Managing a DI Team:

Facilitating the Creative

Process

• Describes the learning processes involved in solving

a Destination Imagination Challenge

• Emphasizes the process over the product

• Provides concrete learning objectives

– i.e. “utilize convergent and divergent thinking”

• All-inclusive view of the benefits of participation in

Destination Imagination

What is it? Creative Process

An Overview Creative Process

• A checklist to be completed

• A step-by-step, linear process

• Designed to constrict thinking methods

• A set of rules that must be followed

What it’s not… Creative Process

Becoming aware of a challenge, problem, or opportunity

― Having a healthy state of mind to explore new opportunities

― Having a positive attitude, readiness and alertness

― Fully understanding all the issues or points of the challenge or problem

The Team Members Recognize

• Will need to maximize their

different

– Personalities

– Ideas

– Abilities and Skills

– Interests

– Learning Styles

Applying thinking skills to develop options

― Employing divergent and convergent thinking

― Using creativity and critical thinking tools to create ideas and select the best ones

― Encouraging intuitive insight and novelty

― Maximizing the ability to work within or outside of structure

― Using your imagination to explore new ideas about solutions

• If you think it, share it

• Don’t evaluate or judge ideas

– Your own, or someone else’s

• Team Manager cannot offer ideas

– Interference

– Team might have idea on their own, but if TM

offers it, the team can’t use it

Rules for Idea Generation Sessions

Imagine

• Divergent thinking – developing possibilities for open-

ended questions

– Explores multiple solutions

– “I wonder if we could…”

• Convergent thinking – developing solutions to a

specific problem

– Has an end-goal in mind prior to generating

– “How might we…?”

Thinking Styles for Idea Generation

Imagine

Idea Generation Activities

Imagine

• Brainstorming• ABC Brainstorming – Roadmap, p. 160• Beach Ball Brainstorming• Mind Spin • Mix & Match (Morphological Matrix) – Roadmap, p. 167• SCAMPER

Create a 5x5 grid of blank squares.

Label the columns with the following:

1. Hero

2. Villain

3. Conflict

4. Setting

5. Humorous Twist

Fill in an idea for each square. Your team will then select at

random a different square from each column. You will then use

the selected elements to create a story.

Mix and Match Idea Generation

Initiating behavior and committing to an option

― Being willing to take risks; go beyond the minimum

― Controlling behavior to manage impulsiveness

― Directing ideas into solutions

Using social intelligence

― Understanding and using different problem-solving styles

― Being positive and listening to all team ideas before judging them

― Working together to produce the solution

• Simple tools that elicit positive input and help make

decisions as a team without hurting feelings

• Simple activities with effective results

• Everyone provides input, everyone invests in solution

Idea Directing / Focusing Tools

Initiate & Collaborate

Idea Directing/Focusing Tools

Initiate & Collaborate

• Objective Ranking

• Choice Helper/Attribute Listing – Roadmap pg. 186

• Strong-Weak-Special (A-L-O-U)

• Paired Choice – Roadmap, pg. 193

Given a list of ideas, evaluate each idea according to

the following elements.

1. Strong – What are the strengths of the idea?

2. Weak – What the weaknesses or challenges to

the idea?

3. Special – What makes this idea special? Is it

extremely humorous? Does it have an aspect

that is truly novel?

By doing this, you will foster effective discussion about

each idea and help your team evaluate ideas for use in

the Challenge Solution.

Strong-Weak-Special (was Alo U)

Idea Directing

• Collaboration is learned by working in a group

– Practice Instant Challenges

– Communicate frequently

– Provide checkpoints for discussion

– Allow team members to pursue their passion in

creating the solution

Learning to Collaborate

Initiate & Collaborate

Achieving the best solution

― Assessing the project while it is being done and after it is finished

― Sometimes starting over or admitting failure

• Team Members provide constructive feedback

• Learn to admit failure when necessary

• Team should set decision points for success

– If it doesn’t work by ____, then we will have to re-

evaluate our solution

• Learn when to adjust and when to start again

An ongoing process Assess

• Does our solution solve the Challenge?

• Is this still our best idea or option?

• Is it working?

• How would someone score this according to the

Challenge?

• Use challenge scoring as rubric to assess work

• Does it do what the challenge requires?

Guiding Questions Assess

• Objective – Did it happen?

– Yes – full points

– No – zero points

• Subjective

– How well did it work?

– Was it creative?

– Based on the impression of the Appraisers

• Assess your solution on both types of scored

elements, from various viewpoints

Types of Scores Assess

Evaluating the results

― Reflecting on the experience, resources and team dynamics

― Celebrating the team’s journey and accomplishments