Idea Rally® adds to Solvers Successful Portfolio

Interview with an IdeaConnection Problem Solver Dr. T. Charles John Bhaskar has a varied background which he feels is helpful in solving varied problems. His undergraduate degree was in biochemistry, postgraduate degree in Mariculture and doctorate work was in molecular biology and biophysics.

Problem solving as such was his childhood passion and he always thought almost all problems could be solved by adopting method of science. When he was in school Charles wanted to make a few cosmetic products like lotions, creams, etc., without even getting enough books or reading material on the composition or method of manufacture. With many trial and errors in a systematic way, he found his own suitable compositions.

This passion helped him in solving problems for domestic requirements to his school problems. As far as professional problem solving is concerned, Dr. Bhaskar has been doing this for about 12 years as a consultant to many companies. Theoretical problem solving was first ever attempted only with IdeaConnection.

It was a year back that I discovered IdeaConnection. So far I have won four challenges too. In fact IdeaConnection regularly invites its members to several competitions and this time to the Idea Rally®. This looked novel to me and I signed up at once when I received the communication.

I had been involved in several brainstorming events but this is the first time that I had worked with an Idea Rally® of this magnitude with over 500 researchers taking part. In the regular challenges, IdeaConnection usually includes around four to six experts that take part and work for about a month. In this Idea Rally® competition, duration was just a week of interaction with so many scientists, and it gave a great learning experience.

My first reaction to the Idea Rally® was the big surprise of having to encounter so many people with so many ideas which were mostly interesting. Now, my task became more complicated since I needed to put up some ideas which were different from others. However, I soon discovered that I do not really need new ideas all the time but could develop ideas from others or build on others ideas.

The comments by others, whether they are positive or negative are good ways to make one move in the right direction. I sincerely hope that my comments on others ideas too helped them to move in a right direction.

Building on the ideas of others is useful to both individuals and also the sponsor. Philosophically, it is by such collaboration, we all can move forward in life rather than an unhealthy competition.

I was able to send the Idea Rally® link to many colleagues through my email, and even sent personal invitations to some, and put up the link in social media where scientific forums exist. Since many of them registered with their user names, finding them during the competition was not possible. I wonder how many of them remained as observers rather than participants.

Having facilitators was a benefit as they helped the participants to move forward in the right direction by asking right questions or directing them to what they need to do and what not to do. Personally I benefited from a few instances where they brought to my attention that a similar idea was posted by another elsewhere. This could help me collaborate with that person.

It was a pleasant surprise to be given two awards. To be frank, I was not very confident seeing some of my ideas were not voted very high. At the end I understood what exactly the sponsor was looking for. Original ideas, taking others ideas and developing on them and a good collaboration and moving towards a practical approach are all what is required for success.

I am looking forward to contributing to more such Idea Rallies in the days to come. You asked me why? To be frank the rewards are attractive and then it gives one a sense of achievement and a thrill in the process of more learning. Yes, I needed to brush up my basics a lot during this competition. The rewards have been multifold.

I think the Idea Rally® format is a very good one for generating ideas, even in such a short time. Great brains of the world are working together in the same platform, some times contradicting the others, and other times complementing the others, but at the end leading to a viable possible solution. In my opinion, prior to investing huge amounts of money into projects, an Idea Rally® would be the right initial investment option for a Fortune 500 company or a Multinational Company.

I would like to thank IdeaConnection for giving me wonderful opportunities. Before winning this Grand Prize in the Idea Rally®, I had won four other challenges with different teams. Working with some of the World’s top brains is a gain all the way, not just in terms of money alone. The IdeaConnection team had been a receptive one in accepting ideas on improvement, working together on other fronts such as consultant, facilitators, etc. With the prizes I won, I was able to add a few more facilities to my existing lab for a better work environment, as well as to contribute to some social causes too. I believe my life will improve more with IdeaConnection. Thank you, IdeaConnection!