In our ideation training, we cover the fuzzy front end of innovation: we teach you a diversity of ideation methods (such as SIT, SCAMPER, design thinking, dark horsing, trend analysis, …), so you can apply the best of breed in your practice. Preferably, we let you practice the tools we teach in your firm’s context, effectively coming up with your ideas. You also get a workbook that steers participants forward in the ideation process. Typically we end the program with an idea pitch to senior management.
This training explains the origin and tooling of design thinking, from early need sensing to validation and experimentation of innovation ideas. We combine the transfer of tools typically with a case study on IDEO or Philips. Ultimately, we prefer you to apply the method to your own firm’s context and flow through the design thinking process with an idea for your firm.
This logic was pioneered by the late Clayton Christensen, who masterminded the term and theory on disruptive innovation. The basic idea is that we buy and consume products and services for the specific jobs they do for us. In principle, this idea goes back to the original thinking in marketing on the marketing concept, paraphrased popularly by Peter Drucker as “people do not buy a drill, they buy a hole in the wall”. Our training programs in this field explain this concept, teach you how to use the tooling associated with it, and exemplify usage by studying other cases. Participants are prompted to apply the concept in their own settings to discover customer jobs and develop new solutions.
Lean start-up started almost like a movement around Steve Blank and Eric Ries. The basic idea is to start a new business coming from innovation in as lean a way as possible. It advocates for principles such as early launch and experimentation, instead of careful and long-range strategic planning. We often study the case of LinkedIn, as it is one of the first mass applications of this concept, and explore the implications of this method for large incumbents as well by studying firms such as Michelin and P&G. We train you on the full lean start-up method, including tools and templates.
While it is also a key ingredient of lean start-up methodology when we teach assumption testing and validation of innovation, we consider it as one. Beyond lean start-up, we use our own TMRO framework and inception method. We provide you with an easily accessible roadmap, specifically for market validation. At the end of the program, we expect you to have a solid understanding of validation principles and how to get started.
The first references to business models date from the ’80s, if not earlier. In this training, we take you through three main frameworks on how to think of business models (the thinking around key activities, around the 52 Sankt Gallen types, and the Osterwalder business model canvas). We apply these frameworks preferably to your firms.
A value proposition was popularized in innovation in the business model canvas thinking of Osterwalder. However, it dates back several decades as it is what marketers originally have called the USP (Unique Selling Proposition). In the training, we trace the concept over many years and the different tools that have been developed to exploit the concept. We apply the thinking to breakthrough innovations in automotive, chemicals, and household products. We want you to walk out with a solid understanding of the concept, but also with practical guidelines on how to strengthen your firm’s value proposition and express it in your firm’s marketing and communication approach.