In 2023, Dell’s senior vice president Erik Day shared a key insight: innovation isn’t always about grand ideas, but rather the processes and ideation strategies we use to consistently move forward.
His message resonated in a time of economic uncertainty and recession, where businesses, big and small, were seeking structured ways to fuel creativity and problem-solving.
Day’s emphasis on how teams can ideate better, even when things seem tough, sets a perfect tone for our discussion on ideation strategies.
Even the Boston Consulting Group’s 2023 Most Innovative Companies report talks about how those who prioritize structured creativity—using AI, diverse teams, and continuous processes—are widening their lead against competitors who don’t.
Now, if you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed with the idea of business innovation, you’re not alone.
It happens to the best teams.
However, the connection between structured ideation techniques and business success is clearer than ever.
These ideation strategies are not just about generating ideas but ensuring that these ideas are actionable, productive, and aligned with the company’s goals.
As you explore the top 10 types of ideation strategies ahead, remember that each method is unique, and you need to either A/B test or pick one after careful consideration for your innovation process.
You might just find that sparking creativity is easier than you think!
What is an ideation strategy?
Ideation strategies are essentially a structured approach to generating ideas, usually in response to a specific challenge or goal.
Think of it like this: if you’re trying to solve a puzzle, an ideation strategy provides the tools and frameworks to help you come up with different ways to solve that puzzle.
Rather than sitting in a room with your team and brainstorming randomly, an ideation strategy gives you structure and a platform. It ensures that creativity flows and there’s a platform to capture the ideas, solving the problem at hand.
Let’s say you’re working on creating a new product for your company. Without a clear method in place, you might struggle to generate relevant ideas.
But with an ideation strategy, like AI brainstorming, for example, everyone in the room can brainstorm, which can help those who are shy or hesitant to contribute.
Afterward, the ideas are shared and built upon, creating a collaborative and creative process that everyone feels a part of.
It’s a simple but effective way to ensure everyone’s ideas are considered, without the loudest voice dominating the room.
In essence, ideation strategies are like a roadmap for creativity in a way that is structured and goal-oriented, leading to practical, actionable ideas.
What is ideation techniques if not the techniques to help with idea generation, improving team collaboration, creativity, and ultimately, innovation.
#1 Brainstorming for Innovation
Brainstorming has long been a go-to method for generating fresh ideas, fostering creativity, and solving complex challenges.
Traditionally, it involves gathering a group of individuals to openly discuss and exchange ideas around a specific problem or topic.
But today, as businesses rapidly move toward digital transformation, brainstorming has evolved.
With the rise of cloud-based innovation management platforms, brainstorming is no longer confined to physical rooms or flip charts—it’s more dynamic, inclusive, and efficient.
The Modern Approach to Brainstorming
At its core, brainstorming is about tapping into diverse perspectives to unlock innovative solutions.
However, the key difference today is how technology is integrated into the process.
Going digital with brainstorming enables you to not only bring in people from various departments but also involve contributors from different locations, time zones, and even industries.
By utilizing a digital tool, teams ensure that brainstorming sessions are more structured, ideas are captured in real time, and nothing slips through the cracks.
Plus, with innovation management software, there’s no need to worry about sticky notes being lost or whiteboard sessions being erased—everything is securely stored and easily accessible.
Brainstorming with AI
Another game-changer in the modern brainstorming landscape is the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI).
InspireIP’s AI-powered brainstorming assistant, for example, serves as a virtual participant, helping to generate and refine ideas.
By leveraging AI, teams can get suggestions that might not have been considered through human brainstorming alone.
AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data and recognize patterns means it can offer insights that fuel more innovative thinking.
Imagine this: while your team members are pitching ideas, InspireIP’s Inventor Assistant suggests alternatives, analyzes trends, and offers fresh angles based on market data or internal resources.
This blend of human creativity and machine intelligence takes brainstorming sessions to the next level by expanding the scope of possible solutions.
Best Practices for Digital Brainstorming
While digital tools add flexibility, effective brainstorming still requires thoughtful planning. Here are some key tips:
- Set a Clear Objective: Define a focused goal, whether it’s solving a problem, exploring new ideas, or improving operations. A clear objective directs contributions and maximizes impact.
- Diversify the Team: Bring in participants with different backgrounds to foster creativity. Cloud-based platforms allow easy collaboration across departments or regions.
