Idea Management

    The 10 Commandments of Effective Brainstorming

    The Sins That Ruin Idea Generation

    Redefine Brainstorming If You Want Results

     

    It’s okay to hate Brainstorming.

    I’ve heard it called BrainWasting, BullStorming, BullShifting, or words I won’t use here. Perhaps the most damning comment is simply “why did we bother?” Well, you bother because you need ideas. I can get you there, see below. 

    But first… 

    There have been many studies of brainstorming and articles written. Most (but not all) say it’s a waste of time. Many of these studies start with an outdated notion of what brainstorming is, and usually don’t study real working teams. How you define it (and conduct it) makes a difference. As a person whose facilitated over 1,000 sessions I can tell you this: it can work fabulously, but it’s a tricky recipe for success. 

    We’ve all been in a poorly organized spitball session. It feels energetic for a brief time, then, it devolves into a discussion, boredom, arguments, and ultimately little action. The original guidelines of brainstorming (defer judgment, quantity of ideas, build on ideas, combine, etc.) are ignored.

    Some folks tune out immediately; it’s been measured, it’s called Social Loafing. And, introverts tend to really hate brainstorming because of all the noise, chaos, and people talking over each other. Remember, half of any group is likely to be somewhat introverted. They tune out if care isn’t taken to include them. 

    Rarely does a casual brainstorm generate a breakthrough idea. And, if a good idea doesn’t become a project, some actual real world action, what’s the point?

    But while you’re hating Brainstorming, how exactly are you coming up with the ideas you need? Everybody, and organizations, need ideas to solve problems. So hate all you want, but maybe it’s time to revisit, redefine, and do a better job of how you generate ideas.

    Maybe it’s time to avoid committing brainstorming sins. 

    Let me get to the point here. If you want results you have to do brainstorming differently. Yes, we have to redefine and broaden the concept. Here are the keys to doing that, and making it work in the real world. Here are the 10 Commandments of Effective Brainstorming

    1. Don’t start unless you give a damn and are empowered to take action 
    2. Make sure you’re answering the right question before jamming ideas
    3. Explore the topic area extensively before jamming ideas
    4. Work as individuals first, AND, then work as a team
    5. Work virtually AND in-person, when possible
    6. The more diverse the team, in every sense of the word, the better 
    7. Stretch the idea generation work out over a week or more
    8. A neutral and skilled facilitator improves process and results
    9. The session should include a variety of brainstorming tools (see #8)
    10. Design of the session should include introvert-friendly tools (see #9)

    There is a great deal to say about the 10 Commandments listed above. Collaboration to solve problems is all about culture, incentives, team building, leadership, and more. I could write a book on problem framing, #2, alone. Stay tuned to this blog for more, and, consider one of my virtual training sessions (Effective Brainstorming is coming up on 9/17/2021, via Eventbrite)

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    Fractional Chief Innovation Officer (CINO)

    A Practical Solution for Medium Sized Companies to Grow The 80/20 Solution for the MisFortune 10,000 The Fortune 1,000 work innovation process like mad. Many have fine-tuned frameworks with a high level of sophistication. That lowers risk. However, elaborate innovation frameworks slow things down. This mild paralysis is an opening for small and medium sized companies. They can grow by beating bigger players to the punch. But the “MisFortune 10,000” tend to miss this opportunity. Time to consider a Fractional Chief Innovation Officer (CINO) to load up that innovation punch. Here’s why. Speed and momentum matter in innovation, even more so to smaller firms. Leverage the innate agility. The best way to ramp up and grow quickly, beyond having a

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    Tune-In To Taster Tools On Thursday

    Free Weekly Webinar of Facilitation Tools with Gregg Fraley Every Thursday at 2 pm EST, Master Facilitator Gregg Fraley demonstrates a facilitation tool online. The weekly sessions are FREE. Sessions begin on Thursday March 18th. The 30 minute weekly webinar features demonstrations of various facilitation tools for: strategy, challenge clarification, idea generation (aka brainstorming), problem framing, idea selection, innovation projects, and idea development, etc. Thinking Differently Takes Tools At some point everybody needs to think differently. It might be a really thorny, hairy, awful, complex problem. It might be a juicy opportunity you don’t know how to seize. When you ask your mind to think differently, what happens? Does it come easily? Do new thoughts and ideas spring forth? Or,

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    The Shining Digital City On the Hill

