The role of research professionals is evolving. No longer just responsible for gathering consumer insights, they now play a strategic role in innovation. This shift often involves leading product and positioning innovation sessions, where we partner with clients to present relevant insights and guide innovation brainstorming and idea prioritization.
At Murphy Research, we’ve been conducting these sessions for years, helping answer questions like: How do we best design a new product for an emerging target? and How can we position an existing product for maximum potential? and We know we have the right idea, but how can we reimagine a failing product after we have identified what to solve for?
During the COVID pandemic, brands shifted their focus to solving supply chain issues. With high demand and limited supply, many companies raised prices without introducing new innovations. Now, consumers are facing inflation and questioning the value of goods and services, while brands grapple with empty innovation pipelines.
This mismatch of consumer held value perceptions and lack of product innovation at the shelf demands a solution, however, many of us haven’t flexed our creative and strategic innovation muscles in a while.
Recently, we conducted an innovation session with a category-dominant CPG brand, which got us thinking: What does it take to facilitate a successful innovation process? While every innovation project requires a unique approach, there are a few key building blocks that can help you become the superhero of your next innovation workshop.
The Setup: Preparing for a Successful Innovation Series
Setting the stage for success starts with two key principles. First, everyone involved needs to be aligned on the core issues being solved. While the creative process thrives in a judgment-free environment, ideas must be grounded in the project’s context to ensure the success of the workshop.
Second, there must be firm commitment to the process. This means not only advocating for the final solutions but also being fully present during the sessions. Both organizational and individual commitment are critical to ensure the success of the workshop.
The Players: Choosing the Right Participants for an Effective Innovation Process
Getting the right 8-10 people in the room is paramount for success. You need a balanced team with a mix of subject matter expertise, functional responsibilities, and energy levels. It’s also important to have team members who bring different perspectives on the problem and available resources.
Introducing outside participants – such as independent moderators, subject matter experts, creative consumers, or even copywriters and illustrators – can provide fresh insights.
Bringing in outside players can also introduce a unique perspective. These external participants often bring new energy or curiosity, which can be refreshing for teams that have been immersed in the brand or topic for a long time.
However, just having the right people in the room isn’t enough to guarantee success. You also have to properly set the stage and create an environment that supports focus and creativity. A telltale sign of a doomed innovation session is a room full of well-intentioned team members who announce things like, “I have to step out for a meeting at 11:00” or “I am waiting for a call.”
So, how do you mitigate distraction and force commitment?
The Buy-In: Keeping Engagement High in Innovation Workshops
One way to enhance focus is by changing the field of play. Can you move the session off-site? If not, consider a simple shift in location within the office, such as moving to a different floor, going outside, or adding relevant visuals to the room. Changing the setting encourages people to disconnect from their daily responsibilities. If you can move off-site, it’s even harder for participants to slip in and out of the conversation to engage in other tasks. Simply relocating can signal the importance of the event and encourages greater engagement.
Another key component to maintaining engagement is enforcing a no-technology policy. Innovation sessions are about opening creative channels and staying in the moment to focus on the innovation process. The constant interruptions of emails, calls, and Slack messages can derail the entire creative process. If connection is necessary, try to limit it to scheduled breaks.
The Content: Creating a Focused Innovation Session Agenda
Once the team is assembled, phones are off, and schedules are clear, what should you talk about?
Every innovation session agenda is unique, but it should always have two core pillars: production and reduction.
The first half of the session – production – is what most insights professionals think of when it comes to innovation. This is where brainstorming and the free flow of ideas happen. But the second half – reduction – is equally, if not more, important. After allowing the group to be expansive with their ideas, there needs to be a structured process to narrow down and prioritize ideas. The goal is to leave the session with actionable, relevant concepts that can be moved through the organization’s stage-gate process for further development.
From Ideas to Action: Activating Innovation
What happens after the session is just as important as what happens during it. The key to successful activation lies in systematic testing and ongoing optimization of the finalized innovation ideas. Over time, it’s crucial to measure and track the results from these innovation sessions to prove their value and encourage continuous use of the process.
We’ve seen clients achieve measurable growth by implementing a structured innovation process that includes both creativity and strategic follow-up. Systematic testing allows the organization to tweak and refine ideas, ensuring that innovation drives real business impact.
Conclusion
Want to dive deeper into mastering innovation? Listen to the most recent episode of our Key Takeaways podcast, where special guest Stephen Holmberg joins Chuck Murphy and Maggie Bright for an insightful discussion on lessons learned from our innovation session highs and lows!