groundwork for Prototyping: The best ideas from this stage will move forward into the DEVELOP phase, where they will be refined and tested.

This phase is critical for setting the direction of the innovation process, ensuring that the solutions being developed align with the problem identified earlier.

Activities in the WORK Stage

The WORK stage includes a series of design thinking workshops where participants actively engage in creative problem-solving. These activities are structured to foster collaboration, innovation, and actionable outcomes. Key activities include:

• Presentation of Problem Statements: Participants are presented with a clear problem statement derived from the previous stages. They are encouraged to refine or modify it to reflect their unique points of view and ensure alignment with their understanding.
• Design Thinking Workshops: Participants execute the design thinking process to ideate, iterate, and develop solutions. These workshops include hands-on activities that leverage insights gained in the LEARN stage.
• Lo-Fi Prototyping: Teams create low-fidelity prototypes to test their ideas in a tangible form. These prototypes allow participants to quickly evaluate concepts and gather feedback.
• Evaluation by Participants and Stakeholders: Prototypes are reviewed and assessed by other participants and key stakeholders. Feedback focuses on the feasibility, desirability, viability, and potential impact of each idea.
• Real-Time Data Analysis: Data collected during the evaluations is analyzed to identify trends and insights. This process ensures transparency and guides the selection of concepts to move forward.

These structured activities ensure that the solutions generated are well-informed, creative, and primed for refinement in the DEVELOP stage.

Key Deliverables

By the end of the WORK stage, participants produce tangible outcomes that set the foundation for successful prototyping and development. Key deliverables include:

• A Broad Set of Ideas: Workshops generate an array of creative solutions, reflecting diverse perspectives and approaches to the problem.
• Varying Problem Statements for Analysis: Participants refine or reinterpret the initial problem statement, resulting in multiple variations that can be analyzed to uncover the most compelling directions.
• Concept Prototypes: Teams develop low-fidelity prototypes for each concept, providing tangible representations of their ideas. These prototypes demonstrate potential functionality, usability, and impact, serving as tools for evaluation.
• Evaluation Data: Feedback collected during prototype reviews from participants and key stakeholders is synthesized into a data set. This data highlights which concepts are most feasible, desirable, viable, and impactful, guiding decisions on which ideas move forward.
• Prioritized Concepts: A shortlist of the most promising ideas, selected based on evaluation data and alignment with the problem statement.
• Sense of Community: One of the less tangible but equally important outcomes of the WORK stage is the sense of community that develops among participants. This shared purpose and collaboration foster a commitment that propels individuals and teams into the DEVELOP stage with enthusiasm and unity.

These deliverables ensure that the ideas being developed are innovative, practical, and supported by the collective insights and energy of the group.

Tips for Success in WORK

To maximize the impact of the WORK stage, participants and facilitators alike should adopt strategies that foster creativity, collaboration, and focus. Here are some tips to ensure success:

• Embrace Quantity Over Quality: Encourage teams to generate as many ideas as possible before refining them. The greater the volume of ideas, the higher the likelihood of uncovering innovative solutions.
• Suspend Judgment: Foster an environment where participants feel safe to share their thoughts without fear of criticism. Remind everyone that every idea has value, even if it doesn’t move forward immediately.
• Build on Each Other’s Ideas: Use the “Yes, and…” approach to expand on suggestions, encouraging participants to explore creative variations and new possibilities.
• Stay Anchored to the Problem Statement: Regularly revisit the problem statement to ensure that discussions and ideas remain relevant and aligned with the identified challenge.
• Encourage Bold Thinking: Inspire participants to think beyond traditional solutions. Challenge them to explore unconventional, high-risk, high-reward ideas that could yield transformative results.
• Document Everything: Capture all ideas, insights, and feedback, even those that seem less feasible. These can provide inspiration or alternative directions in later stages.
• Utilize Visual Tools: Encourage the use of sketches, diagrams, or digital tools to represent ideas visually. This can enhance understanding and foster more dynamic discussions.
• Maintain Momentum: Keep energy levels high by structuring activities with short, focused time frames. Celebrate small wins to motivate participants and sustain engagement.
• Foster a Sense of Ownership: Encourage participants to take pride in their contributions and see themselves as integral to the success of the project. This builds commitment and enthusiasm.
• Leverage Diverse Perspectives: Actively involve participants with different backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints. Diversity enriches the ideation process and leads to more robust solutions.
• Create Time for Reflection: Incorporate short pauses between activities for participants to process ideas, refine their thoughts, and revisit insights from earlier discussions.
• Evaluate and Iterate: Encourage teams to continually evaluate their ideas and refine them based on feedback. Iteration is key to developing strong concepts.

By following these tips, teams can create a vibrant, productive WORK stage that generates meaningful solutions while maintaining alignment with the goals of the Innovation Funnel.

What to Expect Moving Forward

With a robust set of ideas and prioritized solutions, your team is now ready to transition into the DEVELOP stage. In this phase, you will prototype and refine the ideas generated during WORK, bringing them closer to implementation.

If you have questions or need support navigating the WORK stage, please contact us. We’re here to help you succeed at every step of the Innovation Funnel.