R&D teams are like artists. They need a space to be creative. That's where facilitated ideation workshops come in. These workshops provide a structured environment for generating creative ideas.

Think of it like this: when you're swimming, you're focused on the task and not thinking about anything else. But when relaxing in a pool, you're more likely to let your mind wander and come up with creative ideas.

The same is true for creative ideation workshops. But, again, when you're focused on the task, you're more likely to come up with innovative ideas.

But why do we even need creative ideas?

Well, creative ideas are important because they help us solve problems. They help us see things in new ways and develop new solutions. And that's why the benefits of creative ideation workshops are so numerous.

Let's say you're a product development engineer and working on a new feature for your product. You might have a few ideas but are unsure how to implement them. That's where creative ideation comes in.

You would take those ideas in a creative ideation workshop and flesh them out. Then, you would come up with different ways to implement them.

Some of the benefits of creative ideation workshops include:

• They help us solve problems
• They help us see things in new ways
• They help us come up with new solutions
• They help us improve our communication skills
• They help us learn to think outside the box.

How to facilitate creative ideation workshops:

If you're thinking of hosting a creative ideation workshop, you should keep a few things in mind. First, you must ensure everyone is on the same page. That means coming up with a problem or challenge that everyone can work on.

Once you have a problem or challenge, the next step is to come up with some ground rules. These rules will help ensure that everyone can participate and that the creative ideation process is as effective as possible.

Check out our other post on creative ideation workshops for more tips on how to get the most out of your creative ideation workshop.

And if you're looking for some inspiration, we've included a few case studies of successful creative ideation workshops below.

Case Study #1: McAlpine Plumbing

McAlpine Plumbing is a large plumbing fittings manufacturer based in the UK. The company has been in business for over 100 years and employs over 500 people.

In 2020, McAlpine Plumbing decided to invest in a creative ideation programme to help them generate new product ideas. They wanted to tap into their employees' creative potential and develop innovative new products.

To do this, they reached out to Innovolo, a creative consultancy that specialises in facilitating creative ideation workshops.

Innovolo worked with McAlpine Plumbing to design and deliver a series of creative ideation workshops. These workshops were designed to help employees generate new ideas and develop innovative solutions to problems.

The results of the creative ideation programme were significant. McAlpine Plumbing generated over 40 tangible new product ideas within a few hours. These ideas ranged from new plumbing fittings to entirely new business models.

Notably, the creative ideation programme also helped improve communication and collaboration within the company. Employees who had never worked together before were suddenly working together to devise innovative solutions.