Process Phase I: Idea Generation

Overview

Faced with the need to generate ideas related to an issue or set of problems, an inquiry setting in cyberspace is obtained (e.g., web forum), a group of from 10 to 100 individuals familiar with the issue is chosen, and a group leader is selected. A simple trigger question is carefully phrased by the group to stimulate the formulation of individual lists of from 1 to 5 ideas each by means of interactive forms. The form is designed to allow presentation of ideas in a brief summary, which will be distributed to the participants by a list server or presented at the web forum. At the same time each participant may provide further clarification of his or her ideas together with supporting papers, which will be archived in a linked library. The ideas are discussed interactively, with computer support to delete duplications, formulate acceptable amendments and consolidations of ideas, and establish agreement on definitions and language. All individual contributions are respected and no changes to any specific idea is allowed except with the approval of the individual who submitted the original. From these deliberations a composite list is prepared so that final group satisfaction with the evolved set of ideas is obtained.

SOURCE: Adapted from Delbecq, Van de Ven, Gustafson, Group Techniques for Program Planning (1976); Thissen, Sage, Warfield, User-Oriented Descriptions of Systemic Methods 10 (July2, 1980) (Draft) (NSF Workshop, July 14-15, 1980, University of Virginia).