Innovation Management Data Trends from 2021: What Can We Learn About 2022? – InnovationManagement
Many people have said that 2021 was 2020 Part II, but IdeaScale looked at some of our system data (as we do every year) to see what we could learn, and there are a few key trends we think are different from 2020, and that we think bode well for a creative 2022.
We predict enhanced workplace creativity, increased adoption of innovation management programs, and innovation embedded in more day-to-day operations. Here are the most interesting insights:
The Average Number of Ideas is Going Up
On average, IdeaScale gathered a little more than 200 ideas every day across our various US communities. That’s up from last year’s number (which was also up from the previous year). We’ve speculated that it’s possible that all the adaptation and creativity necessary to cope with fallout from the pandemic has trained the workforce to be thinking creatively on an ongoing basis.
People Share Their Creative Thoughts Mid-Week
The day that people were most likely to submit ideas to an IdeaScale community was Wednesday. This was a surprise to us! In the past, the day that often saw the most traffic was Friday. We thought then that, because it was the close of the week, people would let their minds wander away from the day-to-day duties of their work and think about things that were slightly off-topic or more creative. Now, it seems that ideas peak in the middle of the week while people are in the middle of their work, but it’s also because innovation programs are probably better about sending out communications and reminders than they were in the past.
New Topic Trends for 2022
This year (as with many other years), we asked our customers what solutions they were seeking with the help of the crowd. The majority of the focus was on new product development and product improvement, followed by process improvement, cost savings, and workplace innovation. However, we are beginning to see sustainability and social good initiatives become more top-of-mind for organizations around the world. Trends in the past year included words like “sustainability,” “inclusion,” “health,” and “equity” alongside words like “digital,” “health,” and “ecosystem.” All of these words are occurring with more frequency than they were in the past. We think that this new focus on these topics will shape our products, our workplaces, will save us money and will transform the customer experience.
Rob Hoehn is the co-founder and CEO of IdeaScale: the largest open innovation software platform in the world. Hoehn launched crowdsourcing software as part of the open government initiative and IdeaScale’s robust portfolio now includes many other industry notables, such as EA Sports, NBC, NASA, Xerox and many others. Prior to IdeaScale, Hoehn was Vice President of Client Services at Survey Analytics.