Involving Customers

they will have plenty of ideas about how they would like to improve or change what they are using. 

Everyone is creative--and that includes the end users of your innovation.  Users are not simply passive consumers of new products or services; they will have plenty of ideas about how they would like to improve or change what they are using. 

An important theme in managing innovation is learning to work with users as co-creators of innovation ideas for two good reasons.  First, their ideas can help make a better innovation, and second, if you involve them they will buy into the idea.  These users do not have to be limited to customers--the same applies to process innovation.  Changes to the way people work can tap into their ideas about how the process should improve.  Otherwise, they may find ways to resist the change.  There are two ways of encouraging these ideas--appealing to specific users who are likely to contribute, and encouraging contributions from the entire user base.

ACTION POINT: Seek the creativity of your customers and those doing the work to find ideas for innovation.