ASSOCIATION INNOVATION INTERVENTION

Overview

Mitchell&McCue has helped Associations energize their innovation process, starting with a one-day Association Innovation Intervention for staff and/or volunteer leadership. Our Association Innovation Intervention was developed specifically for national Associations and it includes proven innovation techniques of major U.S. corporate brands. The process generates new ideas, opportunities and priorities for innovation.

Associations Stay Relevant through Innovation
The objective of the Innovation Intervention is to generate a breadth of new product, service, program, revenue-generating and/or brand-building ideas that are in alignment with an Association’s mission and strategic plan.

The process carefully leverages the knowledge and experience of staff and/or volunteer leadership who participate in the Innovation Intervention.

What We Have Accomplished with other Associations
Prior to the Innovation Intervention our project leader spends time with an Association to understand its mission, strategic direction, target audiences and current critical issues. We will also discuss and agree upon the specific areas to explore during the Innovation Intervention.

Once Mitchell&McCue has an understanding of the current situation of the organization and the desired focus(es) for Innovation, we will design a series of exercises for the Innovation Intervention. Important will be creating the appropriate environment and process for creative thinking. We understand that many of us believe that we “aren’t creative”; we disagree and have found a breadth of individuals are very creative when the process is properly designed and managed.

The day will be highly structured and focused because studies have shown, and we have experienced, that individuals are much more productive in idea generating when they are given specific and pertinent tasks to address. For each exercise we will include information and insights pertinent to that exercise so that the participants are basing their assumptions on the same set of facts, rather than anecdotal experiences. The envisioning processes stimulate creativity in a most meaningful manner.

Sometimes individuals will participate as one group and in some cases in smaller groups. We will determine the make-up of each exercise depending on the overall design. In total there should be a minimum of 15 participants and as many as 60. Most frequently an Innovation Intervention is held off-site in the city of the Association’s headquarters. A larger meeting room to accommodate the entire group and several smaller meeting rooms are necessary. The entire day is typically six to eight hours in length.

We have found that an initial presentation (at the beginning of the Innovation Intervention or as a pre-read) that focuses on recent trends pertinent to the Association, as well as available market research insights about certain target audiences is invaluable to expanding the knowledge base of participants and their productivity during the day.

During the process we will ask the participants to prioritize their ideas at different points. That process provides guidance as the Association moves forward and begins to narrow down the wealth of ideas from the day.

The Right Mix of Contributors
Mitchell&McCue will provide guidance on the make-up of the individuals who should be included in the Innovation Intervention. Generally, we encourage a breadth of individuals from the staff and volunteer ranks because we know that new product development, product launches and product or program delivery touch many departments within an Association. Involvement of those departments from the initial stages of your Innovation process is crucial.

Four Mitchell&McCue professionals participate in each Innovation Intervention. Typically their professional expertise falls into the following areas: New Product Development, Strategic Planning, Marketing Strategy, and Finance. Each has a blend of experience in Innovation with major U.S. brands and national Associations.

Within two weeks of the completion of the Innovation Intervention Mitchell&McCue will provide a written summary of the results and will include all presentations, as well as the ideas that we created. It is important that ideas not be lost; sometimes the timing may not be right for a great idea, but it’s time may come. The report becomes an important reference as an Association continues on its Innovation journey.

Benefits
The most significant benefit to Associations who participate in Mitchell&McCue Innovation Interventions is a wide range of ideas that can generate revenue or are brand-building with members, customers or other important constituencies. Associations are amazed at their ability to create many meaningful ideas when given the proper guidance.

A secondary, but not insignificant, benefit relates to energy and team-building. Our clients frequently call back after an Innovation Intervention and tell us how their organization has been re-energized as a result of the day -- and that many of the internal silos had begun to come down.

When planning an Association’s Innovation Intervention, our key point of contact is typically the staff CEO, CFO, or the VP of Marketing, Meetings or Professional Education. One of our firm’s two partners is always the project manager.