Idea+Generation+&amp;+Evaluation

i. __Freewheeling__ – anyone can call an idea out at any time, a free-for-all. It promotes fast thinking and momentum. ii. __Round-robin__ – one by one participants either propose an idea or pass to the next person. Rounds continue until all pass. It is more thoughtful and encourages participants to listen more closely which can trigger his/her own association iii. __Closed eyes__ – use in freewheeling, allows people to be less inhibited
 * 1) **Brainstorming** – pioneered by Alex Osborn, allows for collective energy and confidence, divergent thinking and delayed judgment with a 4 step sequence
 * 2) __Orientation__ – one person introduces the topic using a clear and specific statement, i.e. “We are seeking new ways to increase customer satisfaction on phone orders.”, making sure everyone understands it.
 * 3) __NO CRITICIZING OF IDEAS__. All ideas are valid. Don’t censor.
 * 4) __Idea Generation__ – this is key to the process where as many ideas as possible are generated. //**Quantity not quality counts**//. No idea is absurd and no judgments are made. A recorder jots down all ideas. Here are 3 varieties. Choose one.
 * 1) __Discussion & Evaluation__ – discuss each idea first to be sure it is understood. Then evaluate it in terms of pros and cons
 * 2) __Decision & Implementation__ – select the best solution

· When defining the problem make sure that it has o a subject - who is acting o a verb - the action o an object - who / what is being acted upon. · Perform a ((classic brainstorming)) session · Define the essential elements of the problem, and identify which of the elements above (1) is the most directly tied to a successful solution. · Propose imaginary replacements for the other elements. e.g.
 * Imaginary Brainstorming** has a slight twist. The ground rules etc. are the same, the differences are;

Original problem Suggested replacements The PM, Donald Duck, Teachers** Earn a Million, get drunk** (This element is kept as the essential element.)** Retrieved from **"**[|**http://www.mycoted.com/Imaginary_Brainstorming**]**"**
 * How do**
 * How do / does**
 * we**
 * Children,
 * How do / does**
 * we**
 * Children,
 * we**
 * Children,
 * Children,
 * write a bid**
 * Build a house,
 * write a bid**
 * Build a house,
 * Build a house,
 * in half the normal time?**
 * in half the normal time?
 * in half the normal time?**
 * in half the normal time?
 * in half the normal time?
 * Formulate a new problem statement, substituting one of the imaginary elements.
 * Brainstorm ideas for the imaginary problem
 * Apply ideas from the imaginary brainstorming back to the real problem statement.
 * Analyse all of the ideas (real, imaginary and combined) and take forward those of most interest.
 * Analyse all of the ideas (real, imaginary and combined) and take forward those of most interest.

i. How is this like my problem? ii. What if my problem were a. .? iii. What are the similarities? iv. …is like the solution to my problem because…? v. How is … like an idea that might solve my problem?
 * 1) **Forced Connections –** linking two disparate items, such as words, objects, feelings, and ideas & then use the new language generated by the linkages to think through the problem.
 * 2) Ask questions such as

i. Select one item and generate ideas by forcing an association between whatever object & the problem or situation.
 * 1) __Idea Bag__ – filled w/ toys and trinkets.


 * 1) __Pick a Word__ - Open a dictionary to any page and pick a word
 * 2) __Think “As If”__ you were the following people (just be sure to have a diverse list)

i. Ozzie Osborn ii. Weird Al Yankovich iii. Stephen Colbert iv. Peter Pan v. Walt Disney vi. The Rock vii. Trey Parker viii. President Bush ix. Ann Landers x. The Cat in the Hat xi. J. R. Tolkein

You can force a relationship between almost anything, and get new insights - companies and whales, management systems and telephone networks, or your relationship and a pencil. Forcing relationships is one of the most powerful ways to develop ways to develop new insights and new solutions. A useful way of developing the relationships is to have a selection of objects or cards with pictures to help you generate ideas. Choose an object or card at random and see what relationships you can force.
 * 3.** **Forced Analogy**
 * Forced analogy is a very useful and fun-filled method of generating ideas. The idea is to compare the problem with something else that has little or nothing in common and gaining new insights as a result.**