- Create a Judgment-Free Zone: Encourage free idea sharing without criticism and a fear of judgment.
- Timebox Sessions: Keep sessions between 20–30 minutes to maintain focus.
- From Ideas to Implementation: After brainstorming, evaluate and implement ideas. Platforms like InspireIP help manage the entire process—from idea generation to task tracking—ensuring ideas evolve into real solutions.
Digitizing your brainstorming not only streamlines the process but also creates a sustainable pipeline for future innovation.
#2 Reverse Brainstorming: The Headstand Technique
While traditional brainstorming aims to generate solutions, reverse brainstorming flips the approach, asking participants to think about how to worsen the problem.
This counterintuitive method helps teams view challenges from an entirely different angle, often leading to innovative insights that might be overlooked in conventional brainstorming.
How Does Reverse Brainstorming Work?
- Define the Problem: Start with a clear understanding of the problem. But instead of immediately looking for solutions, ask the team, “What would make this problem worse?”
- Generate ‘Negative’ Ideas: Participants are encouraged to brainstorm as many ways as possible to intensify or aggravate the issue. This process forces the team to explore the problem from a fresh perspective, often identifying underlying causes they wouldn’t consider otherwise.
- Flip the Ideas: Once you have a collection of ‘negative’ ideas, the next step is to reverse them. For example, if a suggestion was to “ignore customer feedback,” the opposite might be “implement real-time feedback mechanisms.” The reversed ideas often lead to practical, innovative solutions.
By examining the problem from a “what could go wrong?” angle, reverse brainstorming exposes hidden weaknesses and critical factors that may be contributing to the challenge.
Digital Reverse Brainstorming
Using a digital platform like InspireIP for reverse brainstorming sessions allows you to capture, track, and refine ideas seamlessly. By leveraging tools like Idea Capture and Task Management, your team can document even the most unconventional ideas. It enables teams to participate in reverse brainstorming sessions on their own time, encouraging more thoughtful and inclusive participation.
#3 Brainwriting
Brainwriting is one of the ideal ideation strategies for teams that want equal participation and structured idea generation without the pressure of verbal interaction.
Participants write down their ideas individually and pass them to others for expansion or improvement. This process continues for multiple rounds, refining the concepts at each stage.
A popular method within brainwriting is the 6-3-5 technique: six participants write down three ideas in five minutes, repeating for six rounds.
By the end, you’ll have 108 ideas to work with, ensuring a wealth of perspectives.
This approach promotes inclusivity, allowing all team members to contribute equally without biases or social pressure.
Once the ideas have circulated, the group comes together to discuss, refine, or combine them into actionable solutions.
By using platforms like InspireIP, this process can be fully digitized, enabling seamless sharing, tracking, and evaluation of ideas, whether the team is in one location or dispersed.
How It Works
- Silent Idea Generation: Each participant starts by writing down their ideas independently. This step is key in brainwriting, as it eliminates interruptions and allows for deeper, more personal reflection. Team members can focus entirely on their thoughts without being influenced by group conversations.
- Exchange Ideas for Expansion: Once participants have written their initial ideas, they pass their notes to someone else. The next person then reads the ideas and adds their own suggestions, variations, or improvements. This exchange repeats for several rounds, ensuring that each idea is expanded upon by multiple perspectives.
- Discuss and Refine: After the rounds of idea exchange, the group gathers to review and discuss the refined ideas. By this stage, many ideas will have evolved, becoming richer and more practical due to the collaborative process. Teams can now prioritize, combine, and refine the best solutions for further development.
#4 Six Thinking Hats: A Structured Approach to Exploring Ideas
The Six Thinking Hats technique, developed by Edward de Bono, is a powerful method for encouraging diverse thinking styles during ideation sessions.
Unlike traditional brainstorming, where all ideas are evaluated simultaneously, this method separates thinking into six distinct “hats,” each representing a different perspective or way of thinking.
White Hat: Facts and Information
The White Hat focuses on neutral and objective information. It requires participants to share data, facts, and known information.
For example, if you’re trying to develop a new product, participants might focus on existing market data, user feedback, or current trends under the White Hat.
Red Hat: Emotions and Intuition
The Red Hat allows participants to express their feelings, emotions, and gut reactions without needing to justify them. This hat opens the space for instinctive responses that may not have factual backing but can still influence decision-making.
