I’m suggesting here two bits of “sorting out” technology. Consider using two powerful innovation and strategy tools. They are both advanced practice leading to breakthrough thinking. Challenge Mapping is an analysis tool to explore situations. It creates a hierarchy of focused questions from highly conceptual to distinctly tactical. Make no mistake, creating a comprehensive challenge map is not trivial. It takes time, imaginative thought and expert faciltation. But it’s spade work you absolutely need to do. Once a challenge map is created, your choices become easier to converge upon. You’ll know what to do, where to go. If carefully done, there is no better tool for creating action plans, or platform questions for innovation.

KILN’s IdeaKeg is a tool I’ve mentioned here before, but most of you have probably not heard of unless you’ve read the recently published book, “Trend Driven Innovation”. IdeaKeg is a process that leverages trends to lead teams towards braver, bolder, more imaginative questions. The process* is kinesthetic and uses carefully curated trend-objects — you “think-with-your-hands.” IdeaKeg encourages fresh new connections and it invokes intuition. Unilever, General Mills, Sargento, and Whirlpool use IdeaKeg. IdeaKeg is also useful in ideation itself, it’s a great stimulus tool. Doing Mash-Ups with creative consumers leads to interesting, and yes, out-of-the-box ideas.

Using these two tools separately, or even better, together, might be the best innovation strategy decision you make this year.I’m in the business of teaching and facilitating these tools. Please get in touch if you would like to discuss how you might bring them into your organizations thinking process. I guarantee you’ll get good results.