Seamless integration of collaborative creativity techniques into groupprocess modelling

Alexander Nolte, Angela Carell

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Collaborative creativityand process design

• Installing innovative work-processes is a crucial success factor in modern businesses

• Collaborative modelling (esp. STWT) constrains creative thinking as it enforces a modelling thinking style

• A creative thinking style is required for innovative solutions

A demand-oriented switch of both styles of thinking is required

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Participatoryprocess modelling

• Method:– Walkthrough workshops (STWT) involving all

relevant process stakeholders– Simultaneous visualization

Modelling thinking style

• Advantages:– Transparency for all participants– Focused contributions according to the

process

• Problem:– Constrains thinking to known solutions

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Creative idea development

• Method:– Brainstorming in several different styles

Creative thinking style

• Advantages:– Wild ideas– Thinking outside of the box

• Problem:– Far reaching yet unstructured ideas that are

not necessarily useful for the given context

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Our proposition

• The creative process should seamlessly be integrated into the modelling process

• Goal: Breaking the rigid concentration on process-modelling without losing its advantages

• First-hand experience: Integrating brainstorming into a process modelling tool developed by our group

The facilitator can – at any time during the workshops – create brainstorming areas anywhere in the model

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Integration of brainstorming into process modelling

Tested in different participatory process design workshops

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Conclusion

• Compared to similar workshops more alternatives were developed

• More controversial discussion arose• Process model provided context and frame for the

brainstorming resulting in the development of more useful ideas

• Seamless switching between different brainstorming areas empowered flexibility

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Future work

• Further experiments to shed light onto the relationship between process development and creative thinking

• Provide methods and tools to– Support additional creativity techniques– Support the transition from a clustered brainstorming result to a

full scale process model

• Making the switch between thinking styles easier

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Thank you for your kind attention

alexander.nolte@iaw.rub.de

www.imtm-iaw.rub.de