24 de febrero de 2015

It almost feels like centuries ago that Peter Drucker created the term 'knowledge worker'. At that time (in the late 1950s), we were just starting to see a change from “industrial age thinking” to “knowledge age thinking”.

Nowadays most organizations are still stuck in industrial age thinking. Organizations in this century need to develop and promote different ways of thinking and working, compared to those that were a common practice in the last century.

Because most organizations are still stuck in the last century, when employee engagement was not a must, most organizations now battle with a huge problem of employee disengagement.

That is why I believe that it is important for organizations to look at Brainstorming as a tool that can be used to create a higher level of employee engagement, and at the same time increase productivity in organizations worldwide.

In my experience the best way to do this is by looking at Brainstorming as being part of a bigger process, not as being THE complete process to solve problems, or explore opportunities.

In order to easily structure your brainstorming sessions, I will share with you my 9 step approach to successful brainstorming as presented in Ultimate Brainstorming.

Step 1: Set Your Focus
What is the statement for the session?

A brainstorming session should be targeted to a specific topic or else you run the risk of ending up with too many ideas, which cannot be used. You should define the problem area or the opportunity area you want to work on before starting the Brainstorming session.

Step 2: Know Your Boundaries
What resources are available?

Make sure to know what the boundaries are for the brainstorming session.

What resources can you work with to generate ideas?

What is of limit?

Some people might say that setting boundaries can limit a session, and of course it might limit the creation of ideas. On the other side however, nothing is more frustrating than spending a day of brainstorming, coming up with great ideas, evaluating them in order to create an action plan for your best ideas, and then come to the conclusion that your idea will not be executed due to a lack of resources.

Step 3: Invite the Right People
Who do you really need in the session?

Now you know what the goal is for the brainstorming session, and what resources you will have available to work with, you can start thinking about who you need to invite for the session to make it a success.

Step 4: Select a Location
Where can we get the best results?

The location where you have your brainstorming session can be of great influence. The participants should be at a location that has minimal distractions. If you have the possibility to hold the brainstorming session away from the office, then do it!

Step 5: Select Techniques for the Session
What techniques are right for the session?

To run a great session, you need a well prepared plan.

How will I capture all the ideas?

The best way to capture the ideas is to appoint a scribe to capture them, so you as the facilitator don’t have to write down ideas while managing the group. Otherwise you can always collect the ideas in an organized manner and work those out after the session.

What techniques will I use?

Choose an icebreaker to warm up the participants for the brainstorming session. Make sure that the icebreaker you choose matches your objective.

For example; Use a getting to know you icebreaker like “Talk Show Host” when the participants are not familiar with each other. Use an icebreaker like “Expectations” to have the participants share their expectations with the group, or use an icebreaker like “Mini Storm” to get the participants in the right mindset before the main session.

Use an icebreaker that has meaning for the session. All too often participants complain that the warming-up made no sense and was a waste of time, try to avoid this.

How will I follow up?

Decide before the session how to follow up:

•Will there be an extra brainstorming session?
•Will you use short follow up meetings, daily where the participants will explain what they did, what they will do, and what is holding them back?
•Or will you follow up by email?
No matter how you follow up, follow-up has to take place.

Step 6: Prepare the Participants
How will the participants be prepared?

Once you know where and when your brainstorming session will take place, you know the boundaries and how you will run the session, as well as whom you will invite to the session, then it is time to start sending out the invitations for your brainstorming session. Send out your invites by email telling people the time and the place, and ask them to confirm if they will be present or not.

A good preparation of the participants of your brainstorming session is as important as the session itself. Don’t expect miracles if the participants don’t know what is being expected from them!!!

Step 7: Prepare the Location
What do I need for the location?

Now it is time to prepare the location for the session. Of course there are quite some differences when preparing an on-site or off-site session. That is why we will take a look at the preparation of each location separately.

On-Site Location

When preparing an on-site location make sure to check the space before you have your session, check for: size, furniture available, outlets for equipment, space for activities, etc.

Be creative if you have limited resources. All too often facilitators use a lack of resources as an excuse if a session turns out bad. If you know on forehand what space and materials you have available, you can always build your session around them, and get great results.

Off-Site Location

When preparing an off-site location try to have the location at your disposal several hours before you have your session. Of course it would be great if you already have the location available a complete day before you have the session. This will give you all the time to set up the location, as well as rehearse your session.

Combination

When combining an on-site and off-site location make sure to have the off-site location prepared extremely well, or have a group lunch at the location where the main session will take place. Organize transportation for the group, or have clear maps for the participants to reach the location.

Always make sure to confirm all made arrangements before the session takes place (catering, reservations for special activities, special guests, etc.). Use a checklist for the materials you need for running the session, and the materials you need to give to the participants to use during the session. We prefer to create a brainstorming kit for the participants and hand them out when they enter the location.

