Are you holding back your ideas?
Feel free to share your ideas!
The more ideas you share, the better!
We sometimes play brainstorming games with this prompt, but many people find it difficult to come up with ideas. When told that 'anything goes,' they seem to think, 'That can't be right. I have to come up with a good idea.'
It's not that they don't have ideas; they are just holding back. There seems to be a reason for their hesitation to speak up. Today, let's delve into the mechanism behind this hesitation in brainstorming and consider some countermeasures.
Ideas as components
What is needed during brainstorming is not a finished idea, but ideas as components.
If you jump straight to a conclusion, others might lose interest. This is a blind spot that people in charge often fall into by trying too hard.
In the first place, almost no one can come up with a finished idea on their own. Even in the professional world, ideas are often refined by a team.
Raising the bar for oneself is a trait of perfectionists and serious people. Since it is a personality trait, it may not be easy to change immediately. Countermeasures might include analyzing your own personality, comparing yourself with others, or taking a personality type test to understand yourself objectively.
However, the fastest way to let go of being too serious is to approach it like a game. For that reason, a facilitator who can create a good atmosphere plays an important role.
Let's try sharing ideas with a light heart, thinking that they might be useful as components, and even if they aren't, it's no big deal.
Half-baked ideas
Many people seem to think, 'It's a half-baked idea, so it's embarrassing. What if I get laughed at?'
But it is precisely half-baked ideas that become treasures. Rather than finished ideas, half-baked ideas—ideas as components—are the raw gems of innovation.
So, why do we think they are half-baked?
No conclusion
Pointing out a problem without a solution
Dream-like ideas with no way to implement them
Not interesting
Commonplace ideas
Topics that deviate from the flow of conversation
Ideas that no one can understand
And so on. However, by gathering these half-baked ideas, you can create a great idea. Don't throw them away; keep them. Accept them without laughing. Just recording them calmly is enough.
Setting the rules and mindset for the person listening and accepting is an important countermeasure.
Bad ideas
The form of a good idea is written in textbooks.
The focus of the problem is unique
The solution is novel and unique
The effect of the solution and the impact on the market are significant
The scope of the idea's influence and the market are large
But if you chase after such ideals, you won't come up with any ideas.
And it seems that just because one of these is missing, people think it's a bad idea. It's not bad; it might be usable as a component...
The finished form is something we create together. The ideas each person brings are sufficient as half-baked components.
The feeling of frustration when you can't see the finished idea
So, once you have a lot of half-baked ideas lined up as components, what do you do next?
How do you assemble them into a finished idea? Who is going to do it??
Is your frustration growing?
In such cases, it is important to let them sit for a while.
Keep the idea notes you've written down in a place where you can always see them.
Post them on the wall using large paper like butcher paper.
It's fine to keep them on your computer, but I recommend posting them where they catch your eye.
Rather than a stack of notebooks, I recommend laying out the papers. Visibility is important.
If you glance at them occasionally, eventually you'll want to do something about them.
Wanting to complete something unfinished is a human instinct.
Let them sit until that time comes.
A leader can periodically convene a meeting to summarize them.
What you should be careful about is not to rush to a conclusion.
If an atmosphere where it's okay to leave things unfinished for a while takes root, the hurdle for coming up with ideas should also lower. That's killing two birds with one stone.
Today, I discussed the mechanism that makes people hesitate to come up with ideas and the countermeasures.
I would be happy if the hurdle for your idea generation is lowered!
This article was written by
Mousou Biz Planning Representative Shigeki Kawahara
https://mousoubiz.com/
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