Our ideation group generates and develops new product, service, and business concepts that answer both incremental and giant-leap needs. In addition to maintaining a forward focus in developing new products, we believe it is important to work with old things in new ways. These prospects have been discussed before. Old ideas, which did not work out before, may be able to make it now. They can have new factors essential to success, both internal and external.
Corporate capabilities change, as do market conditions.
And beyond the sunk costs, those ideas represent a treasury of knowledge, perspective, creativity, skills, and capability. To retrieve that knowledge, we must identify the driving issues, find new gaps and fits, and manage the treasury. Many issues and factors must be considered in mastering the skill of identifying and building value from old ideas. Old ideas freeze our brains into old thoughts and patterns. Their very existence makes it difficult for us to see new possibilities.