For instance, during a session to brainstorm a new service, a team member might say, “I just feel excited about this idea,” or “I have a bad feeling this won’t resonate with our target audience.”
These emotional insights can help gauge the team’s sentiment about potential solutions.
Black Hat: Critical and Cautious Thinking
The Black Hat is the voice of caution.
It identifies potential risks, challenges, and obstacles. While brainstorming often promotes limitless thinking, this hat ensures that potential downsides are also explored. It’s about pointing out the weaknesses or flaws in ideas.
It’s like a participant saying, “We don’t have the budget for this,” or “This might be too complex for our customers.”
Black Hat thinking is crucial for balancing enthusiasm with realism.
Yellow Hat: Optimistic and Positive Thinking
The Yellow Hat encourages participants to focus on the potential benefits, opportunities, and positive outcomes of an idea.
This mode of thinking invites participants to explore what could go right and how ideas might succeed.
In response to a new product idea, someone might say, “This has the potential to attract a new customer segment” or “It will streamline our current operations.”
The Yellow Hat adds a layer of optimism, helping teams see the opportunities beyond the challenges.
Green Hat: Creative and Lateral Thinking
The Green Hat is all about creativity.
It encourages free-thinking, innovation, and new ideas. Participants are asked to think outside the box, suggesting unconventional solutions or approaches that wouldn’t normally come up in structured environments.
In brainstorming sessions, Green Hat participants might suggest wild ideas like partnering with an unexpected brand or leveraging new technologies like AI for completely new services.
It’s a space for risk-free creativity, where no idea is too “out there.”
Innovation made easy: InspireIP’s Inventor Assistant—an AI-powered brainstorming tool—can complement this process by suggesting new, unconventional ideas based on the current discussion.
This blends human creativity with AI for even more innovative solutions.
Blue Hat (Process and Control)
The Blue Hat focuses on managing the brainstorming process itself. It helps regulate the flow of the session, ensuring participants stay on task and that each of the other hats is used at the right time.
The Blue Hat also evaluates the overall outcome of the session, helping teams decide on the next steps.
A Blue Hat thinker might say, “Let’s move from the Red Hat to the Black Hat now,” or “We need to summarize the key ideas we’ve come up with so far.”
It’s the role of the facilitator or designated team leader to keep the conversation productive and organized.
Digital implementation
With InspireIP’s digital innovation platform, teams can easily collaborate across geographical boundaries. Each “hat” discussion can be broken down into digital tasks, tracked, and shared, making the process seamless for both in-office and remote teams.
Companies can create a well-rounded and sustainable innovation pipeline by optimizing their processes. InspireIP’s platform allows you to capture ideas, collaborate with global teams, and manage the entire innovation process—from idea generation to execution.
#5 Crazy 8: Speed-Driven Creativity for Rapid Innovation
Crazy 8 is a rapid technique among the ideation strategies designed to encourage quick, spontaneous, and creative thinking by pushing participants beyond their usual thought patterns.
The goal is to generate a high volume of ideas in a short time, ensuring that participants don’t overthink but instead explore a wide range of potential solutions—often leading to highly innovative outcomes.
Why Crazy 8 Works
The Crazy 8 method’s power lies in its ability to break through mental barriers that often limit creativity.
The strict time constraint prevents participants from overthinking or dismissing ideas prematurely.
The sheer number of ideas generated in a short time ensures that not only obvious solutions are explored but also more unconventional ones that may lead to breakthroughs.
The rapid pace also ensures that all participants contribute equally.
In traditional brainstorming sessions, extroverted team members may dominate the conversation, while quieter participants may hold back.
Crazy 8 eliminates this issue by having each participant work independently, ensuring that a wider range of perspectives and ideas are brought to the table.
By using InspireIP’s ideation platform, the team captured and evaluated each solution in real-time, then used the platform’s reporting tools to measure the impact of the changes once implemented, showing how rapidly generated ideas can lead to significant, real-world innovation.
How it works
Step 1: Define the Challenge
The facilitator presents a specific problem or challenge to the group. This could be anything from solving a customer experience issue to brainstorming product improvements.
Step 2: Distribute Paper or Digital Tools
Provide each participant with a sheet of paper divided into 8 sections. These sections will be used to sketch out or write down 8 different ideas in the next phase.
