Brainstorming and idea generation with AI
Brainstorming. It is a great way to start any task especially when you are starting with a completely blank page. There are many tools and techniques, often involving workshops lasting anywhere from an hour to a full day. It is a process, and an important one for employees in particular to take part in. Generating ideas is part of enabling the creative flow.
Like most people, our innovation specialist, Emma, loves an in person workshop. ‘They are great for connecting, removing technology, and letting everyone feel part of creating a bigger solution.’ Workshops however take time to organise and often difficult to bring all the right stakeholders together in a timely manor.
Brainstorming is still one of great use cases for GenAI. Here are some ways you can use GenAI to help you brainstorm and increase your perspective-taking.
Let's focus on a scenario. An organisation of 50 employees is struggling with engagement in embracing new appointment scheduling software. After all, they love emails and calendar invites. Why would new scheduling software be required?
One of our favourite brainstorming tools at Strawberry Sauce is the 6 Thinking Hats by Dr. Edward de Bono. Why do we love it? It challenges thoughts and ideas from multiple perspectives and is a great tool in a change management toolkit. The concept is that you question your problem in 6 different ways depending on which hat you are wearing. The details of each hat can be found on the de Bono website: https://www.debono.com/six-thinking-hats-summary.
Image of 6 thinking hats designed in Canva
So, let's think about how we could use AI to help our said organisation understand and support the implementation of the new scheduling software.
The Prompt:
‘Our organisation is seeking to implement new scheduling software for appointments. Our current employees are comfortable with the current method of emails and calendar appointments. We would like the implementation of the software to be successful, and we need to gain the best engagement from our teams. Using the six thinking hats technique, brainstorm this scenario to help our change team create a good change management plan.’
Here is the full output from an AI engine:
White Hat (Facts and Information)
Current Method: Employees are comfortable with emails and calendar appointments.
New Software: Details about the new scheduling software, including features, benefits, and any known issues.
Training Needs: What training will be required for the employees?
Timeline: What is the timeline for the implementation?
Support: Availability of support during and after the transition.
Red Hat (Feelings and Emotions)
Employee Comfort: Some employees may feel anxious or resistant to change.
Perceived Benefits: Employees may feel positive if they see clear benefits, such as time savings.
Trust Issues: There may be trust issues regarding the reliability of the new software.
Emotional Buy-In: How to emotionally engage employees and make them feel part of the process.
Black Hat (Caution and Risks)
Resistance to Change: Risk of employees resisting the new system.
Technical Issues: Potential for technical problems during implementation.
Training Inefficiency: Risk that training may not be sufficient or effective.
Data Migration: Challenges related to migrating data from the old system to the new software.
User Adoption: Concerns that employees may not fully adopt the new system.
Yellow Hat (Optimism and Benefits)
Efficiency: The new software can improve scheduling efficiency and reduce errors.
Productivity: It can lead to increased productivity by automating scheduling tasks.
Integration: The software may integrate with other systems, providing additional benefits.
User Experience: Potential for a more user-friendly interface compared to the current method.
Scalability: Better scalability to handle increasing appointment volumes.
Green Hat (Creativity and New Ideas)
Pilot Program: Implement a pilot program with a small group to gather feedback.
Gamification: Introduce gamification elements to make learning the new system fun.
Incentives: Offer incentives for early adopters and those who provide valuable feedback.
Feedback Loop: Create a continuous feedback loop to make necessary adjustments.
Peer Training: Encourage peer-to-peer training sessions to build a support network.
Workshops and Demos: Regular workshops and live demos to show the software’s benefits.
Blue Hat (Process and Control)
Change Management Plan: Develop a detailed change management plan.
Communication Strategy: Clear communication strategy to inform employees about the benefits and process.
Training Plan: Comprehensive training plan with multiple formats (e.g., workshops, online tutorials).
Monitoring and Evaluation: Continuous monitoring and evaluation of the implementation process.
Leadership Involvement: Involve leadership to champion the change and lead by example.
Feedback Mechanism: Establish a feedback mechanism to address concerns and make improvements.
Action Plan
Assess Current Situation: Collect data on current scheduling practices and employee readiness.
Select Pilot Group: Choose a small group of employees to test the new software.
Develop Training Materials: Create comprehensive training materials and sessions.
Implement Pilot Program: Run the pilot program and gather feedback.
Evaluate Feedback: Assess feedback from the pilot program and make necessary adjustments.
Roll Out in Phases: Gradually roll out the software to the entire organization, starting with departments most ready for change.
Monitor and Support: Continuously monitor the implementation and provide support.
Evaluate Success: After full implementation, evaluate the success and gather final feedback.
As with all GenAI and prompting, this is a starting point for brainstorming. Not all the suggestions will be relevant to your scenario. Use the information to seek further feedback from smaller work groups and then focus on what matters most to you and your organisation.
Other prompts may be phrased for different brainstorm techniques such as reverse brainstorming or SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, threat) analysis.
While AI can help with brainstorming in situations where time is of the essence, we still believe in the power of in-person networking. It brings people together and allows organisations to communicate and build a collaborative culture effectively. Remember, GenAI is just like a personal assistant to help.
Need more support with embracing AI and understanding how it can support you and your teams? Contact us today.