Innodirect Helps Ready Canada Aviation and Space Museum Initiative for Blast-Off

Chris Kitzan showcases a bright smile together with Innodirect’s and IODS’s representatives, in front of Philippe Meloni’s favorite piece of the CASM: the DC3. From left to right: Dana ShawishChris KitzanMilena OrlowskaPhilippe MeloniDominique Sauvé.

This summer, Innodirect and OIDS worked with Chris Kitzan, director of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, to support the launch of an all-new disruptive community.

A STORY OF ENDURANCE

For over two years, Kitzan — together with an ardent team — has worked to establish the foundation of a new pan-Canadian network that spans the Aero/Space and Mobility industries. Combined, the different sectors represent 770,000 jobs, generate $105 billion in annual sales and share the common goal of developing future workforces. At the heart of Kitzan’s initiative is the joining of efforts across these sectors to find new ways of igniting the interest of the public, and specifically youth, in Aero/Space and modes of Mobility. 

A FAMILIAR SET OF CHALLENGES

Even though the initiative had enormous potential, it still encountered some familiar roadblocks, such as:
–        Gathering a large and highly diverse group of people in one place
–        Enabling an inclusive, open, creative and impartial debate
–        Coming up with clear and concrete steps to develop discussions
–        Ensuring commitment through a collective sense of responsibility for the results

A FIRST ACHIEVEMENT

In May 2018, Kitzan gathered together 40 different people from around the country at a memorable event at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa. The attendees ranged from government employees to academics, association workers to industry specialists — with their intense discussions resulting in a rich list of exciting ideas.
Still, if this single event had generated so many novel notions, Kitzan wondered, what would that list of ideas look like if everyone invited had been able to attend, participate and further develop their concepts?

AN INNOVATIVE TOOL

When he later voiced this thought, it was suggested that Kitzan continue the discussions virtually. That’s when Dominique Sauvé, founder of OIDS and co-founder of Innodirect, stepped in. She recommended that Kitzan use Innodirect, a web platform for bias-free brainstorming and business matching.
At the end of June, the network’s first virtual brainstorming session kicked off. Over 100 people received an e-invitation to participate, providing the rising network with a strong, cross-sectoral reach-out. For 11 days, five subjects were discussed, ranging from the primary added value of the network to which pilot projects should be prioritized.
Through Innodirect’s unique approach of enabling supervised, anonymous discussions between authenticated users, this diverse group of contributors was able to freely voice their concerns, opinions and ideas. This, together with the possibility to upvote contributions, meant that the contributions were valued based purely on the merit of their content. 

A SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME

With OIDS’s help in analyzing the discussions, the outcome was eye-opening. After two years of sharing his vision for a network, Kitzan reinforced his belief that the key to success is through the community. Through the discussions, it became clear that the value of the growing network would lie in its ability to connect existing communities and build innovative, agile collaborations. In addition, the sessions helped to clarify multiple concerns while raising a number of new questions and ideas — demonstrating the dynamic nature of debate.

AN UNEXPECTED CATALYST

A few weeks after the session ended, Kitzan announced some excellent news: new, exciting partnerships are being formed and there will be some exciting projects to announce in the near future— just the catalyst needed to propel the new network forward!

TO BE CONTINUED…

The Innodirect team is thrilled to support this ambitious network and their inspirational initiative, and hope to be a part of its bright future. We wish Mr. Kitzan and the network all the best as they continue to uncover new ways of fostering curiosity and nurturing young talent, while maintaining their international economic position. 

If you think your business could also benefit from some creativity, diversity, inclusivity and clarification, why not start your own brainstorming session with us?

Contact us

Innodirect Team

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