If your team prefers working with the latest tech, participants can use InspireIP tool to create and document ideas in real time.
Step 3: 8 Minutes for 8 Ideas
Set a timer for 8 minutes. In that time, each participant must fill out all 8 sections with different ideas or solutions related to the problem. The focus here is on quantity—participants should push themselves to think creatively and not worry about feasibility.
Step 4: Share the Ideas
After 8 minutes, each participant shares their 8 ideas with the group. This can be done by presenting sketches or describing ideas aloud.
However, InspireIP allows participants to share their ideas seamlessly via the platform, where all team members can access and comment on each idea in real time.
No need for physical papers—everything is stored, visualized, and ready for discussion.
Step 5: Discuss and Refine
The group can combine ideas, offer feedback, or develop new concepts by expanding on initial suggestions.
Step 6: Select the Best Ideas
After all the ideas are presented and discussed, the team votes on or selects the most promising ideas for further development. Criteria like feasibility, impact, and innovation are often used to make final selections.
Step 7: Develop and Implement
Once the best ideas are selected, the team moves forward with developing and implementing them. This may involve assigning tasks, creating prototypes, or planning detailed strategies.
#6 SCAMPER Method
The SCAMPER method stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse.
It offers a structured approach to idea generation, encouraging teams to examine existing concepts and uncover new opportunities for innovation. Here’s a detailed breakdown of how SCAMPER works:
Substitute
This step focuses on replacing a part of the product, process, or service with something else. The goal is to evaluate whether a swap can bring improvements or spark a new idea.
What if you could substitute an expensive material in your product with a sustainable, lower-cost alternative?
Combine
In this phase, you explore how combining different elements can lead to innovation. Combining two or more features, services, or processes often results in fresh, value-driven solutions.
Could your service be combined with an existing tool to improve user experience?
- How InspireIP helps: Use InspireIP’s Innovation Challenge feature to crowdsource ideas from across departments or external partners. This way, you get a diverse range of combinations that might not have been apparent at first.
Adapt
Adaptation involves tweaking an existing product or process to better suit a new market, customer base, or changing circumstances. This can involve scaling, altering functionality, or finding new use cases.
Could an existing feature be adapted to solve a different problem for a new market?
Modify
Modification is all about making changes—whether small or large—that enhance functionality or aesthetics. You could change the form, structure, or process.
Could you make your product more compact, eco-friendly, or user-friendly by modifying a component?
Put to Another Use
This strategy examines how an existing idea, product, or process can be applied differently. Repurposing a concept can reveal entirely new applications.
Could a technology designed for one industry be repurposed for another? Could a consumer product be modified for business use?
Eliminate
Elimination focuses on removing unnecessary parts or elements. By simplifying a product or process, you may uncover a more streamlined or cost-effective version.
Could you remove a step in your service delivery process to reduce time and costs?
Reverse
In this step, you think about reversing the order, flow, or structure of your product or process. Reversal may uncover unique perspectives or lead to breakthroughs.
What if your onboarding process started with training instead of setup? Could reversing this sequence provide a better customer experience?
- How InspireIP helps: Using the Prior Art Search tool (PQAI), you can discover whether reversing certain processes or structures has been tried in the past, and learn from those insights to drive better decision-making.
Ultimately, SCAMPER helps companies stay innovative by pushing boundaries and questioning the status quo.
#7 Innovation Challenges
Innovation challenges are an effective way to ignite creative thinking, engage diverse perspectives, and drive innovation within organizations. By creating a structured framework, organizations can harness the collective intelligence of employees, partners, customers, and external stakeholders to solve pressing business problems or explore new opportunities.
Download Free Innovation Challenge Template
Launch an innovation challenge and start capturing innovative ideas immediately.
#8 Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a powerful way to visualize the connection between your central problem and potential solutions.
Picture a mind map as a web of ideas where the core challenge sits at the center, and every potential solution and related thought branches outward.
This strategy works well for teams trying to structure their thinking and see the bigger picture, all in one place.
Think of it this way: you’re part of a team tasked with improving workplace collaboration. In the center of your mind map, you’d write “Improve Collaboration.”
From there, you might branch out with ideas like “introduce workplace collaboration management tools,” “increase innovation meetings,” or “build team-building activities.”
