Brainstorming Sessions Are Great. What Comes Next Matters Too

How important are brainstorming sessions with your employees to gather and capture their ideas? Today’s TIP OF THE WEEK comes from Dr. Evans Baiya, the co-author of “The Innovator’s Advantage” and cocreator of The Innovator’s Advantage Academy, a detailed step-by-step innovation training.

In the article Brainstorm sessions are great. But what comes next is what really matters, he explains what happens after a productive brainstorming session depends on how you organize, develop, and prioritize all those ideas. His innovation strategy has a 7-point action plan. He accentuates his step-by-step innovation training with a process of capturing and evaluating ideas in the following areas:

• •  GENERATE IDEAS
  •  CAPTURE IDEAS
  •  DISCUSS IDEAS
  •  IMPROVE IDEAS
  •  ORGANIZE IDEAS
  •  EVALUATE IDEAS
  •  PRIORITIZE IDEAS

He brings the point home by stating that you can think of innovation as an economy of sorts—one that is tied to creating value.  This is why ideas are critical for company growth and survival.

Ideas are critical for company growth and survival

The key is involving employees, notes Baiya. Employees will always be more engaged in innovation and idea management when they know their ideas will actually be heard and put to use. He explains that creating an Idea Portfolio helps business owners to clearly see the value of one idea versus another.

With these seven steps, you and your team can create exponential value from ideas, grow an innovation economy, and master idea management. According to Baiya, your ideas are ready for action and you can master idea management—and, in turn, master successful innovation. By the end of the article, you’re left with the belief that change is possible on any level, and brainstorming helps process, capture, and evaluate ideas critical for company growth and survival.

Brainstorm sessions are great. But what comes next is what really matters