Innovation Lab and iQubes Driving "learning-based innovation" throughout your organization

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Why Innovation Lab? Companies across nearly every industry are realizing that innovation has become imperative for surviving and thriving in today's business environment. In a 2006 survey conducted by BCG, over 70% of executives rank innovation as one of ther top 3 strategic priorities for the next year. However, despite widespread acknowledgement that innovation is important, most companies struggle to generate ideas for innovation, especially from the people who are best positioned to develop these ideas - their employees. And even fewer organizations are able to take these ideas, spread them across the organization, and translate them into tangible action and results. Innovation Lab was created from the belief that learning and innovation should go hand in hand. There is no better time to cultivate new ideas from your employees than immediately after a learning experience, when they have acquired new knowledge, skills, and perspectives that will enable them to attack business problems in fresh new ways. But too many training programs end with just the training, and fail to help employees harness the valuable knowledge and skills they have acquired to generate, implement, and share new ideas for improving their businesses. Innovation Lab was created to help companies fill this gap.

What is Innovation Lab? Innovation Lab is a web-based solution that allows employees to generate, share, and collaborate on ideas for innovation (iQubes) in their company. Innovation Lab can be conducted as a followup to any training program, and is designed to help employees translate what they have learned into actionable ideas and plans for improving their businesses.

What are iQubes?

iQubes are the ideas created by Innovation Lab users. Users formulate iQubes to address a particular challenge they are facing in their companies - such as how to promote a new product, how to improve customer service, or how to improve employee morale. Each iQube consists of a description of the idea, as well as a plan for action. iQubes are published and stored in the Innovation Lab system so that other employees can provide comments and suggestions, as well as use these ideas in their own teams or businesses.

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What are the benefits? For Employees Helps you formulate new ideas for improving your performance Provides a forum for you to communicate valuable ideas upward and across the organization Enables you to contribute more directly to your organization's success

For HR / Training Managers Enables you to align training with innovation and performance improvement as never before Allows you to track the actual impact of your training programs (ROI)

For Executives and the Company Provides you with a constant flow of new ideas for innovation from across your organization Transforms your company into an innovation-based organization where learning, collaboration, and innovation take place every day, driving continuous improvements in your business

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How does it work? A group of employees from your company (as few as 10 and as many as 500) are placed into an Innovation Lab 'workgroup'. An Innovation Lab workgroup can be designed as a follow-up activity after a training program, or as a standalone innnovation activity. In the Innovation Lab workgroup, employees formulate and share solutions for a specific challenge that your company has identified (e.g., how to improve employee morale). The workgroup is guided by an expert facilitator and conducted over a period of 4 to 6 weeks.

1. Formulate ideas. 2. Collaborate and review. 3. Implement and measure.

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1. Formulate ideas. Employees sign into the Innovation Lab system and create their iQubes, which describe their ideas for addressing the company's challenge. Employees create their iQubes with the help of easy-to-use templates. Employees can also access a library of knowledge resources (articles, frameworks, etc.) and a searchable depository of past iQubes. [Secure web site]

[Easy-to-use innovation templates]

2. Collaborate and review. Employees publish their iQubes in the Innovation Lab system and receive feedback, suggestions, and ratings from their peers and the facilitator. Employees use this feedback to refine and improve their iQubes and prepare them for implementation. [Peer and facilitator reviews]

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3. Implement and measure. Employees or designated teams can then implement selected iQubes, and they can return to Innovation Lab to publish a brief report about the outcomes achieved, so that others in the organization may benefit from their experiences. [Implementation tracking]

All registered employees can access Innovation Lab continuously to keep up to date on new ideas from their peers on important company challenges, and to contribute their suggestions. [Search and review iQubes]

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How can I use this for my company? You can use Innovation Lab to generate actionable, innovative iQubes for any number of challenges that your company is facing. Common challenges for Innovation Lab include:

Strategy Identifying new business models Identifying new markets for growth

Marketing and products Identifying new product ideas Improving customer experiences

Organization and teams Improving team performance Improving employee motivation

Process and costs Solving business performance problems Reducing costs / improving profitability

To start an Innovation Lab workgroup, simply identify the employees who will participate, select a challenge, and designate a period of 2 to 4 weeks to conduct the program. Your employees will access Innovation Lab through our secure web site, and we will manage the entire innovation lab experience. A facilitator will be assigned to moderate the Innovation Lab activities and provide ongoing feedback and support to your employees.

For more information To learn more about Innovation Lab or to view a demo, email us at [email protected]

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