Then, you’d take it a step further and branch each solution into actionable steps.
For example, under “introduce innovation management tools,” you might break it down further into specific platforms like “Idea Assist” or “IP Assist” and the steps needed to implement them.
This method not only helps to organize thoughts but also sparks creativity.
It allows teams to see patterns and relationships between ideas, which might lead to breakthrough solutions.
What’s great about mind mapping is its adaptability—you can start with broad concepts and dive deeper into details as you progress. Plus, it’s a collaborative tool that allows everyone to see their input connected to the bigger strategy, making the process engaging and inclusive.
Mind mapping’s real strength is that it lets you see the entire landscape of possibilities while keeping you grounded in solving the core issue.
This big-picture view combined with the detailed breakdown of ideas makes it an essential ideation technique for tackling complex challenges.
#9 Open Innovation
Open innovation is a powerful technique amongst the ideation strategies that taps into the collective intelligence of a broad audience to generate fresh ideas and solutions.
It takes the ideation process beyond the organization’s walls and into the public domain, allowing companies to broadcast innovative solutions to specific challenges.
This approach can bring in unique perspectives and insights from a wider, more diverse pool of contributors—whether they are employees, customers, partners, or even the general public.
The success of broadcast search lies in its ability to crowdsource solutions from a wide pool of individuals.
This method can bring in a wealth of unique ideas, perspectives, and innovations that internal teams may overlook. Here are a few reasons why broadcast search is effective:
- Diversity of Thought
By opening up a challenge to external participants, organizations can access ideas from people with different experiences, industries, and backgrounds. This diversity of thought can lead to groundbreaking innovations. - Fresh Perspectives
External contributors are not constrained by the internal biases or limitations of the organization. They may see things in a new light, offering fresh perspectives on problems that have been difficult to solve in-house. - Volume of Ideas
Casting a wide net brings in a high volume of ideas, increasing the chances of finding an innovative or unique solution. More ideas mean more possibilities to explore. - Speed and Cost-Effectiveness
Broadcast search can be a faster, more cost-effective way to generate a large number of ideas without spending heavily on internal R&D. It allows organizations to engage more people without requiring heavy infrastructure or resources.
#10 Crowdsourcing
Crowdsourcing is one of the most powerful ideation strategies, enabling organizations to tap into the collective intelligence of a specific group to generate innovative ideas and solutions.
Unlike broader approaches such as broadcast search, which aim to reach a wide audience, crowdsourcing zeroes in on a more defined group—people with relevant expertise, interest, or knowledge about a particular challenge.
Types of Crowdsourcing Models for Ideation
There are several crowdsourcing models, each suited to different goals and challenges. Here are some popular forms:
Innovation Contests
Innovation contests are a common crowdsourcing approach that asks participants to compete by providing solutions to a specific problem. These contests often include a reward or incentive, motivating participants to put forward their best ideas.
It drives highly creative and competitive contributions, and it can be used for solving well-defined problems with innovative solutions.
For example, a company hosting a contest to find new packaging solutions that reduce environmental impact.
Crowdsourcing Communities
These are ongoing, dedicated platforms or communities where people can contribute ideas over time, provide feedback, and collaborate on solutions. They foster a more sustained and collaborative environment than single contests.
It is used for continuous engagement on long-term innovation goals. For example: A tech company that creates a community for developers to propose new app features and improvements.
Co-Creation Projects
In co-creation projects, external stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, or partners are invited to collaborate with internal teams to develop new products, services, or business models. This creates a deeper sense of engagement and results in solutions that are more aligned with market needs.
It is used for developing solutions that need close collaboration with end-users or partners. For instance, a fashion brand collaborating with its customer base to design a new sustainable clothing line.
Conclusion
Having a diverse toolkit of ideation strategies ranges from crowdsourcing to hackathons, intrapreneurship, and more. Each method offers unique benefits tailored to different challenges and organizational needs.
The key to success lies in selecting the right approach based on your specific goals, resources, and innovation culture.
By leveraging these ideation strategies, companies can unlock creative potential, engage stakeholders, and stay ahead of the competition.
Embracing a structured yet flexible approach to ideation with ideation strategies empowers organizations to generate fresh ideas, solve complex problems, and foster a culture of continuous innovation.
So, start today!