    Digital Technology Remains An Unharvested Field There is so much innovation potential being left on the table, right now, that our future could truly be that shining city on the hill. The potential, much of it, lays in digital technology. Your future could be that company that thrives amidst chaos. Your future could be that person who surfs above the waves of massive change. But there’s a big IF isn’t there? You won’t get any results if you don’t invest in innovation now. That phrase “city on the hill,” thanks to Ronald Reagan, has come to represent American exceptionalism, but, here, I intend it to mean something bigger, and more akin to the biblical source it comes from. What it

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    Time for Virtual Innovation

    Coronavirus Crisis an Ideal Time To Leverage an Underutilized Technology Idea Management Systems: A Solution for Effective Innovation Remote Work What if this Coronavirus crisis could be turned into a positive for your innovation program? Who said “never let a good crisis go to waste?” With innovation there definitely is an obvious opportunity at hand right now. An Idea to Help You Maintain Momentum Do a virtual idea campaign while your people are away from the office. It is entirely possible to have the best idea generation session you’ve ever had, and done virtually. A well-executed, carefully facilitated, virtual session, using a modern Idea Management System (IMS) could drive innovation projects for the next year or more. Wouldn’t this be

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    Facilitation Works Miracles

    Skilled Facilitation Makes a Difference Success is Determined Before a Meeting Combining tools & techniques is an art form I recently completed a really difficult and complicated facilitation. It consisted of about three weeks of planning, a very intensive two day session, and a report. Success! Getting to Clarity It was a challenge that took time to understand. The client started by saying he wanted to do a brainstorming session. Several long format conversations were had to clarify what was really desired. It wasn’t brainstorming that was needed. Nothing Is Ever What It Seems As it turns out the session was really more about idea development and elaboration. There is some imaginative thinking inside idea development, but if this session

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    Public Innovation Training, NW Indiana

    Public Training Offering — Getting Innovation Started Attention Michiana, NW Indiana, Chicago Establish Fundamentals and Avoid Pitfalls Gregg Fraley Innovation (GFi) and The Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest Collaborate on Public Training Seminar FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  August 30, 2019 PORTAGE, Ind. — The Society of Innovators at Purdue University Northwest (PNW) is hosting a public innovation educational seminar from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, at its headquarters located at 6100 Southport Road, Portage, Ind. “Establishing Fundamentals and Avoiding Pitfalls” features innovation expert and author Gregg Fraley of Gregg Fraley Innovation (GFi); La Porte-based innovation practitioner, Earl Miller of Hiler Industries/Accurate Castings; and Sheila Matias, executive director of the Society of Innovators at PNW. The goal

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    Eleven Innovation Bullets to Dodge

    What You Should Be Learning in Innovation Training But you probably are not! Eleven Innovation Bullets to Dodge, in no particular order. Lack of Managment support will effectively kill any innovation program no matter how well conceived. If you don’t have Talent, superior talent, you’ll fail. Design Thinking alone will not guarantee success (or any other framework, Agile, Lean, etc.). Very few organization’s are any good at all at Brainstorming/Idea Generation. If you don’t take calculated risks, and continue to take them, you will fail. Most organization’s don’t have the guts to actually reinvent. Innovation team leaders who avoid conflict are doomed to fail. B to B organization’s need to learn what qualitative research is all about. B to C

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    Idea Generation Fails, or, How to Hose Your Next Ideation Session

    Idea Generation Fails How to Hose Your Next Idea Generation Project* If you want to improve , get the training This post is a self-explanatory graphic for the most part. Those who regularly do Idea Generation don’t need my text below (but don’t be smug, even one of these fails can do you in).  I posted this graphic on LinkedIn a couple days ago it got so much attention I thought I’d do a bit of explaining. These fails — and solutions — are the result of 30+ years of research and hands-on innovation consulting work. And these fails are democratic — they will hose a session or project in any industry, in non-profits, associations, or in economic development. Start-ups

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    80% Of Brainstorming Sessions Don’t Work

    80% Of Brainstorming Sessions Don’t Work Seven Idea Generation Fails Redefine Brainstorming and Get Better Results I might be getting to old to hold back on saying this about ideation, aka idea generation, aka brainstorming. My inner skeptic and snarky soul wants to scream it. Based on my experience, about 80% of idea generation doesn’t work. It might be worse than that. In spite of the efforts of many people to train others in how it ought to be done, it’s getting worse, not better. The Failure Rate is partly because the game’s changed, again. Also partly because the lessons of how it ought to be done have simply never been learned. As the drawing suggests, please, let’s redefine brainstorming.

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