The Complete Guide to Idea Challenges

An idea challenge is a way of focusing ideation to yield the most effective ideas and insights. It can be either problem-centric or solution-centric and can have a variety of parameters such as theme, audience, channels, time, and responsibilities. The benefits of idea challenges include time-effectiveness, effectiveness in harnessing collective intelligence, and improved communication. While useful in most cases, idea challenges may not work for themes that limit potential participants to a few qualified professionals, or when there are limited resources, timing constraints, or inappropriate theme choice. To launch a successful idea challenge, it is important to pick a theme and set goals, choose relevant participants, plan the execution, launch and run the challenge, and evaluate the key success factors.