Anonymous Voting
Aimed at overcoming the main disadvantage of Brainstorming (the same applies to focus groups, btw): peer-pressure, peer-predominance, shyness and/or feelings of inferiority, inadequacy.
When plenary voting for preferred ideas, members may not express their true believes, which is avoided by asking to rank them on a balloting paper and by creating sufficient space for participants to feel free of third party scrutiny.
Bodystorming
A type of projective identification, sometimes used in collaborative ideation for product design, where the designer “embodies” – imagines to be – the final product. See also: Observer and Merged Viewpoints.
BrainSketching
VanGundy, Techniques of Structured Problem Solving (1988). Group work tool in which a group of people – seated in a circle – draw a number of sketches on how the given problem could be solved, passing them on to the person on their right when finished. The passed-on sketches are then either further developed, or used as a stimulus for new sketches. At the end of the exercise, the sketches are collected, explained if necessary, categorized and evaluated, after which the best, or most appropriate for solving the given problem are selected.
Brainstorming
Osborn, Applied Imagination (1967). Currently, the best-known and most widely used collaborative problem solving method, which has engendered a large offspring of similar group work tools. Its fundamental concept is postponing judgement during the process of ideation.
Brainwriting
Members of the work group write down their ideas on cards, in a spreadsheet, on post-it notes, etc., and then pass them on to the person next to them for further development.
In most cases participants use their own interpretation of the problem definition, but in Constrained- and Cued Brainwriting, the problem definition or some other cue may be used for better focus.
Card Story Boards
An method for idea organization which orders the idea cards or images generated in a Brainwriting or Brainsketching session – for example – in a tree-like manner, akin to Mind Mapping. Can also be useful for clustering ideas into so-called Hotspots.
Circle Time or Group Time
Refers to the time a large work-group, which has been divided in smaller task-groups, spends on plenary meetings.
Focus Group
Can be performed with expert groups, but is most frequently used in market-, product- and advertising campaign research.
A group of outsiders (target consumers) is gathered to give their opinions on a brand’s image, brand recall, advertising recall, product categories or specific products, product design, product experiences or advertising concepts, campaigns, individual campaign pieces (advertisement, commercial), etc., etc., etc..
Focus groups may be conducted on a ad-hoc basis, but many large advertising agencies and major brands use the same method to conduct on-going market- and trend research.
Force-Fit Game
A game in which 2 groups try to outsmart each other by finding realistic improvements for each others proposed ideas. This method ought to be used with care, because competition adds a – generally – unwelcome element to collaborative problem solving.
Gallery Method
Akin to brainwriting and an interesting method for working with large(r) groups. A number of white-boards or flip-charts are placed gallery-wise around the room, with a clearly defined problem statement at the top.
The group is split into smaller teams of 4-6 members and each selects a board to write down their ideas. Once the groups run out of ideas, they start to circle the room to take a look at the ideas of the other teams, adding new ideas inspired by the previous ones, or developing existing ideas further.
Because of the lack of anonymity, this method is deemed less useful when solving people-issues, while moderators must also avoid an overly competitive environment, for example by assigning the representatives from each department to a different team.
Greetings Cards
Pickens (1981). Used for environment development and problem solving. The work-group is split up in 4-6 member teams, and each team creates one or more messages to the others by creating a colorful collage of images cut out of magazines, catalogs etc., and writing an inspiring message or salutation.
These greeting cards can then be used in the problem solving stage by asking how these images and messages reflect on, or can be force-fit on the problem at hand.
Hexagon Modelling
A method mostly used in business-, strategy development and planning. Individual ideas or solutions are written down on hexagon shaped cards, which can then be fitted together to create so-called Issue Maps or clusters.
The hexagons can also be used to stimulate lateral thinking: where two are only touching points and not sharing sides, an effort could be made to imagine what would fit in between or could fill the open space.
Imaginary Brainstorming
A variation on classical Brainstorming.
Improved Nominal Group Technique (INGT)
Fox (1989). Used for solving only one of the following challenges at a time:
-- Identification: prioritization of problems or opportunities
-- Finding the single best solution for a given problem
-- Creating an implementation plan for a high-priority opportunity
-- Debugging, refining an existing or proposed policy manual or similar document
The method uses a series of protocols for each of its four stages: Advanced preparation (asking for participant input), Discussion Phase (discussing input), Voting Phase (selection the best inputs), Production Phase (developing ideas for high priority problems, or implementation plans for high priority opportunities).
