You’re on a road and have lost your way. What’s the best thing to do? Simple! Ask for directions. Well, it’s not as simple as it sounds. You need to find a person who knows the way, and also need to ask the right question. Otherwise, you’ll end up going down the wrong road again.

The open innovation scenario is somewhat similar. Many companies have jumped on the open innovation bandwagon but find their efforts going down the wrong track—reaping only incremental innovations at best. Ever wonder why your efforts don’t generate breakthroughs?

Well, the Board has the answer. Here are 2 things Research needs to implement to generate truly breakthrough ideas from open innovation:

• Recruit exceptional talent: Some people believe that including a large number of participants would increase their chances of generating breakthrough ideas. However, innovation is not a numbers game. It doesn’t matter how many participants you reach out to, rather it’s the quality of talent that matters. You should restrict the range of participants to select few individuals/firms, such as lead users and subject matter experts, who have the potential to see beyond the average.
• Ask specific questions: Presenting broad topics and expecting pointed ideas is like asking for the moon. Participants feel directionless when they are asked open-ended questions and therefore end up giving average inputs. You need to give them specific topics/questions to focus on in order to generate valuable responses.

MREB members, learn more about this targeted open innovation for generating breakthroughs and how you can facilitate internal stakeholders and external participants to work together.