A problem half-solved is a problem well-stated: Increasing the rate of innovation through team problem discovery

Abstract

When turning ideas into innovation, current theories argue that a clear problem is essential throughout the innovation process because it enhances several team dynamics while generating and implementing ideas. However, such clarity can also hinder a team's ability to pivot or adapt their project when needed. To address this tension, we conducted a field study on 579 teams participating in an innovation competition at a Fortune Global 500 company to investigate how the level of problem clarity over time affects idea implementation in teams. Our results show that when teams began with lower levels of problem clarity and then gained higher clarity over time based on prior work developing ideas for the solution, a process we call “team problem discovery,” ∼80 % of these teams completed their respective project in the organization. But when following a more traditional innovation process, in which they began with higher clarity and then maintained it throughout a project, only ∼50 % of teams completed their project. These findings challenge prior assumptions in literature and offer several theoretical insights into the way teams can engage in problem solving and build shared cognition over time to increase the rate of innovation in organizations.