Conference on Social Product Development and Co-Creation

The Conference on Social Product Development and Co-Creation took place in Phoenix, Ariz. from June 27-28, 2011. The conference’s goal was to help companies “understand and apply co-creative approaches that drive breakthrough results in product development and innovation.”

Among those presenting was David Ritter, chief technology officer of Innocentive. In his presentation “Breakthroughs on Demand: Challenge Driven Product Development,” he addressed the differences that separate challenges that generate real solutions from those that produce disjointed ideas or suggestions with no path toward implementation. Challenge Driven Innovation (CDI) is a methodology that can drive breakthroughs in product development through rapid solution delivery. Many of the world’s leading innovators, including Procter and Gamble and NASA, utilize the Challenge Driven approach to innovate faster, better, more cost-effectively and with less risk.

The key differentiator for an organization that utilizes the CDI methodology is the ability to phrase a question or problem in a manner that will elicit the best response. So how do you create a challenge that will inspire unlikely individuals or teams to offer brilliant solutions? David presented several core principles that drive successful challenges:

• Focus: If you ask a better question, you’ll get a better answer
• Engagement: HOW you engage is just as critical as WHO you ask
• Ownership: You have an answer – now what? Who owns the next steps?

What it comes down to is this: a systematic approach to challenges can ultimately transform your organization.

Click here to visit the conference website.

Image via flickr.