The United Nations designated April 21 as World Creativity and Innovation Day. The day raises awareness of the role of creativity and innovation play in all aspects of human development. Where does innovation come from? Our Blue Yonder Crystal Ball team members Taylor Weissman and Debra Aldrich share what they have learned.
We wanted to find out where awesome and innovative ideas come from. What we found was that we really don’t have those eureka moments.
According to brainiacs in science and research, our best ideas do NOT, for the most part, spontaneously come from inside our brains. Instead, they are inspired from things outside our brains. We form great ideas as a combination or mutation of other existing ideas, things, people, places, and more.
Our best ideas come when we are doing something completely opposite of trying to conjure up an idea. For instance, when we go on a walk we see things and interact with people and hear different words or ideas that combine into a morphed or new brilliant idea of our own. Here’s an example: You walk and see a person throwing a ball to a dog. You think, wouldn’t it be easier if the ball moves itself. So voila; you create a self-propelled dog ball!
At Blue Yonder, our business runs on brilliant ideas and innovation. That’s where Crystal Ball comes in. Each year, globally, we not only celebrate innovation but empower associates to think for themselves, create great ideas and inventions on how to work smarter, faster, and achieve more at Blue Yonder. Our electrifying innovation competition showcases ingenious ideas organically grown from our associates and partners. They are asked to submit ideas that simplify and optimize Blue Yonder processes, systems, and products or that cultivate and improve both customer and associate engagement and experience.
How does it work? Crystal Ball is a competitive event, much like a science fair, that is hosted regionally for Americas/EMEA and India/APAC. “Ideators” are coached on idea presentation to meet criteria such as valuation, contribution and more, then judged by panels of prestigious leaders. This grand celebration is more than just prizes and idea adoption across Blue Yonder – it brings dreams into reality.
Why is Crystal Ball important? It provides a platform for all of our associates’ home-grown ideas that not only help them work smarter and faster but also optimize how we execute our business to create a better Blue Yonder. Crystal Ball events witness hundreds of ideas each year that get funded and implemented to rocket Blue Yonder to new horizons.
Having worked on the Crystal Ball committee for several years, we are alwaysamazed and in wonder of the number of ideas, the maturity of these ideas, and the business impact that the Crystal Ball competition brings. We get the privlege to see behind the scenes and observe how the “Ideators,”;, the Idea Coaches, and committee members band together to propel innovation across Blue Yonder.
One of the event’s themes this year was, “To Innovation and B’Yond.” We truly saw this come to life and it exceeded our expectations. Each year we find ourselves wondering how the next year can top this, and it always does.
So the next time you’re out on a walk, in a café, or driving your car and have that “A-ha moment” know that you have a place to cultivate and nurture those ideas at Blue Yonder. Crystal Ball is the avenue that will help bring your ideas to life and make a huge impact for Blue Yonder and our customers.
We ask again – Where do ideas come from? Our awesome associates at Blue Yonder!
Have an awesome idea? Don’t hide it, let it shine! Be brave and share that idea with others to see where it might go!
