Chapter Four
Finding the “Big Idea”
When most people think of innovation, they picture brainstorming sessions, cocreation workshops, and hackathons replete with colorful Post‐its stuck on every bare surface. Once you have established your goal, identified your target customers, and understood their problems, it’s time to turn to potential solutions. A good ideation process can elicit creative, out‐of‐the‐box thinking that is firmly grounded in customer understanding, injects new perspectives, and goes beyond traditional approaches.
Brainstorming new ideas can be heady and fun. However, if your goal is to maximize impact, good solutions to your problem may already exist. Although they are among the most innovative companies on the planet, Google didn’t invent Web search and Facebook didn’t invent social networking. What they did was dramatically improve upon the algorithms, user experience, and features of their predecessors. Similarly, before we leap to the conclusion that what’s missing is a dose of inspiration, we should be open to the possibility that what’s actually missing may be the perspiration required to improve, adapt, expand, operationalize, or replicate an existing intervention.
The fallacy of the big idea is that it will change everything. A good idea is indeed important. But we are more likely to achieve our goals if we don’t become too wed to any one solution, including our own. Instead of looking for the answer, think of each as an option to try, and allow data from performance in the real world serve as your guide. We’ll take an in‐depth look at how in Part II.
INSPIRING SOLUTIONS
Many of the modern techniques for ideation stem from design thinking (also known as human‐centered design, or HCD), which was popularized for the business context by design firm IDEO. A good ideation process encourages divergent thinking and nurtures all ideas, even outlandish ones.
Think of ideation as a form of improv theater, where the stance is one of “Yes, and…” Defer judgment. Acknowledge each contribution, expand on it, and leave opinion, personal interests, and rank at the door. The CEO’s perspective is no more valuable than that of the line staff who work directly with customers every day. A typical ideation session might start with individual or small‐group brainstorming. Requiring a minimum number of ideas can push teams to move beyond the obvious solutions and encourage out‐of‐the‐box thinking. In the beginning, the aim is quantity over quality.
Once new ideas are exhausted, the convergence process starts. Ideas can be synthesized, grouped together, and further developed. Here’s where the Post‐its help. Write each idea on a Post‐it, stick it on a wall, and group related concepts together. These groups might spark new ideas in turn, combining and building on elements of different solutions. One technique for winnowing down options is to give each person a fixed number of stickers to vote on the ideas they find most promising. Figure 4.1 illustrates how a hypothetical ideation session for Health In Harmony (described in Chapter Three) may have looked.
Figure 4.1 Ideation for Health In Harmony (illustrative only).
Not every idea will be worth pursuing, but unexpected gems can emerge. Some may represent a radical departure with transformative potential; others may simply add a fresh dimension to an established intervention. Avoid the temptation to either latch onto or dismiss any potential solution too quickly. For each, consider the value proposition to the target customer. What pain points does it address? Who will benefit and how? Also balance the risk relative to the potential impact. A highly speculative idea may be worth trying if it has the potential to be a game changer. Finally, consider the cost and potential for mass adoption. If a high‐touch option would only reach a small number of people, would something more scalable be better? These questions will later map to the hypotheses you’ll want to validate before a solution is taken forward.
The people who participate in an ideation session can be more important than the exact format. Great ideas often blend a direct need with a creative vision and technical expertise. Those closest to the problem may be unable to see beyond existing constraints, unaware of how related problems have been tackled elsewhere, or unfamiliar with the potential of a disruptive technology. On the other hand, experts from other fields may come with fancy gadgets but may not fully appreciate the realities and dynamics involved: a perfect recipe for collaboration.
Representatives from the communities you seek to serve can bring invaluable insights into how potential interventions fit into their lived realities. Stakeholders from partners and government can offer expertise on supply chains, existing structures, and potential barriers. Even competitors or experts from other geographies can introduce an important perspective. I imagine this to be a bit like the Indian parable of the blind men and an elephant – every person feels a different part of the elephant’s body and can only describe the piece they touch. When we bring all these experiences together, we can form a fuller picture.
On the other hand, people from other domains of expertise can introduce new tools and techniques. You might consider including a behavioral scientist, technologist, educator, anthropologist, MBA, policy maker, or artist. Toss in a few wildcards. While they might not land on an appropriate solution directly, fresh perspectives can help the group think out of the box. What emerges may be surprising.
At USAID during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa we recognized that our current tools were insufficient and ran a Grand Challenge in conjunction with the White House and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to search for new innovations. One problem was that the standard‐issue personal protective suits were designed for air‐conditioned buildings. In the hot and humid climate of West Africa, healthcare workers could only wear the suits for 40 minutes at a time, suffering in heat of up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Safe donning or doffing required two people and 20–30 minutes. After sweating so profusely, workers could literally pour the sweat out of their boots. Miserable conditions for fighting a terrifying disease.
Among the Grand Challenge winners was a redesigned protective suit from Johns Hopkins University and health nonprofit Jhpiego. Their team convened a hackathon that included everyone from freshmen to robotics experts to a sportswear manufacturer and even a wedding‐dress maker. These unconventional thinkers came up with a one‐piece suit that could be taken off safely in five minutes with a single move akin to unfurling from a cocoon. It also included an integrated cooling system and a larger fog‐resistant viewing area. A licensing agreement has since been signed with DuPont for commercialization.
Numerous resources are available to assist you in the ideation process, from books to paid facilitators to freely available online content. When you have one or more promising solutions in hand, don’t forget to stay in love with your problem.