//Corporation as a matchbox//
Matchbox Attributes Corporation
 * Robert Olson in his book The Art of Creative Thinking describes the problem of examining a corporate organisation structure by comparing it to a matchbox.**
 * Striking surface on two sides**
 * The protection an organisation needs against strikes**
 * Six Sides**
 * Six essential organisational divisions**
 * Sliding centre section**
 * The heart of the organisation should be slidable or flexible**
 * Made of cardboard**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**
 * Six essential organisational divisions**
 * Sliding centre section**
 * The heart of the organisation should be slidable or flexible**
 * Made of cardboard**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**
 * The heart of the organisation should be slidable or flexible**
 * Made of cardboard**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**
 * Made of cardboard**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**
 * Inexpensive method of structure - disposable**

//Marriage as a pencil//
Pencil Marriage
 * Betty Edwards in her book** Drawing on the Artist Within **shows the example of a pencil used to examine aspects of a marriage.**
 * Gold Ring**
 * Remember promises**
 * Blue Ring**
 * Clean the tub. I share depression too often with family**
 * Yellow**
 * Too timid. Harold needs to know my true feelings**
 * Flat side**
 * Dull daily routine. Change activities**
 * Six sides**
 * 6 things to do: Budget, Take a class, Improve discipline, be more assertive, start now!, improve communications**
 * Eraser**
 * Rub him out! Forgive and forget past mistakes**
 * Money**
 * Spend too much. Need a budget. Take a job**
 * Superior**
 * I feel inferior to my husband**
 * Wood shaft**
 * Feel closed in. Need other interests. Am I getting shafted?**
 * Lead**
 * Get the lead out! Do It! if I press any harder I will break.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Six sides**
 * 6 things to do: Budget, Take a class, Improve discipline, be more assertive, start now!, improve communications**
 * Eraser**
 * Rub him out! Forgive and forget past mistakes**
 * Money**
 * Spend too much. Need a budget. Take a job**
 * Superior**
 * I feel inferior to my husband**
 * Wood shaft**
 * Feel closed in. Need other interests. Am I getting shafted?**
 * Lead**
 * Get the lead out! Do It! if I press any harder I will break.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Superior**
 * I feel inferior to my husband**
 * Wood shaft**
 * Feel closed in. Need other interests. Am I getting shafted?**
 * Lead**
 * Get the lead out! Do It! if I press any harder I will break.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Feel closed in. Need other interests. Am I getting shafted?**
 * Lead**
 * Get the lead out! Do It! if I press any harder I will break.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Get the lead out! Do It! if I press any harder I will break.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Write**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**
 * Send a note telling Harold that I love him.**


 * 1) **Role Playing** – pretend to be someone or something else. ( At Gillette they pretended to be a hair shaft as they developed a new shampoo.)
 * 2) The basic rule is that anything goes. Avoid all critical comments.
 * 3) Do some warm-up exercises – stretching
 * 4) Don’t limit yourself to “people” roles – pretend to be animals, foods, chemicals, metals or any other animate or inanimate object
 * 5) Role playing can occur in either a directed or a nondirected format.
 * i.** Directed- group leader sets up a specific scene
 * ii.** Nondirected – each participant can do whatever s/he pleases – improvisation
 * 1) Don’t push for results. It usually requires at least 10-20 minutes for people to warm up and develop their characters. The best ideas generally occur toward the end of the role play. Some will work and some won’t.

. The world is full of opposites. Of course, any attribute, concept or idea is meaningless without its opposite. Lao-tzu wrote Tao-te Ching which stresses the need for the successful leader to see opposites all around: The wise leader knows how to be creative. In order to lead, the leader learns to follow. In order to prosper, the leader learns to live simply. In both cases, it is the interaction that is creative. All behaviour consists of opposites...Learn to see things backwards, inside out, and upside down.
 * Problem Reversal** From [|What a Great Idea] by [|Charles Thompson]

