Idea Stormers - Hardcover

by Bryan W. Mattimore (Author)

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.

Front Jacket

No matter who you are or what you do, you inevitably face the struggle of generating fresh ideas that will push your work in productive new directions. By now, however, you know you can't just lock yourself or your group in a room, stare at an empty whiteboard, and wait for inspiration. Only when ideation and innovation processes are well-designed and well-facilitated can you and your group generate an abundance of creative solutions. How can you ensure that your efforts pay off with more and better ideas?

In Idea Stormers, Bryan Mattimore explains the how, what, and why of successful innovation and ideation. He presents a diverse selection of easy-to-learn idea-generating techniques such as "brainwalking," turning your worst ideas into surprising solutions, wishing your way to real results, and many more. He also provides a framework for how anyone tasked with getting creative results from a group--what he calls a "facilitating leader"--can put these techniques to work. Mattimore has created and applied these practices over years of leading more than two hundred innovation consulting assignments at major organizations, and he shares behind-the-scenes stories of the many real-wolrd creative challenges these techniques helped to solve, such as how Ben & Jerry's named a new strawberry fudge flavor, how one division of IBM reimagined and transformed their organizational culture, and how the Lutheran Society of America successfully launched a new fundraising program.

With a wide range of tested idea-generation and innovation techniques, Idea Stormers is an indispensable and entertaining guide to developing original, practical solutions--not to mention true breakthroughs--for even the most intractable-seeming creative challenges.

Back Jacket

No matter who you are or what you do, you inevitably face the struggle of generating fresh ideas that will push your work in productive new directions. By now, however, you know you can't just lock yourself or your group in a room, stare at an empty whiteboard, and wait for inspiration. Only when ideation and innovation processes are well-designed and well-facilitated can you and your group generate an abundance of creative solutions. How can you ensure that your efforts pay off with more and better ideas?

In Idea Stormers, Bryan Mattimore explains the how, what, and why of successful innovation and ideation. He presents a diverse selection of easy-to-learn idea-generating techniques such as "brainwalking," turning your worst ideas into surprising solutions, wishing your way to real results, and many more. He also provides a framework for how anyone tasked with getting creative results from a group--what he calls a "facilitating leader"--can put these techniques to work. Mattimore has created and applied these practices over years of leading more than two hundred innovation consulting assignments at major organizations, and he shares behind-the-scenes stories of the many real-wolrd creative challenges these techniques helped to solve, such as how Ben & Jerry's named a new strawberry fudge flavor, how one division of IBM reimagined and transformed their organizational culture, and how the Lutheran Society of America successfully launched a new fundraising program.

With a wide range of tested idea-generation and innovation techniques, Idea Stormers is an indispensable and entertaining guide to developing original, practical solutions--not to mention true breakthroughs--for even the most intractable-seeming creative challenges.

Author Biography

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^(R) and author of the book 99% Inspiration. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut.

For more information, visit www.BryanMattimore.com