What Is An Innovation Challenge?

What:

An innovation challenge is a strategic method used by organizations to solicit breakthrough ideas and solutions. It usually has a specific focus or problem to solve, and invites participants (often employees, but can include customers, partners, or the general public) to propose innovative ideas to address it. In Acclaim Ideas, this is closely aligned with what we term a 'Campaign'.

Why:

Innovation challenges are powerful tools for stimulating creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, thereby facilitating the discovery of novel approaches and solutions to pressing issues. They create an environment that encourages collaboration, and can harness the collective intelligence of a diverse group to solve complex problems.

How:

While the specifics may vary, the general steps in running an innovation challenge include:

Identify the Challenge: Define a problem or area for innovation that aligns with your organization's strategic objectives.
Launch the Challenge: Announce the challenge to your desired audience (employees, partners, etc.) with clear instructions and guidelines on how to participate.
Collect Ideas: Allow for a certain time frame for participants to submit their ideas.
Review and Evaluate: Once the submission period is over, review the ideas received and evaluate them based on their feasibility, relevance, and potential impact.
Implement: Select winning ideas and plan for their development and implementation.

Best Practices:

Clear communication about the goals, guidelines, and timelines of the challenge is key to its success.

Providing incentives or recognition can encourage participation.

Ensure a transparent and fair process for evaluating and implementing ideas.

To write an innovation challenge, describe the problem you're trying to solve. What would you like to accomplish?

Decide what kind of solution you're looking for. This can be anything from a new product or service, a new process, or a new way of working.

Notes: