CREATIVITY & INNOVATION

Team Ideation Methods

Non-Analytical Ideation (Idea finding)

BRAINSTORMING (CLASSICAL) Arrange the meeting for a group of the right size and makeup (typically 4-8 people) Write the initial topic on a flipboard, whiteboard or other system where everyone can see it. The better defined, and more clearly stated the problem, the better the session tends to be. Make sure that everyone understands the problem or issue Review the ground rules
Avoid criticising ideas / suspend judgement. All ideas are as valid as each other Lots, Lots & Lots - a large number of ideas is the aim, if you limit the number of ideas people will start to judge the ideas and only put in their 'best' or more often than not, the least radical and new. (continued)
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Non-Analytical Ideation (Idea finding)

BRAINSTORMING (CLASSICAL)
Free-wheeling. Don't censor any ideas, keep the meeting flow going. Listen to other ideas, and try to piggy back on them to other ideas. Avoid any discussion of ideas or questions, as these stop the flow of ideas.

Have someone facilitating to enforce the rules and write down all the ideas as they occur (the scribe can be a second person) Generate ideas - either in an unstructured way (anyone can say an idea at any time) or structure (going round the table, allowing people to pass if they have no new ideas). Clarify and conclude the session. Ideas that are identical can be combined, all others should be kept. It is useful to get a consensus of which ideas should be looked at further or what the next action and timescale is.
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Non-Analytical Ideation (Idea finding)

BRAINSTORMING (TRIGGER SESSIONS) Trigger Sessions are a good way of getting lots of ideas down from untrained resources. The Problem owner defines the problem Each member of group writes down his ideas in shorthand (2 minutes only) One member reads out his list - others silently cross out ideas read out and write down Hitch-hiked ideas The second member reads out his list of ideas not already covered, followed in turn by other members The last member reads out his original list and his Hitch-hiked list and procedure is repeated counter current (ie, if there are 6 folk, the order goes 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,6...) A good group will be able to manage severn passes. Everones paper is then collected and can be typed up into a single list of ideas - all duplicates should have been crossed out during the session.
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Non-Analytical Ideation (Idea finding)

BRAIN SKETCHING
This technique is a Brain Writing technique. A group of 4-8 people sit around a table, or in a circle of chairs. They need to be far enough apart to have some privacy. The problem statement is agreed, and discussed until understood. Each participant privately draws one or more sketches (each on separate sheets of paper) of how it might be solved, passing each sketch on to the person on their right when it is finished. The facilitator suggests that sketches should not take more than 5 minutes or so to draw. Participants take the sketches passed on to them and either develop or annotate them, or use them to stimulate new sketches of their own, passing the amended original and/or any new sketches on to their neighbour when ready. After the process has been running for a suitable period and/or energy is running lower, the sketches are collected in. It will probably help to display all the sketches and to discuss them in turn for clarification and comment. Then move on to any appropriate categorisation, evaluation and selection process
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Ideation (Idea finding)

Synectics Synectics is based on a simple concept for problem solving and creative thinking - you need to generate ideas, and you need to evaluate ideas. Whilst this may be stating the obvious the methods used to perform these two tasks are extremely powerful.
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Ideation (Idea finding)

Synectics Before that: Two terms to understand Springboard: a flexible board for jumping upward

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Ideation (Idea finding)

Synectics Before that: Two terms to understand Excursions: Digression, wandering from the main path of a journey A usually short journey made for pleasure; an outing; pleasure trip

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Ideation (Idea finding)

Excursion worlds The following are just some of the worlds that you can ask people to be a part of.
Animals Biology Cartoons Comedy Education Espionage Exploration Famous People Fashion Films History Movies Myths Plants Racing Science Fantasy Sports Theatre Tribal Customs War
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007 Acoustics Agriculture Archaeology Computers Crime Farming Finance Games Gardening Health Magic Medicine Models Money Noise Parenting Religion Romance Science Fiction

Astronomy Celebrations Chemistry Clothes Cosmetics Dinner Parties Dwellings Economics Electricity Folk Lore Kitchen implements Mathematics Minerals Music Nursing Physics Smells Space Travel Vacations Woodworking

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Ideation (Idea finding)

Story Excursions Storyboard excursions are where a story is started, usually by the facilitator, and everyone tries to make the story more ridiculous, and have more twists in it as the story goes on. I prefer to keep the story as visual as possible. Physical excursions These are generally needed for groups of low energy. You can do anything from aerobics to charades (where they have to pick a physical activity).
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Ideation (Idea finding)

Description excursions ask people to describe something within their experience, these could include: Favourite vacation Favourite activity Favourite place Favourite smell & associations that go with it Most rewarding experience Favourite sound & associations that go with it.
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Ideation (Idea finding)

Synectics Preliminary planning In advance, hold a preliminary planning meeting with the problem owner(s). This checks that there are genuine problem owners, wanting new options that they themselves can implement, within their authority; helps you to understand the problem-owners' perceptions of the problem area; gives a feel for the number and quality of solutions needed; helps to ensure realistic expectations about results; allows you to agree team membership
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Synectics
Process (Step 1) Problem owner provides headline and wish: They describes the issue, how it is experienced, the background, what has been tried, and the possible scope of action. It is then expressed in one or more big wish statements of the form: I wish (IW)... or How to (H2) ...
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Synectics
Process (Step 2) Group generates large numbers of springboards. The mood here should be expansive and unconstrained. The springboards use the same formats as the big wish (IW, H2, etc.). They are not ideas for solutions, but articulate further wishes to open up space for invention: It would be nice if we could do X but we dont yet know how to.. A wide range of springboard triggering techniques could be used.
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Synectics
Process (Step 3) Select an interesting springboard. The mood now switches to a more focused approach than in Steps 1-2. Problem owner and group members choose their favourite springboards (more on the basis of interest or appeal than on the basis of logical relevance). They share their choices, but final choice rests with the problem-owner. However, the process can always be repeated as it is iterative.
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Synectics
Process (Step 4) Ideas to help achieve the selected springboard are generated using the trigger techniques mentioned in Step 2 (or any other idea-generation methods). The problem-owner selects some that seem interesting.

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Synectics
Process (Step 5) Check understanding of these by paraphrasing them and checking with their authors until the paraphrase is correct. An idea is selected for the Itemised Response listing. Process (Step 6) Itemised response Every conceivable positive features of the selected idea is listed. Then (and only then), a single concern / problem / issue is expressed as a problem for solution (e.g. How to ...). Solutions for these are expressed by all in terms of What you do is (WYDI)....
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Synectics
Process (Step 5) Recycle or end Back to 4. until sufficient ideas for this spring board have been explored. Then back to 3. for another springboard. Cycle until the problem-solver has a solution s/he is happy to run with, or until time runs out.
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