Judge ideas carefully

Without this principle, generating a list of ideas can be difficult to organize and choose from.

There are many points to consider when judging a list of ideas to a problem and a clear strategy must be put in place when approaching them.

 

A list of selection criteria is the first step in judging ideas.

Examples of selection criteria are:

- price

- benefit

- feasibility

- effectiveness

- look/taste/smell etc.

 

Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/small-business-network/2012/aug/06/pitching-to-big-retailers



 





The group task in this week's class was to judge a display of a number of paintings and rank the top 5 of our favorites. After considering all the artwork, we chose our top favorites and decided then what our selection criteria were. This method helped me gravitate towards the art pieces I personally liked, and then considered why they appealed to me. This experience created value to me because I became more aware of why I liked and did not like certain pieces. Also having to describe our selection criteria enabled me to be more concise and descriptive about my personal views.

An added value of this experience is that I can apply my understanding of my judging method which extends to other choices I make, whether it be food, music, style, etc.

 

What prevents me from applying this principle more consistently is my biased opinion. There are times where I approach a list of ideas or solution and, naturally, I lean towards my own (or favorite) ideas that have had time to develop in my imagination. I am sure many individuals can agree as this approach is just human nature. I am aware that I have to consider all ideas equally and consider my list of selection criteria in order to narrow down my list of ideas effectively.

 

A question that still remains regarding this question is:

Does setting up a list of selection criteria truly eliminate potential biases towards certain ideas? Or, should a list of selection criteria then be generated before the list of ideas to prevent this bias?



 

Collaboration is powerful

Subconsciously, we are all in constant collaboration. Relating to the past principle of Great ideas come from many, we collaborate with family, friends and communities on a daily basis. Only until we sit down and discuss with others in a controlled environment, do we feel the pressure of discussion and idea generation. 

For the most part, we tend to collaborate with others that share similar point of view, which in turn can distort the problem solving process. 

Collaboration is key in the creative process because new ideas can be formed, and present ideas can be developed further with different points of views. 

 

Retrieved from: http://www.hrtecheurope.com/blog/?p=5731

The most structured form of collaboration I experience are in smaller classes at MRU. Generally all these courses involve consistent group work. My most memorable experience was in an entrepreneurship class where groups were assigned a single task for the whole semester. I found the group picking process to be biased as we chose individuals who shared similar interests to one another. Nonetheless, I appreciated being grouped with others who had similar hobbies and interests and therefore made a better connection with my group. The value of this experience was that I gained further insight on my own hobbies and lasting friendships with those who I collaborated with. Also, since we shared similar interests, it enabled us to collaborate more effectively and concisely, which in turn made the whole experience positive.

One may oppose my point of view with the fact that this type of collaboration does not always result in effective work. For example, if a group of individuals share too many interests (among other attributes) it can limit the creative process to a smaller number of ideas and opinions. Moreover, this type of collaboration limits the development of ideas because if opposing opinions are expressed, it can create tension between otherwise agreeing individuals.

What prevents me from applying this principle more consistently is that too often I attempt to take on a problem or challenge on my own. With larger problems this can be a risk as I may try to make on too much responsibilty than I can handle. By doing so, I do not take advantage of other's opinions and points of views. In all my workplaces, I have to understand the importance of collaboration and to not take it for granted.
 

A question that still remains regarding this principle is:

How do we decide if collaboration is important when dealing with a problem?
Is collaboration only important or effective with more complex problems?

Great ideas come from many

The amount of ideas to solve a problem differ based on problems that require less (or more) effort than others. 50 ideas is a good starting point for most problems, but can be adjusted accordingly to the task at hand. 

For the most part, I tend to generate ideas on my own and then let external influences guide me through generating more ideas. Some external sources that influence my ideas are: family and friends, co-workers and peers, and social media. 

More recently, I have been using social media, namely Facebook, to help me expand my ideas. For example, I may post a question to all my Facebook friends for their feedback. Dependent on the question, I can receive about 5-15 responses which are generally original.
 

My method of applying this principle brings value to me for the following reasons: 

By:

- expanding my knowledge

- helping me think more creatively

- considering different points of views

Moreover, receiving responses also connects me closer to my community by realizing the support I have from peers. 

Retrieved from: http://www.askingsmarterquestions.com/facebook-page-new-question-feature/

An opposing point of view towards my method may be that I limit my external influences to my existing community of friends and family who may share similar points of view. By "controlling" my external influences, I also limit the variety of responses I am able to receive. It is important for me to consider different methods of gathering ideas beyond my circle. The ways I can do this is by connecting with others via the internet (ie. blogs, forums, etc.) and in person (ie. random surveys, questionnaires, etc.).
 

Personally, this is the hardest principle for me to apply on a consistent basis. Since a lot of my decisions need to be made quickly, I usually stop the decision making process at the first few ideas that come to mind.  Concentrating on one great idea prevents me from seeing beyond it, to consider other ideas. My own assumptions that my first few ideas will be sufficient in solving a problem or task prevent me from applying this principle more effectively. 

A question that still remains regarding this principle is:

Given a specified number of ideas to generate, how can an individual generate a list of ideas to be both efficient and free from nonsense?