Page 155 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

A variation of this technique, known as the idea r,aillit‘, al-
lows members to roam from place to place at will, idding
their ideas to those displayed.'-`'

76/12. GORDON/LITTLE TECHNIQUE

This technique was designed by William Gordon at the
Arthur D. Little consulting firm. 3° It was specifically designed
to address the difficulties some people have in coping with
abstract concepts. When problem solvers are too close to the
problem to see the forest for the trees, they can only think of
trite and obvious solutions, and fail to suggest creative ideas.
And while several other techniques in this book can be used
to overcome that problem, especially those that use associa-
tions, this technique is especially effective at bringing prob-
lem solvers "out of the woods."

The leader/facilitator describes the problem to the partici-
pants in decreasing levels of abstraction. Solutions are given
at each level. As the description becomes more concrete and
less abstract, more specific solutions, but not necessarily bet-
ter ones, emerge. The solutions from the earlier levels of
abstraction can be used to trigger new solutions as the prob-
lem becomes more concrete.

Suppose that the problem is how to eliminate personnel
through staff reduction. The first level of abstraction might be
"How can we make more money?" A second level of abstrac-
tion might be "How can we cut costs?" A third level might be
"What options are available in cutting costs of personnel?"

This technique requires a strong, flexible leader who can
encourage and motivate members of a group to broaden their
perspectives and think big.

77/13. GROUP DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS

Group decision support systems are software or hardware
systems that assist groups in making better decisions. They
greatly enhance the ability of groups to work together cre-
atively. Some of these systems enable groups to be more
creative and innovative. Most of them, however, seek to
improve group dynamics for already existing creativity pro-