PROVEN SOLUTIONS
Funders and entrepreneurs alike are naturally drawn to creating something they can call their own. However, if your priority is impact, building on an existing, proven solution can entail lower risk and higher reward.
Academic and government institutions make enormous investments in research but often don’t have the capacity, infrastructure, or incentives to take even highly successful interventions forward. For example, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the CDC spent over $200 million to conduct an extensive study that demonstrated that the incidence of type 2 diabetes could be cut in half for high‐risk individuals through a series of lifestyle changes, supported by individual counseling from a healthcare professional. Despite these compelling findings, which were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine, there was no clear path to expand the program beyond the small pilots.
When one of the original researchers from the NIH study had a happenstance meeting with a senior staff member from the YMCA (now the Y) of Greater Indianapolis, a light bulb went off. The Y had local presence, knowledgeable staff, and a mission to promote health and wellness – a strong foundation for deploying a chronic‐disease prevention program. Would it be possible to modify the NIH intervention to work in the context of the Y? Over two years, the Y and Indiana University collaborated to refine the best approach for the Diabetes Prevention program, finding that comparable outcomes could be achieved in a group‐based format, led by trained staff, at a fraction of the cost. With this adapted protocol, the Y began to replicate the program across its national network. Today, more than 200 Ys across the United States are offering the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program. The Y’s pioneering work led to a historic decision by Medicare to make the Diabetes Prevention Program a covered benefit beginning in 2018.
There is a natural tension between the goals of academia and the goals of a service‐delivery organization. Even with an empirically validated solution, lean experimentation is still necessary to build out operations and adapt to different contexts. There is little incentive for academics to do this more practical work. On the other hand, nonprofits and social enterprises can fall victim to “not invented here” syndrome, preferring to invest in their own ideas.
One exception is Evidence Action, a nonprofit that has deployed a number of evidence‐based solutions that originated in academia. It seeks to turn research studies that demonstrate successful results into institutionalized, cost‐effective, scalable programs. In Bangladesh, Evidence Action tested an intervention based on Yale University economics professor Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak’s research on offering small transportation stipends to encourage farmers to migrate to towns or cities where they are more likely find work during the lean season – the months between planting and harvesting when they have little food or income. Its experiments have cut the costs for the program in half, streamlined operational systems and processes, and improved targeting based on the discovery that people were more likely to migrate if their neighbors do. With these enhancements, the program, No Lean Season, is rapidly expanding, with 40,000 disbursements in 2017 and concrete plans to reach over 200,000 by 2020.
To facilitate the use and dissemination of evidence‐based solutions by both policy makers and practitioners, the UK government launched the What Works Network in 2013. The network consists of seven independent centers focused on areas such as health, education, crime, aging, and economic growth. Many other related initiatives also exist, such as the What Works Clearinghouse run by the US Department of Education and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J‐PAL). Before investing in a new idea, take a look at what has been tried, and what has succeeded and failed, to best target your efforts.
MISSION FIRST
When we ask people to invest in a business venture, we have a responsibility to maximize financial returns. When we ask people to donate money, or beneficiaries to put their time and trust in us, shouldn’t we have a similar obligation to maximize social benefit? In all cases, we are stewards. If we can’t provide the best possible results, we should make room for better alternatives.
At times, personal or organizational priorities can lead to suboptimal social returns. Even when services could be delivered at less cost or greater scale, mergers of nonprofits are rare, as executive teams and boards are loath to relinquish identity, culture, and control. Too often, teams reinvent the wheel to make their own mark, when successful solutions exist that could be replicated. Fierce competition for grants can lead to hoarding insights as a competitive advantage, rather than collaborating towards a shared purpose. And, political or publicity priorities can trump impact, leading to flashy pilots that make a splash and not much else.
I’ve had a long‐standing debate with a friend who started a boutique social enterprise that sources and sells handicrafts from her native state in India. She runs the business part‐time, organizing local craftswomen when she is in country and seeking retail outlets to sell their goods in the United States. I asked her why she didn’t connect those women to established distribution channels for local artisans or help expand the sales outlets for existing networks of craftswomen who could benefit from greater access to markets. Either would create greater economies of scale and thus more benefit for more women. Her response? “I enjoy running the business, and doing so my way.”
Finding the best solution can mean keeping our egos and organizational priorities in check. This is yet another reason that it is crucial to establish a goal as a North Star that points to the impact we will relentlessly seek. If our goal is to provide better livelihoods for millions of women, what is the best way to do so?
AGAIN AND AGAIN
With a promising solution in hand, teams naturally become emotionally attached. After all, they’ve done the research, poured in their hearts and creative juices, gotten others excited, and found something that could make a big difference. Sadly, innovation often ends with the big idea. Ideation can be fun, but it is only one step on the long journey to radically greater social good.
As the experience of most social innovators tells us, it’s rare for an idea to work perfectly on the first try. Even if a solid kernel exists, many rounds of refinement may be needed before arriving at a validated solution that fully addresses a complex and multidimensional problem. Customers may not embrace it, costs may be too high, or other forces in the ecosystem may prevent the expected social impact from being realized. The messy reality of the real world rarely matches the theory in the lab.
Expect to land back here, again and again. Remember the Lean Impact principle to relentlessly seek impact? Think like a scientist. A new drug may have all the hallmarks of success, but what matters is how it performs in clinical trials. If you become too attached, you may hang on too long and waste precious time and money while ignoring signs that it’s time to pivot. Innovation is a continuous process of following the evidence while staying focused on the goal.