KJ-Method
5-Step method for idea evaluation, clustering and development:
-- Card making: writing down relevant, verifiable and important ideas. One per card.
-- Grouping and naming: Cards that appear to belong together are grouped, the groups provided with an appropriate name. The idea-groups are reviewed and – if possible – clustered in larger, appropriately named higher-level groups.
-- Redistribution: The cards are collected and redistributed among the participants, akin distributing playing-cards. A card is read out and each person reviews their “hand” to find any card that fits with the one read out.
-- Chart making: The total number of idea-groups must by now have been reduced to less than 10, which may contain one or more sub-groups. The cards are arranged on a sheet of paper in such a way that a spacial pattern is formed.
-- Explanation: The participants try to express what the chart means to them, being careful to differentiate personal interpretations from facts.
Metaplan Information Market
Proprietary focus group method, which uses trained facilitators and specially developed communication tools.
Mind Mapping
Buzan (1993). A powerful tool that can be used for a wide number of purposes, individually as well as in groups. A mind-map is a colorful, tree-like graphical representation from anything as simple as a task-list to something as sophisticated as a strategic decision-making process.
The power of mind-mapping lies in that it creates a compact, color coded map of increasingly higher level concepts or the profounding of matters discussed.
The color coding guarantees natural idea- or thought clustering and allows to follow the generation process of a particular “branch” of thought all the way back to its origin in time as well allowing the observation and analysis of how it developed.
Also very useful to order and cluster large quantities of ideas.
Nominal-Interacting Technique
See: Improved Nominal Group Technique.
Problem Centred Leadership (PCL)
Matrix to allow the identification of the different key requirements for a facilitator leading a 5-stage group problem-solving process. On the horizontal axis are Stage and Suggested Leadership Behavior, on the vertical axis the 5 stages of the problem solving process:
-- Problem presentation
-- Initial discussion
-- Continued discussion
-- Solution generation & decision making
-- Evaluation of decision acceptance
Progressive Revelation
Also: Gordon-Little Technique. A group problem solving method that starts out with a very sketchy, generic or abstract problem description, revealing the problem(s) in more detail with every following cycle.
May be used to generate large quantities of ever more specific ideas, which is particularly useful when looking to solve complex problems or sets of interdependent (systematic) problems.
The moderator must be extremely careful to avoid frustration among participants, as suggested solutions in the initial stage may appear to have little or no bearing on the "real" problem.
This can be achieved by assuring the participants that no idea is useless or by forcing initial ideas on the core problem in a final ideation round.
Rawlinson Brainstorming
A practical variant of Brainstorming for the use with untrained groups, mainly because there is no direct interaction between the participants. Owner: headline the problem, background, tried/failed, ideal (final) solution (IFS). Participants: solutions in two word descriptors. Owner: focus on new points of view.
RoleStorming
Griggs (1985). Evolution of Brainstorming, that uses role-playing or projective identification to force participants to take a different approach to the problem. See also: Super-Heroes and Observer and Merged Viewpoints.
Sculptures
Ole Faafeng, Norwegian Management Institute. A group work technique which involves the creation of three-dimensional problem-models or -solutions. For obvious reasons, rather complex when using physical materials, but might be tried as a variation on Mental Visualization.
Snowball Technique
Basic method for idea evaluation and clustering. See: KJ-Method.
Successive Element Integration
A useful tool for building or growing ideas.
1 – All participants write down their ideas
2 – Two participants read one of their ideas out-loud
3 – The group integrates or force-fits these ideas, generating new ones
4 – A third participant reads one of his ideas, which is integrated with the previous one, and so forth.
This method can also be very useful when growing Crazy Ideas which – almost without exception – need to be bridged (Related back to the original problem).
Super-Group
Type of focus-group, used primarily for new product development. Although asking (potential) customers what product they want is SOP and absolutely legitimate, I tend to agree with Steve Jobs: “Consumers do not know what they want until you tell them what it is they want”. Apple, currently the single most successful mass consumer marketer, never does consumer research.
