Innovation Dream Team
Innovating takes teamwork. Properly selected teams using a facilitated systematic method will outperform ad hoc teams using divergent, less structured methods such as brainstorming. How do you create the “dream team” for an innovation project? There are three key factors: team roles, diversity, and processes.
Roles
A carefully selected team for innovation will have specific roles that can make or break it, not just during the innovation sessions, but afterward too. The most essential role, not surprising, is the leader. The team “captain” is the one who gives momentum and direction to a team in terms of where it will innovate. Here is the catch. The team leader must be a full participant in the innovation workshops. The leader cannot be an occasional, part time member who surfs in and out while attending other business. That shows a lack of commitment. The leader misses opportunities to reward team members and misses the sense of team direction and excitement around new ideas. The leader also plays an essential role of being the “brakes”of the group – stopping ideas that he or she knows do not fit the vision of the franchise or company. This prevents teams from wasting time on weak ideas so they can channel their ideation in more productive areas.