Let’s be frank, innovation could do with some innovating. Startups are leading the way.
My experience running a startup, working at several and through mentoring startups, has given me unique insights into how well they are positioned to disrupting not just markets, but innovation itself. I wrote a trend report about this: Startup Innovation.
Hackathons have typically been the preserve of startups but large organisations are adopting them too now. I have found them to be rather effective in mixing things up and making something that is normally formal and stuffy, much more fun and engaging. I’ve taken part in many, even won some, at startups and large organisations alike – more here: Hackathon Success.
Having learned a thing or two about what works, I help organisations take the best approaches to disrupting their innovation efforts.
In line with my Success Hacking approach, I see Hackathons as a key intrapreneurial activity and route to innovation. This is a post I wrote some time ago based on work I did supporting customers with running hackathons to drive innovation efforts (see article at left, just one example). My post includes a breakdown of the full blown approach we took over several weeks if not months – the full monty. I also describe an instant, no frills approach that you can run with teams over a few hours. This all borrows from practices that startups have popularised and I have been using to good effect.
It is quality rather than quantity that matters in innovation, but without quantity, you might not get to quality. Hackathons are a way of Innovation Hacking, as I call it and is the lean and agile way to get to the few from the many in a fun, informal and engaging way.
Below is a summary video I created to explain the approach at the time.