Super-Heroes
A fantasy-driven role-play model for Brainstorming, where the participants take on the alter-ego of a super-hero of their choice, Batman, Superman, Ironman, etc., and where – going one step further – the problem could be personalized as one of their antagonists, like The Joker, for example.
This method helps people to step out of their habitual thinking processes through projective identification and be taken to an imaginary excursion world, like Gotham City, Metropolis or the Batcave.
Obviously, instead of Super Heroes, other well-known characters or analogies can be used alternatively, depending on the problem at hand. See also: Observer and Merged Viewpoints; Excursions.
Talking Pictures
Consists in sending the group out with cameras and the assignment of photographing the most interesting or bizarre they encounter within a 15 minute time-span.
Photographing normal objects from strange angles is also an option. The resulting images are then printed or projected and used as idea-triggers for any creative thinking method deemed useful.
Trigger Method. Using ideas to trigger more ideas, this is basically a branching method. See also: Brainwriting; Gallery Method.
Trigger Sessions
Practical brainstorming method for use with untrained or shy subjects, because no interaction between the participants is required.
1 – The problem is posed, clarified
2 – Participants write down ideas (2-5 min.)
3 – Participants read ideas out-loud
4 – Others cross off similar ideas, build new ones
All ideas are gathered and clustered. Evaluation may or not be done group-wise.
Value Brainstorming
A brainstorming method that may be useful to address people problems, generating support for- or bullet-proving implementation plans. Public Values: my/our primary concerns. Hidden Values: What hidden values (or suppositions) are related to this or these primary concerns.
Visual Brainstorming
See: BrainSketching.
Who Are You
A method for environment development, to open a group work session where participants know each other vaguely or not at all.
By assigning a few minutes to each group member to introduce themselves, a first step is made to break the ice and move towards group integration and collaboration.
A method to explore personal or group problems or to familiarize a group of people with one another beyond a mere introduction. Consists – alternatively – in:
-- Personal Exploration (Who am I?)
-- Group Exploration (Who are we?)
Teamed Exploration (tell me who you are; this is how I understand you see yourself; this is how I see you; agree/disagree/why)
Aimed at overcoming the main disadvantage of Brainstorming (the same applies to focus groups, btw): peer-pressure, peer-predominance, shyness and/or feelings of inferiority, inadequacy.
When plenary voting for preferred ideas, members may not express their true believes, which is avoided by asking to rank them on a balloting paper and by creating sufficient space for participants to feel free of third party scrutiny.
Bodystorming
A type of projective identification, sometimes used in collaborative ideation for product design, where the designer “embodies” – imagines to be – the final product. See also: Observer and Merged Viewpoints.
BrainSketching
VanGundy, Techniques of Structured Problem Solving (1988). Group work tool in which a group of people – seated in a circle – draw a number of sketches on how the given problem could be solved, passing them on to the person on their right when finished. The passed-on sketches are then either further developed, or used as a stimulus for new sketches. At the end of the exercise, the sketches are collected, explained if necessary, categorized and evaluated, after which the best, or most appropriate for solving the given problem are selected.
Brainstorming
Osborn, Applied Imagination (1967). Currently, the best-known and most widely used collaborative problem solving method, which has engendered a large offspring of similar group work tools. Its fundamental concept is postponing judgement during the process of ideation.
Brainwriting
Members of the work group write down their ideas on cards, in a spreadsheet, on post-it notes, etc., and then pass them on to the person next to them for further development.
In most cases participants use their own interpretation of the problem definition, but in Constrained- and Cued Brainwriting, the problem definition or some other cue may be used for better focus.
Card Story Boards
An method for idea organization which orders the idea cards or images generated in a Brainwriting or Brainsketching session – for example – in a tree-like manner, akin to Mind Mapping. Can also be useful for clustering ideas into so-called Hotspots.
Circle Time or Group Time
Refers to the time a large work-group, which has been divided in smaller task-groups, spends on plenary meetings.
Focus Group
Can be performed with expert groups, but is most frequently used in market-, product- and advertising campaign research.
A group of outsiders (target consumers) is gathered to give their opinions on a brand’s image, brand recall, advertising recall, product categories or specific products, product design, product experiences or advertising concepts, campaigns, individual campaign pieces (advertisement, commercial), etc., etc., etc..
