Rapid Innovation at the Global Academy

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What do you get when you take:

  • 24 aspiring entrepreneurs
  • 24 post-it® pads
  • 6 iPads
  • 1 StormzBox
  • 48 social or environmental challenges
  • 38 product or service ideas
  • 6 prototyped solutions?

You get the Global Academy at Centennial College!

Our session at the Global Academy was a great example of something called “rapid innovation,” a process that combines digital and analog tools, and which can be replicated in business settings focused on a social mission.

The Global Academy is a two-day experiential learning opportunity for students who are interested in social entrepreneurship. An annual event, the latest Global Academy took place in early March 2018.

The forum provides students with the opportunity to LEARN from local social entrepreneurs, CREATE an idea in a rapid innovation session, PITCH that idea to a panel of industry experts and NETWORK with like-minded people. Participants also take a tour of the community to gain first-hand knowledge of how to launch a socially innovative idea.

Creativity is essential for innovation, and NeOlé was pleased to play a role in the CREATE segment of the Global Academy. We engaged entrepreneurial students in a two-hour workshop where we introduced them to the four levels of creativity and innovation, the fundamental skills and guidelines of divergent thinking, and the concept of rapid prototyping.

During the workshop, students quickly brainstormed a long list of social and environmental concerns, a list of people and organizations affected and/or interested in finding a solution, and a wild assortment of ideas for potential solutions to the issues that were closest to their hearts. Working in groups of four, they then prototyped six solutions. Their next steps were to fine-tune those prototypes, gather feedback, make further refinements and pitch to a panel of industry experts.

In facilitating the Global Academy workshop, we combined analog and digital tools. A big thank you goes out to Stormz for donating the licenses and on-site technology that made this event possible. The use of digital tools such as Stormz maximizes engagement. It’s neat to see how many more ideas people can come up with when they are typing on a keyboard or touchscreen rather than writing on post-it notes.

Over the years we have figured out how to get people to experience what flexibility and originality is all about, and to become motivated to flex their creative thinking muscles. Everyone has those muscles, but few people know how to exercise them. During workshops and other events, we don’t need to give participants a lecture to let them experience a big “AHA” moment; we just need to give them a playful exercise followed by a facilitated debrief of the exercise! They realize that they CAN be creative problem solvers, and in fact, they already are. They just have to exercise their creative thinking muscles with a little more frequency. Now that they know how to use those muscles, they can no longer use the excuse, “I am just not creative.”

Creativity is powerful. Creativity IS power. Although the two-hour timeframe was very concentrated, we are excited about the format. We think that social entrepreneurs, businesses with a social mission and community groups could really benefit from a quick and intense experience like this. Participants learn creative thinking skills that empower them to find solutions to almost any challenge they might face at work, at home or out and about. Contact NeOlé to discuss how we can bring a rapid innovation workshop to your group.

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© Neolé 2024

Don’t miss the opportunity to get new resources, tips, and invitations to our free events focused on maximizing wellness, creativity and engagement in hybrid and remote workplaces.

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© Neolé 2024