Why do I Need KN3W IDEAS?

You wouldn’t make the most important decisions in your life with a crystal ball, yet so many businesses still rely on brainstorming to generate new products, new services or new business ideas. Start with a brainstormed idea and you have a 50% chance of failure. That is why you need KN3W IDEAS. Unlike typical brainstorming, KN3W IDEAS’ unique problem-led technique does not start with an idea, but starts with a problem. Then instead of suspending judgement and generating 100’s of ideas, KN3W IDEAS uses a systematic problem solving technique to solve the right problem with the right, unique and ownable idea.

Conventional ‘innovation wisdom’ suggests the more innovation projects an organisation works on, the greater the number of successful innovations. While that might be true, the reality is, it is also true that the more innovation projects you work on the more will also fail, wasting valuable human and financial capital, and leaving less resources to work on the ones that will succeed.

Amazingly, about half of all research and development is spent on ideas that fail before or soon after they are commercialised. Why? Incredibly, often not because the technology failed, but because the idea was wrong. The best research and development cannot turn the wrong idea into a successful commercial product or service.

Why do organisations work on so many ideas that are wrong before they start?

1. Too often...we have the idea before we really understand the problem it will solve

Much of the time, organisations are so busy thinking about what to do next they simply forget that the measure of success is driven by their ability to solve the problems of their customer. Making assumptions, picking too many ideas and jumping to conclusions without a) looking at the real issues and problems, b) looking at them from another point-of-view, and c) considering who else is involved and whose actions could help solve the issues, will almost always lead to picking the wrong things to do.

2. We use the same old ways of thinking and wonder why we end up with the same old ideas

Human nature tells us that if it worked a certain way before it will work again. That‘s ok if you want the same outcome again, but it won’t give you breakthrough results. Business thinking is so often trapped by sets of rules and beliefs as to the way things work. As individuals we are also limited by our own knowledge and experiences - Fixedness.

3. We fail to harness the innovative power of the whole organisation

We tend to rely too much on our own thinking - trusting our own judgement more than others - often for very valid reasons. Group thinking techniques, like brainstorming, are frequently distorted by laziness, personal agenda and politics. Time and time again, the best minds in a business are marginalised by the extroverts. Some people are reluctant to really open up for fear of losing their ideas, and not being recognised for their contributions.

That is why KN3W IDEAS;

1. Starts with a problem not an idea

KN3W IDEAS gets you focused on solving the right problems, the Problems of the Customer, through a unique problem-led technique that helps identify the issues people are most motivated to solve.

2. Uses unique thinking for unique ideas

Recognising the inherent weakness of brainstorming, KN3W IDEAS uses systematic thinking to avoid fixed thinking based on existing paradigms, preconceptions and prejudices. KN3W IDEAS uses triggers or operators to generate better, more unique ideas for your business.

• Fixedness - It's All in the Mind
• Brainstorming - a Natural Disaster

3. Uses the whole organisation's brain

KN3W IDEAS unlocks your whole organisation’s brain through its collaborative methodology designed to encourage teamwork while providing individual thinking space using a set of patent-pending templates and tools.

• Teamwork
• Belbin Team Roles