Productive games in front-end
innovation and new product
development
• Presenter: Max Møller, Learning Lab
Denmark
• Co-author: Svend Ask Larsen (LLD)
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The Innovation Challenge
Exploring new directions means
• managing contradictions
• changing ways of managing innovation
• Existing tools and methods like portfolio
management and resource allocation do not
ensure strategic fit when ideas establish
completely new directions
2
The Cognitive Challenge
The Underlying Paradox:
• We know we are blind to some ideas
• We don’t recognise the limits of our vision
The Cognitive Challenge:
• Create awareness of limited points of view
• Develop ways of seeing from new
perspectives
3
Brainstorming
• Research is typically focused on
comparing nominal and real groups,
using simple problems, evaluating
number of ideas
• In innovation problems are complex and
require expert knowledge - the quality of
the idea is more important than the
quantity of ideas
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Games for Ideation
• Structuring the Process
•
To ensure openness and manage
frustrations
• Changing Perspectives
•
Getting innovative ideas involves reframing
knowledge
• Changing Roles and Social Rules
•
Allowing wild ideas and new perspectives
5
The Takeover
• A takeover forces players to rethink the
company’s existing competences
• Engaging interactive narrative – closely
related to reality
• Not a simulation game!
6
Objective and Learning Goals
• Deployment:
•
Workshop for 2-4 teams, 2 days
• Objective:
•
Create new ideas for products and services
• Learning Goals:
•
•
•
New understanding of the company
New understanding of innovation
New innovation methods and perspectives
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Preparation
Group A
Group D
Group C
Competencies
Group B
Negative Habits
Discussion of
Competencies +
negative habits
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New understanding
•
•
•
•
•
•
Look across alternative
industries
Look across strategic
groups within industries
Look across the chain of
buyers
Look across
complementary product
and service offerings
Look across functional or
emotional appeal to
buyers
Look across time
Methods/analysis
Idea development
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New Ideas
Idea development
Methods/analysis
Feedback on ideas
for new products
and services from
stakeholders
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Preparation for Final
Presentation
Evaluation Based on
Company’s
Competencies, Strategic
Position, Ressources...
• Focusing on organisational
•
•
Debriefing: What
could/should become
reality – and how?
•
•
Reflexive Evaluation:
Which methods and
processes are relevant?
fit, stakeholders, etc.
Possibly using methods
such as force field analysis
Evaluators play
stakeholders
Seamless progression to
debriefing
Splitting action and
reflection to keep focus
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Debriefing: What
could/should become
reality – and how?
Reflexive Evaluation:
Which methods and
processes are relevant?
12
Preparation for Final
Presentation
Evaluation Based on
Company’s
Competencies, Strategic
Position, Ressources...
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More info
• www.laboranova.eu
• www.learninggames.dk
• [email protected]
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