In current business environments, innovativeness and the capability to gain and adapt both new knowledge and existing know-how are important in order to develop product and service concepts. The innovation session is a process that aims to identify, as well as find solutions to the customer's development requirements. This is done in collaboration with company representatives and external experts. For the Innovation session and development process to succeed, commitment from all participants is essential. The innovation sessions have different phases, including preparation meetings, an intervention day, and a feedback session, where some of the partipants reflect and analyse the innovation session as a whole.
In the preparation meetings, the customers’ development targets are elaborated. In these meetings, the customer and the external experts are able to analyse development requirements more thoroughly so that changes or other expert needs for the innovation session can be identified. Before the intervention day, the innovation session process is explained to the customer step by step in order to avoid any surprises. The intervention day usually lasts one whole day. In this workshop, company representatives and external experts analyse development focuses and future possibilities together. During the same day, potential innovations and development process are clarified and preparatory work and responsibilities are identified. In addition, a schedule for the action plan is drafted. In the reflection and feedback meeting, the innovation session process and its results are analysed. Moreover, the agreed draft schedule for the action plan is checked with the customer representatives.
Possible results of the innovation session are e.g. new products, new technology, new business concepts, new service concepts or new strategies. These results may require more investigation and development work both inside the customer organization and with external experts.
Further information:
Kari Kempas
Innovation session