Anyone who has any experience working in groups will appreciate the difficulties in approaching a problem creatively rather than logically. The following 3 techniques should help.
1. BRAINSTORMING
“Brainstorming” is using a group of people to stimulate the production of ideas. It is always more effective than trying to generate ideas alone.
The rules are:
• Ask each member of the group in rotation for ideas. Continue until all ideas have been exhausted.
• No idea should be criticised, otherwise creativeness will be curtailed. • Do not evaluate any idea or suggestion.
• Write all ideas on a flipchart so the whole group can easily see them.
2. MULTIVOTING
Multivoting is a way to conduct a straw poll or vote to select the most important or popular items from a list with limited discussion and difficulty. This is accomplished through a series of votes, each cutting the list in half – even a list of 30-50 items can be reduced to a workable number in 4 or 5 votes. Multivoting often follows a brainstorming session to identify the few items worthy of immediate attention.
HOW TO CONDUCT A MULTIVOTE:
1. First, generate a list of items and number each item.
2. If two or more items seem very similar, combine them, but only if the group agrees that they are the same.
3. If necessary, renumber all items.
4. Have all members choose several items they would like to discuss or address by writing down the numbers of these items on a sheet of paper. Allow each member a number of choices equal to at least one-third of the total number of items on the list (48 item list = 16 choices; 37 item list = 13 choices.)
5. After all the members have silently completed their selections, tally votes. You may let members vote by a show of hands as each item number is called out. If there is a need for secrecy, conduct the vote by ballot.
6. To reduce the list, eliminate those items with the fewest votes. Group six affects the results. A rule of thumb is: If it is a small group (5 or fewer members), cross off items with only 1 or 2 votes. If it is a medium group (6 to 15 members), eliminate anything with 3 or fewer votes. If it is a large group (more than 15 members), eliminate items with 4 votes or fewer.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 on the remaining list with the choices reduced accordingly. Continue this until only a few items remain. If no clear favourite emerges by this point, have the group discuss which item should receive top priority. Or you may take one last vote.
3. NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE
The nominal group technique (NGT) is a more structured approach than either brainstorming or multivoting to generating a list of options and narrowing it down. It is called “nominal” because during the session the group doesn’t engage in the usual amount of interaction typical of a real team. Because of its relatively low level of interaction, NGT is also food for highly controversial issues or when a team is stuck in disagreement.
METHOD:
1. Define the task in the form of a question, just as you would for brainstorming. (Often done by the team leader or Facilitator before the meeting).
2. At the meeting, describe the purpose of this discussion and the rules and procedures for this technique.
3. Introduce and clarify the question. The facilitator reads the question aloud and either writes it on paper taped to the wall or hands out sheets of paper with the question written on them. This way anyone may refer back to the question whenever he or she wants to be reminded of the session’s purpose. Anyone who does not understand the question should ask for more explanation. Do not let this develop into a discussion of the issue itself.
4. Generate ideas. This is the most important step in the entire nominal group technique. It is important to have team members first write down their answers in silence. Experience shows this is the best way to elicit good ideas. Do not allow any distractions at this stage: no joking, no moving around, no whispering. People who finish first must sit quietly until all are finished.
5. List ideas. When everyone is done, go around the table and have each participant read one idea off their list; write down every answer on a flipchart. Continue the round robin until everyone’s list is complete or until time runs out (we suggest you stop at 30 minutes). No discussion, not even questions for clarification, is allowed at this point because the exercise rapidly becomes tedious and the facilitator must move the group through it as quickly as possible.
6. Clarify and discuss the ideas. Display all the flipchart pages in full view of the entire group. The facilitator asks if anyone has questions about any items listed. The person who contributed the idea should be the one to answer the question, but other members may join in the discussion to help define and focus the wording.
The facilitator may choose to change the wording, but only when the person who originally proposed the idea agrees. When there are no more questions, the facilitator condenses the list as much as possible.
If the originators of the ideas give their approval, combine ideas. If someone suggests combining several items, but the originators think there is a difference, then leave the ideas listed separately.
SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT Analysis can be used when the team is either in Problem Solving or Solution Solving Mode.
STRENGTHS – Characteristics or resources of the problem/solution that provide a definite advantage. There may be an opportunity for exploitation beyond the present level. Strengths are to be capitalised on.
WEAKNESSES - Characteristics or deficiencies of the problem/solution that result in a current or potential disadvantage. Weaknesses are to be overcome.
OPPORTUNITIES - Possible alternative courses of action that could make the problem/solution significantly better than it is now. Opportunities are to be maximised.
THREATS - Factors within or outside of the immediate problem/solution that could have a serious negative impact on implementation or performance. Threats are to be minimised.
A thorough and thoughtful SWOT Analysis will determine the Key Areas in which you should place your resources and the strategies to be adopted to maximise the chances of success.
