Idea Stormers: How To Lead And Inspire Creative Breakthroughs

How to solve critical business challenges by generating more and better ideas


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.

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 IdeasR and author of the book 99% Inspiration. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

Preface
Introduction Idea Engines
Chapter 1 A Map of the Creative Mind: Embracing Seven Creative Thinking Mind-Sets
Chapter 2 Beyond Brainstorming: Understanding Individual and Group Ideation Techniques
Chapter 3 Your Ideation Toolkit: The Seven All-Time Greatest Ideation Techniques
Chapter 4 Innovation Overview: Strategies and Tools for a Successful Innovation Process
Chapter 5 Real-World Challenges: Applying Ideation Techniques and Innovation Processes
Chapter 6 Idea Meets World: Navigating the Road from Good Idea to Successful Innovation
Chapter 7 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader I: The Who, Where, and How of Planning and Leading Group Ideation Sessions
Chapter 8 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader II: New Product Ideation Session Design
Chapter 9 Thinking Like a Facilitating Leader III: Five Strategies for Inventing Ideation and Innovation Processes
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index