25.Apr 2021

The Kickboxing Approach to Innovation

Do you want to foster exceptional, innovative ideas in your company? Get your team into kickboxing! Not the one with the physical fight, but the one where they open a box to kick-start innovation. Learn all about this corporate innovation approach and what you need to test it.

Why Is Kickboxing Useful?

In a corporate environment, innovations are researched, developed, and implemented through multiple steps and stages. While these stable company structures provide guidance with clear tasks and responsibilities, the room for disruptive thoughts and ideas might come up short. The kickboxing approach was initially developed by Adobe and encourages employees to become intrapreneurs by trying out their innovative ideas on a small scale with the help of a box full of tools.

How Does It Work?

The kickbox contains everything needed to advance a new idea, create a prototype, pitch the product, and find investment.

The philosophy is simple: kickboxing allows every employee to test his or her idea, make mistakes, and confirm or reject a hypothesis without a manager’s judgment or far-reaching consequences for the company.

What Could Be Inside Your Box?

The box itself can include as many tools as you think your team members will need in the process, for example:

 

  • A certain quota of uninterrupted time during which the team member is released from work
  • Paper, pens, a ton of sticky notes, or plasticine to promote creativity
  • Guidelines and checklists for lean product development
  • Cash for product supplies, e.g. prepaid cards
  • Access to a community of available experts, coaches, or mentors
  • Vouchers for curated service providers (e.g. agency, programming, legal)
  • Little treats like chocolate or sweets and coffee

Of course, don’t forget to add a note that describes the content and the connected creative process of the kickbox in detail.

You have questions on kickboxing or need help getting started? Our experts are ready to get into kickboxing mode and are happy to support you!