Thinking inside the box may not be common advice, but sometimes it is the best way to create a product or a service. We often think of innovation as something that we sit and squeeze and something comes out... when basically it comes down to people drawing from their own experiences.
Next time you call for an innovation meeting, encourage the group to get in their box to create products and services that they are interested in. Ask them to think about the problems that they are currently experiencing, and then to brainstorm as a group on solutions to those problems.
To read more, see this article on a recent Idea Generation Workshop at Weiss Tech House:
http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2011/11/idea_generation_workshop_kicks_off_pennvention