5 Insights for Inclusive Innovation

Today, we delve into inclusive innovation, where diversity and collaboration drive remarkable outcomes. In today’s world, the leading edge of innovation is becoming a collaborative and inclusive process, benefiting from user involvement s and collective intelligence.

We are excited to share these 5 top tips for fostering inclusive innovation that unlocks the full potential of diverse perspectives:

1. One of the key principles of inclusive innovation is being user-led. Involving beneficiaries in the processes of insight-generation, ideation and decision-making moves people away from being research subjects and towards being co-creators. whether they are community members or service users/customers, an inclusive approach increases the relevance of the innovation and its subsequent impact.

2. Crowdsourcing plays a pivotal role in an inclusive approach, allowing a diverse range of voices to contribute to the decision-making process. These platforms enable users to input insights or ideas and also to vote on and improve those of others, creating a powerful collective intelligence that is also satisfying to participate in.

3. Inclusive innovation recognises the importance of combining social and commercial elements, underpinning  social effectiveness by going beyond a theory of change to include a viable open business models which helps scale an idea into  service.

4. Collaboration is another fundamental pillar of inclusive innovation where by bringing together a partnership of various stakeholders, we harness diverse expertise and perspectives.

A notable example is the Crisis case, where different stakeholders joined forces to tackle complex challenges collectively. They engaged with us to convene a diverse group of professionals through the “End Migrant Homelessness” Crowdicity platform. Collaboration and inclusive innovation led to the development of five impactful ideas, such as homeless peer support and a bed finder service. These ideas now form essential pillars of Crisis’ strategy to end homelessness, demonstrating the power of inclusive innovation in addressing complex social challenges.

5. And last but not least, an agile mindset is essential for continuous learning, adaptation, and improvement, ensuring that the end result is being fruitful. It is important to set up a process which is flexible enough to incorporate lessons but also remain focused in delivering the end goal.

In this context, we shine a spotlight on Tarun Sarwal, one of our esteemed 100%Open Associates and Managing partner of Inkludo Consulting. Tarun specialises in collaborating with startups that prioritise social impact, specifically in the field of innovation for disabilities in developing countries. Together, we strive for a more inclusive world!

Wishing you an innovative and inclusive month ahead!