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1334 : STEP TWO – GENERATING NEW IDEAS

were slowing down to read the old newspapers in which they were
wrapping the plates. A brainstorming session to address the issue
generated a number of ideas, including changing the language of the
newspapers, using alternative packing materials and awarding
incentives for the number of plates wrapped. Finally, and using the
privilege of suspended judgement to be politically incorrect, one
manager suggested a truly wild idea: ‘Why don’t we poke out the eyes
of the packers?’ Although the suggestion sounded ridiculous, it did
eventually lead to the idea of hiring blind people. The blind packers
did the job very effectively without being distracted and the company
was able to provide a valuable service to the community.

There are a number of stages to achieve effective brainstorming,
including:

G Stage One: if brainstorming in a group, circulate ahead of the session
brief summary details of the issue or opportunity to be brainstormed

G Stage Two: use a warm-up activity ahead of the main brainstorm in
order to create a playful and positive atmosphere to encourage
divergent thinking

G Stage Three: state the problem in simple, clear terms with a single
focus – as we saw with the boundary-examination section in the
previous chapter (remember the sunken ship which was floated to
the surface), ensure that the problem statement does not presume a
particular solution

G Stage Four: this is the key phase – generate a fluent sequence of
ideas, writing down each one, encouraging people to build on
others’ ideas, maintaining the pace. It is essential that no critical
evaluation whatsoever is allowed. Numbering the ideas creates a
sense of achievement and setting targets reinforces the quest for
quantity – IDEO has a minimum speed limit of 100 ideas per hour,
with a maximum of about 150

G Stage Five: expect to close the session after about 30 minutes,
although a group in full song might stretch to up to 45 minutes

G Stage Six: select an evaluation group, present the ideas to it and ask
the group members to pick the best ideas (we will cover evaluation
techniques in the following chapter). Remember that if you have
managed to generate 50–75 ideas in your 30-minute slot, probably
only a handful will merit further detailed examination