Fostering Creativity Through Co-Creation Linda Ury Greenberg, Columbia University Office of Alumni and Development The Market Research Event Boca Raton, FL October 21, 2014

2 Focus Groups Online Forums/ Live chat MROCs Co-creation Communities The Dawn of Qualitative Present Day Evolution of Qualitative

3 “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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5 Creativity is Problem Solving

6 Range of Creativity

9 Variables of Creative Diversity

10 Variables of Creative Diversity

11 Variables of Creative Diversity

12 Variables of Creative Diversity

13 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

14 Uses for CrowdWeaving

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16 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

17 The Volunteer Challenge What 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.

18 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

19 Methodology Challenge Process MASKED IDEATION N=81 OPEN IDEATION N=78 Post idea independently, then view others Can 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.”

22 Effect of Masked vs. Open Ideation on Participation Participant Behavior Masked Ideation Open Ideation Ranked ideas78%79% Used “Like” feature71%74% Commented on others’ ideas33%36% Posted an idea65%50%

23 Open Ideation Leads to Some Groupthink Most Common Themes Masked Ideation Open Ideation Connecting51%43% Motivators29%19% Local Programs21%26% Awareness19%36% Grassroots5%15%

24 Adaptive vs. Innovative Creators Participant Behavior Adaptive Creators Innovative Creators Ranked ideas80%75% Used “Like” feature75%66% Commented on others’ ideas36%30% Posted an idea57%58%

Best Practice Recommendations

26 Plot Your Challenge Complexity High Brand Affinity Ideation & Participation Commenting & Iteration Low Brand Affinity Simplicity

27 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

28 Questions? Create with your audience, not just for them Sean Holbert EVP, Business Development KL Communications Linda Ury Greenberg Director for Marketing Research Columbia University Office of Alumni and Development