Innovation Days

Most companies are optimized to execute and solve a stated problem. But as they strive for disruptive innovation, they must find new ways to inject and scale creativity across their organizations.

Companies need to create an original wave of innovation and build momentum by getting their teams familiar with effective, fast, repeatable processes that solve complex business problems and boost creativity.

And also to:
⚡︎Unleash people's full creative energies
⚡︎Change mindsets
⚡︎Spark grassroots innovation
⚡︎Break the silos & learn how to collaborate effectively
⚡︎Find new ideas to complex problems

All types and sizes, across industries, from New York Times who hosts the "Maker Week" an annual tradition where employees are given the freedom to step away from their normal responsibilities and work on self-directed projects
to
the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event -European Research and Innovation Days- bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

1) Define the why. Why are you running this event? Why should employees be excited and care? How are you going to use the results?

2) Focus on solving real, well-defined problems.

3) Build teams that have diverse skills, knowledge, and experiences.

4) Enable the voice of the employee through inclusive, collaborative processes. The problem-solving framework or method you'll choose needs to be clear, easy to adopt and use, and provide your teams with the ability to replicate the results consistently (tools like Playbooks, Replay Reports, Templates, Guides are a must).

5) Have clear timelines and stick to the schedule.

6) Keep your stakeholders engaged. The best way to ensure stakeholder support and engagement is to involve them in defining and prioritizing the challenges at the beginning and in evaluating the solutions created by the teams at the end.