//The Method//
State your problem in reverse. Change a positive statement into a negative one. Figure out what everybody else is not doing. Use the "What If" Compass Change the direction or location of your perspective Flip-flop results Turn defeat into victory or victory into defeat 1. Make the statement negative **//For example, if you are dealing with Customer Service issues, list all the ways you could make customer service bad. You will be pleasantly surprised at some of the ideas you will come up with//.** 2. Doing what everybody else doesn't **//For example, Apple Computer did what IBM didn't, Japan made small, fuel-efficient cars.//** 3. The "What-If Compass" **//The author (Charles Thompson) has a list of pairs of opposing actions which can be applied to the problem. Just ask yourself "What if I ........" and plug in each one of the opposites. A small sample:-//**
 * Stretch it/Shrink It**

Freeze it/Melt it
Personalise it/De-personalise it

4. Change the direction or location of your perspective **//Physical change of perspective, Manage by Walking around, or doing something different//.** 5. Flip-flop results **//If you want to increase sales, think about decreasing them. What would you have to do?//** 6. Turn defeat into victory or victory into defeat **//If something turns out bad, think about the positive aspects of the situation. If I lost all of the files off this computer, what good would come out of it? Maybe I would spend more time with my family?! Who knows!//**

=Assumption smashing=

A “what if?” strategy. Students generate a list of assumptions, and then eliminate one. This forms the basis for discussion about possible results. For example, "All forms of transportation are now free."

=Creative thinking technique: Lotus Blossom= //**By Michael Michalko**//

We were all born as spontaneous, creative thinkers. Yet a great deal of our education may be regarded as the inculcation of mind sets. We were taught how to handle problems and new phenomena with fixed mental attitudes (based on what past thinkers thought) that predetermine our response to problems or situations. Typically, we think on the basis of similar problems encountered in the past. When confronted with problems, we fixate on something in our past that has worked before. Then we analytically select the most promising approach based on past experiences, excluding all other approaches, and work within a clearly defined direction toward the solution of the problem.

//Creative geniuses think differently//
Creative geniuses don’t think this way. The creative genius will always look for a multiplicity of ways to approach a subject. It is this willingness to entertain different perspectives and alternative approaches that broadens their thinking and opens them up to new information and the new possibilities that the rest of us don’t see. Einstein was once asked what the difference was between him and the average person. He said that if you asked the average person to find a needle in a haystack, the person would stop when he or she found a needle. He, on the other hand, would tear through the entire haystack looking for all possible needles. When Charles Darwin first set to solve the problem of evolution, he did not analytically settle on the most promising approach to natural selection and then process the information in a way that would exclude all other approaches. Instead, he initially organized his thinking around significant themes, principally eight, of the problem, which gave his thinking some order but with the themes connected loosely enough so that he could easily alter them singly or in groups. His themes helped him capture his thoughts about evolutionary change by allowing him to reach out in many alternative directions at once and pulling seemingly unrelated information into a coalescent body of thought. Darwin used his themes to work through many points that led to his theory of evolution by helping him to comprehend what is known and to guide in the search for what is not yet known. He used them as a way of classifying the relation of different species to each other, as a way to represent the accident of life, the irregularity of nature, the explosiveness of growth, and of the necessity to keep the number of species constant. Over time, he rejected some of his themes— the idea of direct adaptation, for instance. Some were emphasized -- the idea of continuity. Some were confirmed for the first time -- the idea that change is continuous. Some were recognized -- the frequency of variation. By adjusting and altering the number of themes and connections, Darwin was able to keep his thought fluid and to bring about adaptive shifts in his thinking. He played the critic, surveying his own positions; the inventor, devising new solutions and ideas; and the learner, accumulating new facts not prominent before.

