Diversity and Volume of Ideas: The Path to Spectacular Solutions

In today’s fast-paced world of innovation, breakthroughs no longer come exclusively from corporate research labs or well-funded government projects. Increasingly, they emerge from the ideas and insights of a diverse, distributed community of thinkers, creators, and problem-solvers. By tapping into this expansive pool, organizations can unlock transformative potential and discover solutions that might otherwise remain out of reach.

This approach—known as open innovation—is more than a trend. It is a strategic necessity for businesses looking to thrive in a world where the democratization of knowledge has become a defining feature of progress.

Why Diversity and Volume Matter in Innovation

The core principle of open innovation is simple: the more ideas you collect, the better your chances of finding the exceptional ones. This concept is rooted in a fundamental statistical truth—as the pool of ideas grows, the quality of the best idea is likely to improve.

However, diversity is equally critical. A homogenous set of contributors might generate many ideas, but those ideas often stem from similar perspectives, experiences, and assumptions. By casting a wider net and inviting participation from individuals with varied backgrounds, skills, and viewpoints, companies can achieve a higher degree of variability. This variability increases the chances of uncovering groundbreaking ideas that challenge conventional thinking.

Real-World Examples of Open Innovation

Many organizations have successfully harnessed the power of open innovation, leveraging both diversity and volume to achieve remarkable results:

1. Harvard Medical School’s Type 1 Diabetes Challenge

In just six weeks, a global contest generated 190 innovative hypotheses for treating Type 1 diabetes. Submissions came from an undergraduate student, a retired dentist, a geophysicist, and a renowned genetics researcher with no prior experience in diabetes. This diversity of thought introduced fresh perspectives that traditional research channels may not have explored.

2. GE Ecomagination Challenge

General Electric launched an initiative to gather ideas for renewable energy and grid efficiency. The campaign attracted 60,000 participants from 85 countries and yielded over 5,000 innovative concepts. Beyond sheer numbers, the geographic and experiential diversity of contributors enriched the pool of ideas, leading to investments in cutting-edge solutions.

3. Threadless Community-Driven Design

The online T-shirt company Threadless empowers its community to submit and vote on designs. Weekly, the platform receives over 800 entries, narrowing them down to a handful of exceptional products through collective evaluation. By blending open idea generation with selective decision-making, Threadless capitalizes on diversity while ensuring alignment with its brand.

The Challenges of Managing Open Innovation

While the potential rewards of open innovation are significant, implementing such an approach is not without challenges:

1. Reluctance to Share Ideas: Innovators may fear that their ideas will be misappropriated. Companies can mitigate this risk through intellectual property protections or by partnering with trusted intermediaries like InnoCentive, which has built a reputation for fair and transparent processes.
2. Cost and Risk for Contributors: Open innovation often shifts the cost and risk of idea generation onto participants. Providing tools, templates, or even smaller challenges can reduce the burden and encourage more diverse participation.
3. Balancing Control and Freedom: Organizations must ensure that externally generated ideas align with their brand, strategy, and profitability goals. Retaining some decision-making authority—such as Threadless’ method of vetting top ideas—allows companies to harness the benefits of open innovation without sacrificing their strategic direction.

Strategic Steps to Harness Diversity and Volume

For organizations considering open innovation, the following steps can help maximize the value of diversity and volume:

1. Define Clear Objectives: What problems are you trying to solve? Defining your goals ensures the process is targeted and productive.
2. Encourage Broad Participation: Create opportunities for a wide range of individuals to contribute, whether through global contests, design communities, or partnerships with external innovators.
3. Reduce Barriers to Entry: Provide resources, such as toolkits or modular challenges, to lower the investment needed for participation.
4. Establish Fair Processes: Build trust by ensuring that participants are recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Transparency and clear intellectual property guidelines are essential.
5. Align with Business Goals: Evaluate submitted ideas not only for creativity and feasibility but also for their alignment with the company’s strategy and market needs.

The Future of Innovation: Embracing Openness

In an era of rapid change and global connectivity, businesses cannot afford to rely solely on internal expertise. By embracing diversity and encouraging the generation of a high volume of ideas, organizations can tap into a virtually limitless reservoir of potential solutions.

As the examples from Harvard, GE, and Threadless show, open innovation is more than a tool for generating ideas—it’s a pathway to discovering the spectacular. For companies willing to embrace the complexity and challenges, the rewards can redefine industries, products, and services.

The future of innovation is open, diverse, and abundant. Will your organization seize the opportunity?

Let’s Discuss: Have you implemented open innovation strategies in your organization? What challenges or successes have you encountered? Share your thoughts and experiences below!

References:

King, A. and Lakhani, K.R.?(2013) 'Using open innovation to identify the best ideas' MIT Sloan Management Review, 55(1), pp. 41-48