No two organizations are exactly alike, but each company Exago has worked with has similar innovation related personality profiles: inside your company there are ideators, builders, screeners and implementers. To thrive in your innovation management program, we recommend you find ways to engage all of the different personality profiles.

You may be able to spot creative individuals we call ideators. These are the people who are always ready to contribute with an insight or idea. You’ll also have people who are more willing to tell you why that idea won’t work or why it would work better if you did X, Y, or Z. We call these people builders.

You also have – in fewer amounts – the screeners; individuals with a talent for picking out the best and worst ideas. The last group is the implementers who are hands-on people able to push an initiative from idea to operation.

Include them all
Understanding this diversity within your organization is an important first step that should be followed by a plan that engages each profile. If you want to get the most out of every initiative, this plan is essential to develop.

To give an example, why cause someone to feel frustrated for not being able to offer an idea when her talent lies in building upon the ideas of others? Design your innovation program to be inclusive so that all types of people have the ability to contribute according to their individual strengths.

At Exago, we believe most of your business challenges are solved by unleashing the hidden potential of your people.

Pedro do Carmo Costa, Exago’s director and co-founder
pcc@exago.com

FROM THE START: Innovation looks easy – it’s not