Focus groups may be conducted on a ad-hoc basis, but many large advertising agencies and major brands use the same method to conduct on-going market- and trend research.
Force-Fit Game
A game in which 2 groups try to outsmart each other by finding realistic improvements for each others proposed ideas. This method ought to be used with care, because competition adds a – generally – unwelcome element to collaborative problem solving.
Gallery Method
Akin to brainwriting and an interesting method for working with large(r) groups. A number of white-boards or flip-charts are placed gallery-wise around the room, with a clearly defined problem statement at the top.
The group is split into smaller teams of 4-6 members and each selects a board to write down their ideas. Once the groups run out of ideas, they start to circle the room to take a look at the ideas of the other teams, adding new ideas inspired by the previous ones, or developing existing ideas further.
Because of the lack of anonymity, this method is deemed less useful when solving people-issues, while moderators must also avoid an overly competitive environment, for example by assigning the representatives from each department to a different team.
Greetings Cards
Pickens (1981). Used for environment development and problem solving. The work-group is split up in 4-6 member teams, and each team creates one or more messages to the others by creating a colorful collage of images cut out of magazines, catalogs etc., and writing an inspiring message or salutation.
These greeting cards can then be used in the problem solving stage by asking how these images and messages reflect on, or can be force-fit on the problem at hand.
Hexagon Modelling
A method mostly used in business-, strategy development and planning. Individual ideas or solutions are written down on hexagon shaped cards, which can then be fitted together to create so-called Issue Maps or clusters.
The hexagons can also be used to stimulate lateral thinking: where two are only touching points and not sharing sides, an effort could be made to imagine what would fit in between or could fill the open space.
Imaginary Brainstorming
A variation on classical Brainstorming.
Improved Nominal Group Technique (INGT)
Fox (1989). Used for solving only one of the following challenges at a time:
-- Identification: prioritization of problems or opportunities
-- Finding the single best solution for a given problem
-- Creating an implementation plan for a high-priority opportunity
-- Debugging, refining an existing or proposed policy manual or similar document
The method uses a series of protocols for each of its four stages: Advanced preparation (asking for participant input), Discussion Phase (discussing input), Voting Phase (selection the best inputs), Production Phase (developing ideas for high priority problems, or implementation plans for high priority opportunities).
KJ-Method
5-Step method for idea evaluation, clustering and development:
-- Card making: writing down relevant, verifiable and important ideas. One per card.
-- Grouping and naming: Cards that appear to belong together are grouped, the groups provided with an appropriate name. The idea-groups are reviewed and – if possible – clustered in larger, appropriately named higher-level groups.
-- Redistribution: The cards are collected and redistributed among the participants, akin distributing playing-cards. A card is read out and each person reviews their “hand” to find any card that fits with the one read out.
-- Chart making: The total number of idea-groups must by now have been reduced to less than 10, which may contain one or more sub-groups. The cards are arranged on a sheet of paper in such a way that a spacial pattern is formed.
-- Explanation: The participants try to express what the chart means to them, being careful to differentiate personal interpretations from facts.
Metaplan Information Market
Proprietary focus group method, which uses trained facilitators and specially developed communication tools.
Mind Mapping
Buzan (1993). A powerful tool that can be used for a wide number of purposes, individually as well as in groups. A mind-map is a colorful, tree-like graphical representation from anything as simple as a task-list to something as sophisticated as a strategic decision-making process.
The power of mind-mapping lies in that it creates a compact, color coded map of increasingly higher level concepts or the profounding of matters discussed.
The color coding guarantees natural idea- or thought clustering and allows to follow the generation process of a particular “branch” of thought all the way back to its origin in time as well allowing the observation and analysis of how it developed.
Also very useful to order and cluster large quantities of ideas.
Nominal-Interacting Technique
See: Improved Nominal Group Technique.
Problem Centred Leadership (PCL)
Matrix to allow the identification of the different key requirements for a facilitator leading a 5-stage group problem-solving process. On the horizontal axis are Stage and Suggested Leadership Behavior, on the vertical axis the 5 stages of the problem solving process:
-- Problem presentation
-- Initial discussion
-- Continued discussion
-- Solution generation & decision making
-- Evaluation of decision acceptance
Progressive Revelation
Also: Gordon-Little Technique. A group problem solving method that starts out with a very sketchy, generic or abstract problem description, revealing the problem(s) in more detail with every following cycle.