//The Lotus Blossom brainstorming technique//
The point is that by organizing his thinking around loosely-connected themes, Darwin expanded his thinking by inventing alternative possibilities and explanations that, otherwise, may have been ignored. A creative-thinking technique that will help you expand your thinking in a similar fashion is Lotus Blossom, which was originally developed by Yasuo Matsumura of Clover Management Research in Chiba City, Japan. The technique helps you to diagrammatically mimic Darwin’s thinking strategy by organizing your thinking around significant themes. You start with a central subject and expand into themes and sub-themes, each with separate entry points. In Lotus Blossom, the petals around the core of the blossom are figuratively "peeled back" one at a time, revealing a key component or theme. This approach is pursued in ever-widening circles until the subject or opportunity is comprehensively explored. The cluster of themes and surrounding ideas and applications, which are developed in one way or another, provide several different alternative possibilities. The guidelines for Lotus Blossom are: 1. Write the central problem in the center of the diagram. 2. Write the significant themes, components or dimensions of your subject in the surrounding circles labeled A to H surrounding the central theme. List The optimal number of themes for a manageable diagram is between six and eight. If you have more than eight, make additional diagrams. Ask questions like: What are my specific objectives? What are the constants in my problem? If my subject were a book, what would the chapter headings be? What are the dimensions of my problem? 3. Use the ideas written in the circles as the central themes for the surrounding lotus blossom petals or boxes. Thus, the idea or application you wrote in Circle A would become the central theme for the lower middle box A. It now becomes the basis for generating eight new ideas or applications. 4. Continue the process until the lotus blossom diagram is completed.

//An example: How to add value to your organization//
Suppose, for example, you want to create more value for your organization by increasing productivity or decreasing costs. You would write “Add Value” in the center box. Next, write the eight most significant areas in your organization where you can increase productivity or decrease costs in the circles labeled A to H that surround your central box. Also write the same significant areas in the circles with the corresponding letters spread around the diagram. In my example, I selected the themes “suppliers,” “travel expenses,” “partnerships,” “delivery methods,” “personnel,” “technology,” “facilities,” and “evaluation.”) Also write the same significant areas in the circles with the corresponding letters spread around the diagram. For instance, in the sample diagram the word “technology” in the circle labeled A, serves as the theme for the lower middle group of boxes. Each area now represents a theme that ties together the surrounding boxes. For each theme, try to think of eight ways to add value. Phrase each theme as a question to yourself. For example, ask, “In what ways might we use technology to increase productivity?” and “In what ways might we use technology to decrease expenses?” Write the ideas and applications in the boxes numbered 1 through 8 surrounding the technology theme. Do this for each theme. Think of eight ideas or ways to make personnel more productive or ways to decrease personnel expenses, eight ideas or ways to create more value for your delivery methods, your facilities and so on. If you complete the entire diagram, you’ll have 64 new ideas or ways to increase productivity or decrease expenses. When you write your ideas in the diagram, you’ll discover that ideas continually evolve into other ideas and applications, as ideas seem to flow outward with a conceptual momentum all their own. An important aspect of this technique is that it shifts you from reacting to a “static” snapshot of the problem and will encourage you to examine the significant themes of the problem and the relationships and connections between them. Sometimes when you complete a diagram with ideas and applications for each theme, a property or feature not previously seen will emerge. Generally, higher level properties are regarded as emergent -- a car, for example, is an emergent property of the interconnected parts. If a car were disassembled and all the parts were thrown into a heap, the property disappears. If you placed the parts in piles according to function, you begin to see a pattern and make connections between the piles that may inspire you to imagine the emergent property–the car, which you can then build. Similarly, when you diagram your problem thematically with ideas and applications, it enhances your opportunity to see patterns and make connections. The connections you make between the themes and ideas and applications will sometimes create a emergent new property or feature not previously considered.

=Convergent Thinking Strategies=


 * mind-mapping**

or a matrix to record the attributes and then explore aspects of the problem at hand.

deBono’s Six Hats The objectives of DeBono’s Six Thinking Hats exercise include: a) Examining an issue more closely. b) A provision for examining an issue from many points of view.

White Hat**-** **neutral & objective Unbiased & factual information thinking** Red Hat **– intuitive & emotional thinking** Black Hat **– gloomy & negative** Green Hat **– fertile growth – creative, generative thinking** Blue Hat **– cool –controlled & organized thinking**
 * Legitimizes emotion**
 * Don’t need to justify or provide logic for feelings**
 * Cautionary & logically negative thinking**
 * Points out what is wrong, incorrect**
 * Yellow Hat – sunny & positive**
 * Logically positive thinking**
 * Focuses on positive ideas ranging from the logical to the dreams, hopes & visions**
 * Always wear yellow hat before the black**
 * Search for alternatives**
 * This is lateral!!**
 * Defines the subject**
 * Sets the focus**

