Brainstorming

1
Brainstorming

• Jerry Banks
• Creativity and Innovation

2
Chinas Dream Team, (BW, 9/1/03)
Despite the growing numbers of design schools in
China, some wonder whether Chinas education
system ultimately will be able to churn out
world-class designers in quantity. Chinas
Confucian emphasis on learning by rote stifles
creative thinking and makes team members
reluctant to speak out.   At brainstorming
sessions they just sit there, even though they
are thinking and have ideas, they dont say
anything, says Zhou Yi, head of S.Point an
independent design firm.
3
Brainstorming Rules and Variations

• Alex Osborne
• 1963

4
Five Guidelines

• As many ideas as possible
• Combine, modify, and build on ideas of others
• Withhold criticism
• Verbalize ideas when they come to mind
• Relaxed environment

5
Length

• Most are far too long
• Out of ideas
• Silence
• Boredom
• 30 minutes to 1 hour
• Compare to eating pizza

6
Warm-up period

• Name as many uses as possible for x in 4 minutes

7
Number of people

• 6 to 12
• If too few
• Arguments
• If too many
• Some participate
• Some watch

8
Disadvantages

• As evaluation is discouraged
• Some participants lose focus
• Hard to prepare reference material in advance due
  to unpredictability
• Dominant individuals can monopolize
• Some participants become emotionally involved
• Group conformity can lead to a lack of creativity

9
Advantages

• Deterring judgement overcomes mental blocks
• Greater number of good ideas result as ideas are
  combined
• Greater chance of implementation as ideas are
  owned by the group

10
Participants

• Wide range
• 1/3rd involved with the problem
• Various divisions of the firm
• Not all engineers, or all managers, etc.
• About superior and subordinate

11
Notetaker

• Do this with care
• Notes may be reread on request
• Dont omit ideas
• Ask chairperson to slow things down
• Use a whiteboard, easel, or other display

12
www.ibidwhiteboards.com/index.shtml
13
Chairperson

• Keep the session flowing smoothly
• Act as a referee
• Make sure that the guidelines are followed
• Slow things down
• Throw in ideas

14
Problem definition

• Dont make it too narrow
• Example
• Too many trips to the branch offices
• versus
• Enhance communication with branch offices

15
Variation 1 Stop-and-go

• Ideate for 3 minutes
• Incubate for 5 minutes
• ...

16
Variation 2 Sequencing procedure

• Participants take turns in a set fashion

17
Variation 3 Phillips 66 Buzz Session

• Break large group into smaller groups
• Same problem assigned to all
• Best ideas are presented to entire group
• Example
• Faculty retreat

18
Variation 4 Creative Bulletin Board

• Can also be accomplished using a computer
• Get ready, get set -- type!, INC, April, 1998
• See next two slides

19
Computer-aided brainstorming
20
Computer-aided brainstorming
21
Brainstorming exercise

• Develop low income housing for the DR
• Breakout groups
• 1.     Asset management
• 2.     Housing development
• 3.     Organizational excellence
• 4.     Community involvement
• 5.     Financing

22
Forget May I help you

• WSJ, 7/8/03
• Federated Department Stores bets that greater
  efficiency and convenience are better than having
  more clerks

23
Forget May I help you

• The robots didnt help
• Terry Lundgren had envisioned the three-foot-high
  motion-sensitive humanoids as greeters
• Cost US20,000
• Supposed to say Hello! and See you later!
• But, too many problems
• First of several casualties in in operation
  Reinvent
• Make the department stores more convenient,
  user-friendly and automated

24
Forget May I help you

• Rather than try to win over customers with more
  clerks, they are trying to do it with more
  amenities
• Soft-sided shopping carts
• Beverage vending machines
• Electronic scanners that reveal the latest sales
  and markdowns
• TV monitors

25
Forget May I help you

• Federated used it best buyers, store managers,
  and vice presidents to come up with new ideas
• Using stop watches and customer surveys they
  looked at their own stores and others as well
• From video arcades to the Form Shops in Las Vegas

26
Forget May I help you

• They learned that upscale shoppers craved the
  convenience of fast, in-and-out shopping
• Customers didnt complain about shortage of sales
  help
• They were unhappy about jammed aisles and
  confusing sales and prices
• They disliked the pay-as-you-go process

27
Forget May I help you

• A new store was opened featuring
• Centrally located checkouts
• Price-check stations
• Childcare center
• The store became very popular

28
Forget May I help you

• Now testing holster checkout devices toted on the
  hips of roaming attendants
• Anticipated move to some form of self-checkout
  soon

29
Forget May I help you

• Why vending machines?
• Dissuade thirsty customers from leaving the store
  and taking their wallets elsewhere
• Why TV monitors?
• Make shoppers less eager to go home and watch

30
Forget May I help you

• Why soft-sided carts?
• Permit customers to carry numerous goods

31
Forget May I help you

• What didnt work?
• Internet kiosks
• Employees spent time surfing the web

32
How can commercial banks become more
user-friendly?

• Break up into two groups
• Teller operations
• Other customer services
• Loan initiation
• Approvals
• Inquiries

33
Want to start a TV channel?(WSJ, 1/19/04)

• Comcast receives about 200 pitches/year from
  programming entrepreneurs seeking support
• Recent ideas that havent clicked
• Joke channel
• Womens sport channelSpanish-language cartoons
• Nonstop B-movies

34
Want to start a TV channel?(WSJ, 1/19/04)

• There has to be a clear demographic audience that
  will appeal to advertisers
• Programming must be available at the right price
• The management team must be qualified

35
Want to start a TV channel?(WSJ, 1/19/04)

• About twice/year Comcast will make an investment
• US20 million to vastly larger amounts
• Comcast gets an equity stake
• Comcast uses their influence to ensure that the
  channel gets widely distributed

36
Want to start a TV channel?(WSJ, 1/19/04)

• Starting now
• TV One
• Aimed at African-Americans over the age of 25

37
Want to start a TV channel?(WSJ, 1/19/04)

• Use brainstorming to develop a channel that might
  merit Comcasts consideration

38
End