Page 137 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

ions and product specialists for brainstori ► uy,
sions. In the first few months of operations the Innovation
Conte •'s efforts resulted in four new, economically signifi-
cant, innovative package designs: 6

1. Box & box—intended to replace plastic pails and metal
containers,

2. Xpack—a flat-topped liquid container with superior ship-
ping characteristics,

3. Barrier plus—a series of linerless folding cartons with a
variety of closures and designs,

4. A new kraft paper that decomposes 50 percent faster than
previously used papers.

At DuPont Imaging Systems and Electronics division, tech-
nical staffers, later joined by management representatives,
formed a Professional Excellence Committee to enhance their
effectiveness and technical excellence while at the same time
taking a more active role in the improvement of their com-
pany. At their first meeting they brainstormed the issues
that needed to be addressed. The final list of issues was
assigned to committees, which reported back. Another brain-
storming session was held to arrive at solutions.'

Federal Express initiated its quality improvement process
(QIP) in order to ensure prompt delivery of packages and
otherwise improve operations. Quality actions teams, es-
tablished in each of its eleven divisions to identify and solve
problems, used brainstorming to address these issues. 8

AT&T established a brainstorming project to help identify
its strategic thrust for the next century. 9 The results were
critical to the development of corporate strategy.

A group of five faculty members and three administrators
from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins
College brainstormed, seeking to improve the marketing of
the school's three MBA programs: professional, full-time, and
executive. Over 300 ideas were generated in three forty-
minute sessions (one session for each of the three programs).
The results included the filming of a videotape, which was
sent to prospective students; revision of promotional litera-
ture to include newly selected features; the creation of a coun-

122