Step 8: Run the Session
How will the session be run?

Now it is time to start your brainstorming session, always have a 15 to 30 minute welcome prepared for the participants. This is to make sure everyone is present before starting the session, and to introduce yourself to the participants in an informal and relaxed manner. Don’t jump straight into the session.

Part 1: Start the Session

Set the ground rules

Before starting the session; make clear that you run the session. But that you are not there to hand them solutions. The facilitator’s job is to steer the session, provide the participants with the right tools to reach the objectives of the session, and to make sure all participants are involved in the session. Hand out the brainstorming kit, and go over the brainstorming rules once more:

•Strive for quantity
•Encourage wild and unusual ideas
•Postpone judgment
•Build and combine ideas
Explain to the group that you will start with an Icebreaker to lay the foundation for the main session (always explain what you are going to do, a clear roadmap will support the participants in focusing on the tasks at hand.

Break the Ice

Start with your Icebreaker to warm up the group. A good icebreaker gets the participants in the mood for some serious brainstorming. Make sure the Icebreaker involves the participants, as well as the focus-point of the main session. Often facilitators use Icebreakers that are completely off topic, and as a result they can alienate the participants from the start.

Clarify

After the Icebreaker you should give the participants the time to ask clarifying questions before you start the main session. Also ask the participants questions in order to make sure they know what is expected from them. Don’t assume that if they don’t have questions, they know what is expected from them.

After the warm up, the participants are ready for the main event.

Part 2: Start Brainstorming

Present the opportunity and/or problem statement for the session

This can be a one-liner, or a paragraph. Make sure the statement you present is specific enough to work with. Never start your session with a half done statement like; “We have to increase sales”. Come with something like:

“We are looking for new opportunities in the market to increase our sales by at least 10% in the coming six months. To do that we can use……. .”

Start the brainstorming session

Explain what you are going to do. Especially when you are going to use more advanced Brainstorming techniques it will be worth the time to explain exactly what is expected. Nothing is worse than spending your time during the Brainstorming session, explaining what the participants have to do. Do this before you start the session. And even if you are using a seemingly easy technique, explain what you are going to do. Do this before each step in the session!!!

During the brainstorming session

Encourage the participants to jump in with ideas and moderate the individuals that try to take control of the session. You need to hear ideas from everyone. At this stage ideas are not to be judged, they should be built on and combined.

Keep the focus of the team on the goal. When participants go off topic, steer them back towards the main topic. You can easily do this by asking questions regarding the issue at hand. Use closed yes/no questions to do this.

Occasionally fire questions at the group, to create fresh views on the topic. Always make sure to have some great questions prepared in order to steer the participants around the topic that is being discussed. When the participants are on topic, but are getting stuck, use open ended questions to fire up their thinking again.

When the brainstorming phase has ended, you are not yet done.

Part 3: Evaluate, Plan, and Look Back

Evaluate

After you finish the brainstorming session with a number of ideas it is time to evaluate those ideas. In my experience it is best to have a break after the brainstorming session, this to give participants the time to wind down after an intense creative activity. This will also give you time to change the setting.

Where the brainstorming phase is all about being creative, the evaluation phase is more about analytical thinking. You could even do this on a different day (much will depend on the size of the project, and the available time and resources).

Action Plan

Once you have evaluated the ideas, and picked the best one, or even a top three, it is time to create a plan of action. Make sure your action plan is S.M.A.R.T.!!!

•Specific: Are the actions well-defined and focused?
•Measurable: Are tools in place that can track progress?
•Action oriented: Are the actions that will be taken clearly described?
•Realistic: Is the plan realistic?
•Time bound: Have clear limits been set for each step?
Make sure to plan an official kick-off for the start of any project!!!

Look Back

After you finish creating an action plan, it is always good to take a step back, and look back at the session. Assess the session with the participants, double check if everyone is on the same page, and don’t forget to do a serious self-assessment.

Step 9: Follow Up
How will follow up take place?

After a lot of hard work, brainstorming, evaluating, and planning it is time to follow-up. Even if there is no extra session planned, follow-up is an important tool to see what the effects of the brainstorming session were, and to keep people accountable for agreements they made.

Scrum

Scrums are short meetings that can be held daily as well as weekly. They focus on three questions:

1.What did we do yesterday (last week)?
2.What will we do today (this week)?
3.Are there any obstacles?

Visit www.UltimateBrainstorming to get your FREE copy of the Ultimate Brainstorming workbook!!!

The Ultimate Brainstorming workbook contains a more expanded version of the 9 steps, plus work pages to work out your Brainstorming session!!!

Happy Brainstorming!!!

Arthur Kaptein
Career Development Consultant,
and Author of Ultimate Brainstorming