May be used to generate large quantities of ever more specific ideas, which is particularly useful when looking to solve complex problems or sets of interdependent (systematic) problems.
The moderator must be extremely careful to avoid frustration among participants, as suggested solutions in the initial stage may appear to have little or no bearing on the "real" problem.
This can be achieved by assuring the participants that no idea is useless or by forcing initial ideas on the core problem in a final ideation round.
Rawlinson Brainstorming
A practical variant of Brainstorming for the use with untrained groups, mainly because there is no direct interaction between the participants. Owner: headline the problem, background, tried/failed, ideal (final) solution (IFS). Participants: solutions in two word descriptors. Owner: focus on new points of view.
RoleStorming
Griggs (1985). Evolution of Brainstorming, that uses role-playing or projective identification to force participants to take a different approach to the problem. See also: Super-Heroes and Observer and Merged Viewpoints.
Sculptures
Ole Faafeng, Norwegian Management Institute. A group work technique which involves the creation of three-dimensional problem-models or -solutions. For obvious reasons, rather complex when using physical materials, but might be tried as a variation on Mental Visualization.
Snowball Technique
Basic method for idea evaluation and clustering. See: KJ-Method.
Successive Element Integration
A useful tool for building or growing ideas.
1 – All participants write down their ideas
2 – Two participants read one of their ideas out-loud
3 – The group integrates or force-fits these ideas, generating new ones
4 – A third participant reads one of his ideas, which is integrated with the previous one, and so forth.
This method can also be very useful when growing Crazy Ideas which – almost without exception – need to be bridged (Related back to the original problem).
Super-Group
Type of focus-group, used primarily for new product development. Although asking (potential) customers what product they want is SOP and absolutely legitimate, I tend to agree with Steve Jobs: “Consumers do not know what they want until you tell them what it is they want”. Apple, currently the single most successful mass consumer marketer, never does consumer research.
Super-Heroes
A fantasy-driven role-play model for Brainstorming, where the participants take on the alter-ego of a super-hero of their choice, Batman, Superman, Ironman, etc., and where – going one step further – the problem could be personalized as one of their antagonists, like The Joker, for example.
This method helps people to step out of their habitual thinking processes through projective identification and be taken to an imaginary excursion world, like Gotham City, Metropolis or the Batcave.
Obviously, instead of Super Heroes, other well-known characters or analogies can be used alternatively, depending on the problem at hand. See also: Observer and Merged Viewpoints; Excursions.
Talking Pictures
Consists in sending the group out with cameras and the assignment of photographing the most interesting or bizarre they encounter within a 15 minute time-span.
Photographing normal objects from strange angles is also an option. The resulting images are then printed or projected and used as idea-triggers for any creative thinking method deemed useful.
Trigger Method. Using ideas to trigger more ideas, this is basically a branching method. See also: Brainwriting; Gallery Method.
Trigger Sessions
Practical brainstorming method for use with untrained or shy subjects, because no interaction between the participants is required.
1 – The problem is posed, clarified
2 – Participants write down ideas (2-5 min.)
3 – Participants read ideas out-loud
4 – Others cross off similar ideas, build new ones
All ideas are gathered and clustered. Evaluation may or not be done group-wise.
Value Brainstorming
A brainstorming method that may be useful to address people problems, generating support for- or bullet-proving implementation plans. Public Values: my/our primary concerns. Hidden Values: What hidden values (or suppositions) are related to this or these primary concerns.
Visual Brainstorming
See: BrainSketching.
Who Are You
A method for environment development, to open a group work session where participants know each other vaguely or not at all.
By assigning a few minutes to each group member to introduce themselves, a first step is made to break the ice and move towards group integration and collaboration.
A method to explore personal or group problems or to familiarize a group of people with one another beyond a mere introduction. Consists – alternatively – in:
-- Personal Exploration (Who am I?)
-- Group Exploration (Who are we?)
Teamed Exploration (tell me who you are; this is how I understand you see yourself; this is how I see you; agree/disagree/why)
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