Idea Stormers How to Lead and Inspire Creative Breakthroughs

Every organization needs a steady supply of fresh, relevant ideas, but managers can?t just lock teams in a room with a mandate to brainstorm and hope for the best. Ideation is both a science and an art, and when group ideation processes are well-designed and well-facilitated, anyone can generate an abundance of creative, implementable options?not to mention true breakthroughs?for any business need. Drawing on his work leading high-stakes ideation sessions at over 300 organizations, Mattimore explains the how, what, and why of successful ideation and provides a framework for when and how to apply various techniques.

• Identifies Mattimore?s top ideation and innovation techniques (including ?brainwalking,? finding inspiration in worst ideas, the unexpected effectiveness of wishing, and more) and lays the groundwork for you to invent successful processes of your own
  
• Tells real stories of ideation at work in Mattimore?s consulting business, including how Ben & Jerry?s named a new strawberry fudge flavor, how Thomas? invented a new, healthier English muffin that now accounts for over 30% of its sales, how IBM transformed the culture of one of its divisions to make it more innovative, and many more
  
• Mattimore is a world-class expert on applied creativity and an innovation process consultant to over one-third of the Fortune 100 companies; he and his team have helped create and launch products and services worth over $3 billion in annual US retail sales

With a diverse range of tested methods, Idea Stormers is the indispensable guide for developing original, practical solutions to even the most intractable-seeming creative challenges.

Preface ix

Introduction: Idea Engines 1

1 A Map of the Creative Mind: Embracing Seven Creative Thinking Mind-Sets 11

2 Beyond Brainstorming: Understanding Individual and Group Ideation Techniques 23

3 Your Ideation Tool Kit: The Seven All-Time Greatest Ideation Techniques 49

4 Innovation Overview: Strategies and Tools of a Successful Innovation Process 71

5 Real-World Challenges: Applying Ideation Techniques and Innovation Processes 99

6 Idea Meets World: Navigating the Road from Good Idea to Successful Innovation 133

7 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader I: The Who, Where, and How of Planning and Leading Group Ideation Sessions 155

8 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader II: New Product Ideation Session Design 175

9 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader III: Five Strategies for Inventing Ideation and Innovation Processes 199

Conclusion 221

Notes 225

Acknowledgments 227

About the Author 231

Index 233

Bryan W. Mattimore is president and cofounder of The Growth Engine Company, LLC, an innovation agency based in Norwalk, Connecticut. In the last twenty-five years, Bryan has facilitated over one thousand brainstorming sessions, moderated over five hundred creative focus groups, and managed over two hundred successful innovation projects for a wide variety of Fortune 500 clients. A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth, where he majored in psychology, he is also the inventor of the creativity training game Bright Ideas^® and author of the book 99% Inspiration. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

For more information, visit www.BryanMattimore.com