allidea

Allidea is a term used in innovation studies and collaborative design to describe a holistic approach to generating, sharing, and developing ideas across disciplines. The concept emphasizes inclusivity of perspectives, rapid synthesis, and iterative refinement, aiming to connect disparate insights into actionable concepts.

Origin and usage: The term combines all and idea, signaling universal consideration of ideas. It appears in design thinking, open innovation, and knowledge-management discussions, with no single founder. It is used in both academic and corporate contexts to describe practices that transcend silos and encourage cross-functional collaboration.

Practice: An allidea workflow typically includes capturing a broad range of ideas, organizing them in a central repository, cross-pollinating concepts across domains, and applying criteria to assess desirability, feasibility, and viability. Teams may use ideation sessions, mind maps, taxonomies, and lightweight prototyping to advance ideas from concept to testable solutions.

Evaluation and critique: Proponents cite the approach as capable of generating diverse, resilient innovations, while critics warn of analysis paralysis, bias in selection, and over-generalization. The effectiveness of allidea depends on clear governance, inclusive participation, structured methods, and explicit pathways from idea to implementation.

See also: Design thinking, Open innovation, Knowledge management, Brainstorming.