Week Beginning 12th October 2023
Strategy and Idea Generation/ Group Discussion and Audit Skills Task
This week we explored strategy and idea generation processes, within this module i am looking forward to engaging in reflective practices in order to progress through the module. One reflective practice being a personal learning plan. Another process would be my online blog, this will be used to document my processes and influences, this will help aid my contributions to the critical evaluation and oral assessments. Taking advantage of opportunities and developing skills and ideas is the key to success within this module.
Question- Where do ideas come from?
In my personal opinion, ideas are generated through dialogue. Through conversation and progression of thought through open speech. It is this process, this motion that creates a train of ideas, one idea leading to another etc. Researching this question brings up similar answers alongside the notion of ideas coming from the brain, the mind and the unconscious mind. They are the product of synapses firing and connecting creative dots between thought's and images and physical responses. Some research papers state ideas come from existing memories and impressions.
The Five Phases of Art-Making
DESIGN SPRINT
The Design Sprint is a process invented at Google to accelerate decision-making and reduce risk in strategic projects. It is now used by the most innovative companies in the world. The objective of a Sprint is to validate your concept within a week by building a protype and testing it on your future customers in a friendly and creative atmosphere.
Group Exercise- Six Thinking Hats
Six Thinking Hats Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats technique is an extremely useful way to debate an issue, solve a problem or to arrive at an important decision. The technique encourages a group to approach the issue at hand from all possible angles. About the technique During a meeting it is often the case that people use different thinking processes, which can make it difficult for a meaningful discussion to take place. For example, if someone wants to put forward a new idea when someone else is still thinking about the practicalities of the last idea, they will not listen properly to each other. To resolve this situation, de Bono suggests that everyone thinks about the same issues at the same time, by putting on six different metaphorical hats. Each hat has a different colour, and represents a particular type of thought process, as shown below:
The White Hat: Thought process: Information gathering
The white hat helps a group to think about how information can help them tackle a particular issue.
Questions to ask when using the white hat, can include: What information do we have about the issue, e.g. reports, feedback etc? What does it tell us? What information do we lack? What information would we like to have? How are we going to get it?
The Red Hat: Thought process: Feelings, intuition and emotions
The red hat allows everyone in the group to express their feelings, without having to offer a rational explanation, e.g: ‘I just don’t think that idea will work.’ ‘I have a good feeling about doing it this way.’ ‘I’ve got a hunch that demand for this product is about to fall.’
Red hat thinking can also be used to encourage the group to think how others, e.g. customers, might feel about a particular course of action.
The Black Hat: Thought process: Caution, criticism and assessing risks
The black hat is the hat of logic and critical judgment (although it should never be seen as the negative hat).
Black hat thinking encourages a group to consider any weak points in an idea or solution, and to work out how to avoid or counter them. While the black hat can be the most useful of the six hats, de Bono warns against its overuse, as this can kill creative ideas and positive thinking.
The Yellow Hat: Thought process: Benefits and feasibility
The yellow hat is the optimistic but logical hat. It allows the group to consider the benefits of a new idea or a particular decision, and how feasible this would be.
Yellow hat thinking is useful in helping a group to see the bright side when they are feeling negative or despondent about an issue, and to view any creative ideas in a rational light.
The Green Hat: Thought process: Creativity, new ideas and possibilities
The green hat is the hat of creativity, and is designed to encourage a group to seek new approaches and innovative solutions. Every idea, however ‘way out’ should be heard and not criticised at this stage.
Questions to ask can include: Is there a new way we could do this? What about approaching the issue from the opposite viewpoint? Are there any alternatives we haven’t yet considered?
The Blue Hat: Thought process: Process control
The blue hat represents the whole thinking process. It is normally used by the chairperson or person who has arranged the meeting or discussion. By using the blue hat, the chairperson can organise and control the thinking process in order the meeting or discussion. By using the blue hat, the chairperson can organise and control the thinking process in order to make the discussion as productive as possible. The chairperson can use the blue hat to direct the group towards another type of thinking. For example, if the group is running out of ideas, they may suggest the group returns to some creative green hat thinking. They may also respond to participants’ suggestions to change hats.
Adam