Innovation coaches, the Innovation-Marathon-Codex, innovation methods, innovation everywhere :-)

Not only the teams, also the innovation coaches will miss their normal sleep routine at night helping the students to find the best solutions.

But what exactly is the role of the coaches? Up front the coaches spend a lot of time planning and coordinating the Innovation-Marathon. During the marathon, they are here to support and coach both the teams and the company partners. They do this by explaining methods, providing templates and sharing their knowledge from their practical experience as innovation consultants.

Examples of the innovation methods the teams are using in the first phase, the analysis phase, are Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas or the Problem Hierarchy Analysis. Edward DeBono’s Problem Hierarchy Analysis tool deals with two basic questions: why do I want to solve the problem? What keeps me from solving the problem? These two questions in the end will lead to a range of problem definitions that will serve as a menu to choose from. Osterwalder’s Business Model Canvas helps the students to better understand the company, their business and their ambitions.

Being creative and innovative requires certain values. These values are summed up in what the coaches call the Innovation-Marathon-Codex (sometimes also heard of as the ten commandments of innovation :-)

• Be curious

• Be initiative

• Show flexibility

• Be open

• Be tolerant

• Accept constructive criticism

• Have the COURAGE to come up with unconventional solutions and ideas

• Be willing to work hard

• Take risks

• Remember that all members within the team are equally important no matter their age, gender, academic background, …