Card Story Boards This technique although similarly named is quite different from the [|Cartoon Story Board] technique. It is an ‘idea’ organizing’ method using tree logic (c.f. [|Mind Mapping], and other hierarchical diagrams and outlines, and Venn-convention methods such at [|Snowball Technique], and [|KJ-Method] ). The facilitator is more able to concentrate on idea-generation of particular topics and sub-topics much more closely than is usually possible in open-ended methods (c.f. [|Constrained BrainWriting] as another way to achieve this). Cards are laid out in a tabular format – a simple row of header cards (or possibly header and sub-header cards as in the example below), each with a column of idea cards below it, perhaps with added action or comment notes attached (index cards or Post-it slips could be used): Using different shaped or coloured ‘header’ cards to make them more striking is helpful. The semi-sticky adhesive used on re-stickable notes is available in spray-can form, so if you want to use non-sticky cards, you can make a re-stickable display area by spraying flip-chart paper with the adhesive; the cards can then be put in position or removed and rearranged as you wish. One possible approach is as follows:
 * 1) The group leader describes the problem to the participants; they then suggest possible categories of solutions. These are written on cards and displayed as a row of ‘headers’.
 * 2) The group leader selects a particular ‘header’ and participants write ideas relating to that header on cards. These idea-cards are displayed under the relevant header, followed by the leader posing provocative questions to prompt further idea-cards under that header. This process is repeated with other headers, until there is an adequate supply of ideas. If necessary, return to Step 1 to generate further headers, and/or add sub-header cards under a particular header card
 * 3) The idea cards should no be ranked via a suitable voting method and arranged in priority order under each header (or sub-header). The best three in each category are discussed further, and ranked amongst themselves

Smithers (1984), of the Creative Thinking Centre, adds a introductory problem clarification stage by initially putting up a header saying ‘Purpose’ and then getting the group to develop idea-cards under this header for different aspects of the ‘Purpose’ of solving the problem. The headers for the idea-generation stage are then created as a result of this initial stage, one group member writes the cards, another member pins them up, allowing the group leader to concentrate on facilitation. FASTTRACK, a fully developed problem-solving process devised by Bauer and Associates (1985), makes extensive use of card story boards. They use a These establish a very compact summary of the problem and current ideas about dealing with it, in a system that is easily adjusted. You can also use header cards to represent procedural elements or steps (instead of idea categories) with the idea-cards listing the results of that step.
 * **‘Why?’ header (equivalent to Smitters’ ‘Purpose’),**
 * **‘Miscellaneous’ header (use where there is disagreement about the category of an idea)**
 * **‘Wild Card’ header (where all rejected ideas are stored)**
 * **‘Causes’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Consequences’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Essential Criteria’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Solution ideas’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Selected solution(s)’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Action Steps’ header (for evaluation)**
 * **‘Assessment Steps’ header (for evaluation)**
 * Retrieved from "**[|**http://www.mycoted.com/Card_Story_Boards**]**"**

SF
 * The evaluation discussion should include the following:**
 * 1) **A good idea but it isn’t for the client.**
 * 2) **A good idea but not for now (perhaps put it on the back burner)**
 * 3) **The idea has some serious defects however it does show some potential. Further work needs to be done.**
 * 4) **Directly usable ideas. This is an idea that can be used now.**
 * 5) **The idea has great power but there are a variety of reasons it can’t be used such as regulations, very high risk, etc.**
 * 6) **An interesting idea but unusable.**
 * 7) **The idea has weak value. The benefits of it are just too weak and there is no reason or motivation to use it.**
 * 8) **The idea is unworkable. There are some real impossibilities and the idea doesn’t deserve to be reworked.**

The criteria that might be included:
 * 1) **A listing of the benefits of the idea. How big are the benefits? How long will they last? Who will get the benefits? Does the new idea make life easier, better?**
 * 2) **What is the feasibility of the idea? The amount of effort? The costs in terms of money, resources, time, etc.? What complications will arise? Are the hassles too much? Who is responsible for the implementation?**
 * 3) **Does the idea “fit” the client? Does it blend with the current policies, strategies and objectives? Does it fit with the personality of the client?**