VL Group 121 is an organized network group with thirty-seven members, based in Horsens, Denmark, consisting of leaders and senior professionals across industries in both the private and public sectors.

Challenge

VL Gruppe 121 wanted to attain more inspiration on how to develop better business ideas. The network members were keen to explore and absorb the Design Thinking process through experimental learning. The chairman of the network group required a facilitator with extensive knowledge in facilitating simulative innovation processes through the Design Thinking methodology and requested Business Learning's help to lead the training.

Approach

Business Learning provided a half-day workshop where the network members had to bring a business idea they wanted to investigate and develop further. The participants explored how to solve their business ideas in a guided and structured way, reducing cost, risk, and time, and avoiding the missteps that often arise when organizations innovate. Combining small interactive videos, simulations, and collaborative tasks the participants worked on building mock-ups and solutions for their ideas.

Impact

VL Gruppe 121 learned how to properly conduct brainstorming sessions where they abandoned the notion of only generating ideas that were realistic and appropriate. Instead, the participants intentionally tried to come up with unrealistic and nearly impossible concepts that could serve as inspiration for new ideas. The participants also learned how to phrase their challenge as a question, focusing on understanding and connecting the benefits to the customers they serve.