An innovation circle is the formation of a group of workers who sit together to investigate, analyze, and find innovative ways of solving the problems in an organization using several problem-solving tools and processes.
Therefore, for a significant and productive innovation to occur in your organization, you need visionary thinkers, strategic planners, talented practitioners, and fast-acting project managers.
Bringing that group of employees together is a more intelligent way to create an innovation team and also align their mission and goals.
In creating this innovation circle, you’d be bringing together the brightest minds and most talented leaders with experience from the world’s foremost experts in innovation management.
After an intensive lecture, defining the nature and size of your challenge, the team plunges into a comprehensive, individualized examination of their strengths and weaknesses in innovation potential, and are compared to thousands of other innovators from around the world.
All these are laid out in detail in a report that offers concrete recommendations on potential solutions that your organization can use to improve its innovation strategy, leadership, culture, and capabilities.
In the end, your Innovation circle will come up with solutions on:
- How to minimize project risks and identify developing opportunities
- Where to put in resources to achieve a balanced innovation portfolio
- The ideas you can bring to market faster with greater confidence
Because of its intensity of focus, the Innovation Circle is the most preferred method of C-suites, cross-industry, non-profit councils, and government agencies.
Innovation Circles also serve as a way for professional service organizations, like law firms, to profile themselves more acutely and reach more clients at the same time.
The innovation circle can also take your group to the next level when a keynote address or breakout session isn’t well targeted. It is also the ideal format for entrepreneurial teams with top stagnant business models.
With an innovation circle, your organization’s culture for breakthrough thinking will be strengthened, and also foster a productive team dynamics and trust. There’s no limit to the challenges you can solve with your Innovation circle.
The Three Innovation Circles
Step 1: First Innovation Circle
In the first Innovation Circle, the members will answer questions via a link before meeting to assess the organization’s innovation profile. After the meeting, the results will be measured against an extensive database built with data from thousands of other companies.
The members in the first circle start with a brief inspirational lecture that uses artefacts, figures, and interactive media. After the lecture, the members are further divided into smaller workgroups.
The innovation leader facilitates a focused discussion based on the results. Then, the similarities and differences in outcomes are explored with intense thinking and insights into the implications.
Before concluding, the Innovation leader will guide the members through their own personalized set of innovative ideas. Every member will choose the actions they intend to carry out differently.
Step 2: Insight Innovation Circle
In this step, every member brings their innovation profile. Based on the insights from the first innovation circle, the leader recaps reflects and curates group discussions.
Every member gets a ‘ask and tell’ card, and explores their ideas within a group setting. Then, the members are coached around the different models of innovation.
Specific training is available based on the groups’ general needs — for example, ideation, prototyping, portfolio management, etc. Finally, all work is linked back to the individual innovation profiles.
Step 3: Deep Innovation Circle
Every member brings their innovation profiles from the first Innovation circle and action plans from the insights innovation circle.
Members draw inspiration through examples and theories about creating better innovation inside organizations.
Exercises introduce new concepts and discussion topics:
- Design principles, operation models, and KPIs.
- Team composition and personas.
- Team and persona exercises.
Identify personas in your organization, design teams, and an operational model for your organization. Reflect and discuss your action plan outcome. Find the next steps for creating innovation in your organization around leadership, team, personas, culture, capabilities, competencies, and operational model.
Remember, an innovation circle can be the most useful tool for solving the toughest challenges in your organization. In today’s fast-moving world, it’s of utmost importance to have a significant and productive innovation to occur in your organization. For professional advice and information, visit our website.
