Perhaps you are thinking about whether to start your own business and say goodbye to your home firm, or plan to excel at the next management meeting. Either way, you always need one crucial thing - ideas. The Open Forum website looked for generators of innovative ideas and a recent article resulted in the following tips:
1. Visit a museum
Art museums gather experiences and knowledge from around the world and capture them in a new form expressing human experience and potential. As a result, they become quite unexpected places where historical reality interferes with new ideas. According to Eric Dhawan, the consultant and speaker, this is why many companies such as Apple arrange their facilities like art museums. Staff can discover new ways of thinking and new perspectives when surrounded by art.
2. Give employees power
Entrust employees with certain responsibilities to give them space for self-expression. Almost every company has some form of "suggestion box". However, it is even better for your people to be encouraged to channel their efforts into finding solutions that will help the company/customers and is within the responsibility of the employee. Thanks to this policy, following discussions will focus directly on action-oriented solutions, not just ideas.
3. Drive
According to Joel Yanawitze, the co-founder of Innovation Associates Inc., it is very important to listen consciously to the thoughts that gather when you are doing daily routine activities such as driving, exercising, or showering.
4. Shop
A visit to the supermarket, pharmacy or drugstore bores many of us, even if it does not have to. It does not matter whether you do business in services or trading with goods. Surrounded by various shapes, sizes, colours, and marketing as well as the services provided, you will be better able to think about the new context. Ask yourself: How could this product be simplified? Why this process does not work smoothly?
5. Do not be lazy
Convenience does not stimulate thinking about new ideas. If we have a sense of simplicity, safety and comfort, then there is no reason to think about what could be better. Therefore, in order to think "out of the box", you have to leave the convenient imaginary "box" and search for discomfort.
Do you have any of your own tips about where to find new ideas?
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