How bad ideas can lead to good ideas

Most people will have heard the basic mantra of brainstorming: there is no such thing as a bad idea. With this premise in mind, people are encouraged to share any idea they have without fear of ridicule or judgement. While some concepts may not be achievable, these so-called ‘bad ideas’ can often be necessary stepping stones to good ones.

Bad ideas can sometimes have great potential, they just need to be picked apart and refined. That’s where collaboration comes in: by bringing in your community to provide valuable inputs, ideas can be improved upon collectively to ultimately lead to business success.

It can also happen that ideas may seem outlandish but which hold real value.

The key is to identify the assets of a ‘crazy’ idea and invest in developing it to bear fruits. It can however be difficult to spot such an idea, particularly for larger companies.

These 3 steps could prove useful so that companies do not miss out on the good of ‘bad’ ideas:

1. Reframe ideas

A seemingly problematic idea may just need reframing. Rather than discarding it completely, look at the problem and the solution, and explore other paths that could lead to possible breakthroughs.

2. Gather inputs

Listen to all stakeholders regularly – their insights can help move towards a better version of an idea. The individual expertise and experience of each employee can help mould an idea to add value.

3. Be impatient

You should want to get more ideas and fast, but you should also make sure that idea generation is effective to help you make your way through the fog and achieve real, measurable success.

 

Embracing bad ideas is part of the idea generation process, which has proven to be more effective in companies that nurture a culture of innovation and encourage creativity and innovation across the board.

 

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