Fostering Creativity Through Co-Creation
Linda Ury Greenberg, Columbia UniversityOffice of Alumni and Development
The Market Research EventBoca Raton, FL
October 21, 2014
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Focus Groups
Online Forums/ Live chat
MROCs
Co-creation
Communities
The Dawn of Qualitative
Present Day
Evolution of Qualitative
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“The roots of great innovation are never just in the technology itself. They are always in the wider historical context. They require new ways of seeing.”
- David Brooks, New York Times columnist
“Do something. Do something to that, and then do something to that. Pretty soon, you’ve got something.”
- Jasper Johns, painter
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Creative Diversity
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Creativity is Problem Solving
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Range of Creativity
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Creative Level
Variables of Creative Diversity
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Creative Level
Creative Style
Variables of Creative Diversity
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Creative Level
Creative Style
Motive
Variables of Creative Diversity
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Creative Level
Creative Style
Motive
Opportunity
Variables of Creative Diversity
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KLC’s CrowdWeaving Ideation Challenge Process
…The journey is as important as the destination
•Challenge generates ideas •Common themes, needs & behaviors emerge
•Refine and expand top ideas
•KLC curators distill, validate ideas• Identify key themes, recommendations
Ideate
Collaborate
Evaluate
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Uses for CrowdWeaving
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Columbia Volunteer Challenge
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Columbia Research Goals
• Provide a platform for idea generation
Engage alumni in a new way
Build community and excitement
Allow alumni to re-think volunteer roles
Test variations of how best to foster creativity within the ideation process
Be inclusive across all schools and volunteer levels
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The Volunteer ChallengeWhat is the ideal way to motivate you, as well as others like you, to engage in a leadership role as a Columbia alumni volunteer?The goal is to create a truly unique volunteer experience – one that will motivate fellow alumni to begin volunteering, as well as motivate current volunteers to do even more! You are encouraged to create your own ideas and also see what other participants are saying – if you can make other ideas better, we all benefit from an engaging, motivating volunteer experience. “Out of the Box” thinking is encouraged – come up with programs, events, digital services, etc. … the sky’s the limit! Together, we can create ideas that are motivating and engaging to everyone.
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Volunteer Challenge Objectives
Help strengthen Volunteer Network by generating ideas to…• Identify new volunteer leaders• Create programs to recruit volunteers• Develop ways to retain volunteers• Design programs to train volunteers• Determine incentives to recognize volunteer efforts
Test variations of CrowdWeaving methodology:• Test Open vs. Masked Ideation process• Understand the impact of Creative Style• Adaptive vs. Innovative
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Methodology
Challenge Process
MASKED IDEATION N=81
OPEN IDEATION N=78
Post idea independently, then
view othersCan view others’ ideas
prior to posting own idea
Participant Characteristics
Innovative Style N=38
Adaptive Style N=43
Innovative Style N=43
Adaptive Style N=35
Mix of schools represented, range of ages from 22-80, males and females, diverse geographic
locations
What Did We Learn?
Participants are Highly Engaged“ I just wanted to say that I logged on for the first time today and had no idea what to expect. THIS IS SUPER FUN. Thanks so much for putting this together. I'm having a great time here in my cozy living room interacting and brainstorming with fellow alumni. I graduated from Columbia College in 1989 and this is sincerely the first time I have really felt connected and inspired as an alumni. So THANK YOU.”
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Effect of Masked vs. Open Ideation on Participation
Participant BehaviorMasked Ideation
Open Ideation
Ranked ideas 78% 79%
Used “Like” feature 71% 74%
Commented on others’ ideas 33% 36%
Posted an idea
65% 50%
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Open Ideation Leads to Some Groupthink
Most Common Themes
Masked Ideation
Open Ideation
Connecting 51% 43%
Motivators 29% 19%
Local Programs 21% 26%
Awareness 19% 36%Grassroots 5% 15%
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Adaptive vs. Innovative Creators
Participant BehaviorAdaptive Creators
Innovative
Creators
Ranked ideas 80% 75%
Used “Like” feature 75% 66%
Commented on others’ ideas 36% 30%
Posted an idea
57% 58%
Best Practice Recommendatio
ns
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Plot Your Challenge
Complexity
High Brand Affinity
Ideatio
n & Parti
cipatio
n
Commenting & Iteration
Low Brand Affinity
Simplicity
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Recommendations on How to Foster Creativity
• Provide clear Challenge rules & expectations
• Prime participants with warm-up exercises
• Use creative activities to push participants outside of their comfort zone
• Offer tiered incentives based on level of participation
• Include gamification to keep sessions fun and interactive
• Motivate different creative styles through custom messaging• Use Open Ideation for low affinity and/or high complexity issues
– Masked is better for high affinity and low complexity
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Questions?
Create with your audience, not just for
them
Sean HolbertEVP, Business DevelopmentKL [email protected]
Linda Ury GreenbergDirector for Marketing ResearchColumbia UniversityOffice of Alumni and [email protected]