IF EVERYTHING WERE POSSIBLE: A MODEL FOR STRUCTURING IDEA GENERATION ON THE GREEN TRANSITION

 Paradigm-preserving methods

In promoting the green transition in health and care services, time and costs are factors that first come to mind. This method focuses on these factors to help with decision-making and prioritisation.

Grouping and structuring ideas on a time and costs axis helps to clarify, group and prioritise ideas effectively. The idea generation phase is kept free of assessment and aims to generate as many different ideas as possible. In the structuring phase, ideas are grouped and then further refined and prioritised.

What is required:

• Participants should be able to critically evaluate and analyse ideas. This will help to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
• Participants should understand the resources (time, money, staff) required to implement an idea. This will help to develop a realistic plan.
• Participants must have the motivation, ownership and decision-making power to take the matter forward.

Level of difficulty: 1-3, depending on whether to take the idea to piloting and implementation planning

Time required: from 60 minutes to weeks, depending on whether the structuring phase progresses to piloting, for example

Materials:

• Post-it notes
• A large piece of paper on which the structuring model is drawn or a digital template (for example Miro) with the structuring model ready for use

Participants: 6 to 30 people; they should include staff with ownership and decision-making power related to the issue under consideration

How to use:

• Divide your ideas into two main categories: time and costs. The time category includes ideas that require a lot of time to implement, and the costs category includes ideas that require significant financial resources.
• Prioritise the ideas on the time and money axis:

A) The time axis: organise your ideas according to the time needed to implement them. You can use a timeline or a Gantt chart.

B) The costs axis: organise your ideas according to how much it will cost to implement them. You can use a budget table or a cost estimate.

• Assessment: assess the feasibility and impacts of each idea. You can use a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) or other assessment methods.
• Actions: select the most relevant and useful ideas for further development and implementation.

A) Identify and define resources: what resources are required to implement the idea, for example staff, technology, skills, survey, etc.

B) Build a pilot project: develop the idea to start a pilot project. This will help to test the functionality of the idea on a smaller scale before larger-scale implementation.

C) Feedback and iteration: gather feedback on the pilot project and make any necessary changes. Iterate the idea to continuously improve it.

• Implementation plan: draw up a detailed implementation plan, including a timetable, budget and necessary measures.
• Monitoring and evaluation: during implementation, monitor progress and evaluate results regularly. Make any necessary changes and improvements.

When to use:

• Can be used in different stages:

A. Collecting and grouping ideas after brainstorming.

B. Analysis and prioritisation: grouped ideas are analysed in more detail and prioritised. At this stage, the implementation plan begins to take shape and a decision can be made on which ideas to take forward.

C. After the pilot project has been implemented. The implementation plan at this stage helps to ensure that all the necessary resources and actions have been taken into account.

Why to use:

• Helps to identify which ideas are feasible and which require more resources.
• Helps to structure ideas clearly, making them easier to understand and manage, reducing confusion and helping to focus on the most important ideas.
• Helps to focus on those ideas that have the greatest impact and are feasible with the resources available.
• Further development will help to identify what resources (time, money, staff) each idea requires. This allows for better resource management and budgeting.

How to document:

• Photograph the different steps
• Take notes

The roots of the method can be found here: The method is rooted in open innovation, innovation management and innovation processes that deal with the collection, structuring and development of ideas (Chesbrough, 2003; 2012).

Further information:

Chesbrough, H. (2003). Open innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation.

Chesbrough, H. (2012). Open innovation: Where we've been and where we're going. Research-Technology Management, 55(4), 20-27.