10 Reasons to Hold Retreats to Build Your Business

I read this article on the Brandchannel.com website at http://www.brandchannel.com/brand_speak.asp?bs_id=197 and thought it was worth sharing with others interested in facilitation as well as with corporate teams seeking to conduct multi-day meetings to achieve a specific objective. While this article specifies “marketing teams,” most of the ideas are applicable to any team. The article text is included in full underneath my comments. Team retreats, much like those discussed in the Leoncini book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, can be a real boost to productivity and team building. While team building is typically a secondary objective, it often becomes the biggest catalyst for increased productivity and success. Retreats are unique in that they allow teams to take time to thoroughly discuss ideas, to come to mutual understanding by seeing issues from others points of view and because they allow the facilitator enough time to work with team members on trust building. Trust is the foundation upon which high performing teams are built. Without it, team members spend an abundance of time and energy on political games and competitive maneuvering instead of seeking cooperation and maximizing team synergy.   Another benefit of the retreat is really getting out of the mindset of the corporate day-to-day world and giving team members the time and space to think creatively and to envision the future. A skilled facilitator will structure this time so that it is somewhat less structured than the typical corporate meetings yet structured enough to provide multiple ways into the creative tasks allowing creativity to flow naturally for participants. I thought this article was a good reminder of why and when it’s important to get out of the corporate meeting room and spend some time in a more relaxed environment working, creating, ideating and playing with your team members.   — Cindy Diamond, Diamond Marketing Solutions & Ignite   Ten Reasons to Hold Marketing Retreats to Build Your Business and Your Brand by James S. Twerdahl July 14, 2008 issue Management retreats can be a very powerful tool for effecting change in organizations and brands. They do need careful planning and thoughtful and experienced facilitation, but properly done they can really help take your brand or organization to the next level. They are particularly important for those who are responsible for creating, building and maintaining brands. Here are the principle reasons to consider a marketing retreat for your organization.

 

1.   To reaffirm your company and product brands and overall strategic direction. Markets served by virtually all organizations are changing at an incredible pace. While mission and vision statements and the overall positioning of your brand should be designed for the long-term, it is critical that they periodically be reviewed and reaffirmed. Changes in technology, competitive activity, the world economy and any number of other factors can necessitate change in your brand positioning. At the very least, the near term strategic direction must be reviewed and adjusted to account for the changing reality. And, there are still a great many companies who have not formally set forth their brand positioning statements—a retreat is an ideal time to do so.  2.   To unify management. Even the best management teams can lose focus on overall goals as individual managers work in their respective areas. Retreats can be a good way of re-unifying the team and making sure that everyone is embracing the same overall objectives, goals, and brand engagement strategies. Retreats are also an ideal way of integrating new managers with older team members. Both in formal meetings and at breaks, meals and recreation times, participants can get to know one another much better and form bonds that are tough to forge when involved in day-to-day operations.  3.   To solve disputes and mediate tensions. Tensions and disputes arise in all organizations. Rather than letting them fester and become destructive and counterproductive, open discussions in non-threatening retreats, can be a good way of letting people share points of view and resolve conflicts.  4.   To identify issues. In the daily heat of battle, issues that have not been resolved often come up. Issues that cross departmental lines can remain unresolved because it takes unified actions to attack them. In a well managed retreat, issues can be identified, analysis can begin, and initiatives or action plans set to resolve them.  5.   To brainstorm and be creative. Away from the fray of day-to-day activities without phones ringing and e-mails to be answered, it may be possible to foster higher levels of creativity. Group creativity sessions can be highly synergistic as one person plays off of another’s idea.  6.   To develop new products and programs. In addition to brainstorming for new products and programs, healthy discussion about new directions can take place and plans laid. Because new products and programs typically involve actions from many departments, retreats can be a good way of outlining the plans and assigning responsibility, setting overall timetables, establishing budgets and other activities from the “big picture” perspective.  7.   To face and resolve crises. Even the best brands may periodically have to deal with crises of one kind or another. Typically when a crisis occurs, there are several hurried meetings to try and deal with the immediate situation. It is often helpful to get away from the immediate issues to assess the situation overall and make sure the organization is realigned not only to deal with the issue but not have it impact future growth and development of the brand.  8.   To provide management training. A key part of many retreats is on-going management training either from internal resources or from outside speakers brought in to address specific topics. Many retreats have themes and in keeping with the theme, speakers can discuss industry best practices, new trends or other areas to improve managers’ effectiveness individually and as members of the team. Retreats are also excellent ways of orienting new leaders in their new roles in the organization.  9.   To reward and recognize outstanding efforts. An important element in many retreats should be to recognize those team members who have really made great contributions. Discussing their successes and accomplishments, if done properly, can help motivate others and build a sense of team. Clearly the accomplishments praised have to be ones that contribute to the team overall, but acknowledging someone who has helped the team can really encourage others to do so as well.  10.   To build consensus. If done well, the first nine points should all be helping to build consensus and a unified sense of where the brand is going. This last point is highlighted as a summary because often organizational leaders may meet resistance in fostering change. Even though a leader can exert their organizational authority, it is often much more important to “sell people” than to “tell people.” Retreats can often be used to expose all sides of an issue and allow the team to reach the best possible conclusions. When reached as a group with everyone buying-in, the likelihood of success can be much greater than if the direction is dictated. Brands are organic and continue to evolve and change over time. Constant monitoring and reassessment are necessary to optimize the long-term returns from your brand.

James S. Twerdahl is the managing director of James S. Twerdahl & Associates.

Facilitation Techniques for Innovative Creative Thinking

Facilitating groups through brainstorming and idea generation can sometimes feel like trudging through mud — particularly towards the end of a day or with a difficult topic.  You can energize a group’s creative thinking by taking them away from the topic for a short period of time to a new arena that is parallel or loosely connected, and then returning to your topic using that new thinking. This is a lateral thinking technique called “associations” that can be used with any group. Let me give you an example.

• Let’s say you’re facilitating a team through an idea generation session for energy efficient flash lights.  You’ve been in ideation for hours and there simply are no more ideas flowing.  Ask the group to forget about flashlights for a minute and answer the following question: “Name some things that are energy efficient.” Record the responses so the group can see them. You may get responses like: solar powered watches, small cars, electric vehicles, screen savers, long-distance runners, etc.
• Next, using the list of energy efficient items just generated, ask the group: “What are the attributes of things that are ‘energy efficient?'” Record the responses so the group can see them.  Responses might include: electric, solar powered, turn themselves off, store energy, etc.
• Finally, ask group members to take a few quiet minutes to come up with ideas for energy efficient flashlights using the list of attributes just generated. You might get ideas such as: a flashlight that turns itself off after a certain period of time, flashlight that stores solar energy to operate when it’s dark, flashlight that stores electric energy, flashlight powered by human contact, etc.

The best ideas in this exercise often come when group members build on each others ideas. A wacky idea often becomes a very innovative idea as groups work together to build them.

Here are some other related lateral thinking exercises you might try:

• Get Fired Ideas: Ask the group “what idea could you go back to your CEO with that would definitely get you fired.” Make a list of these “get fired ideas” and then one by one turn them into ideas that would get you promoted.
• Worlds: Give each team member a “world” to go to, such as: Space, rock-n-roll, pre-school, high-tech, low-tech, nature, Hollywood, etc. Ask each team member to go to his or her world and find example of things that have a key attribute of your innovation focus (for example, portability) and write them down.  Next, using the association technique, make a list that answers the question “why is that item in your world portable” (fill-in the attribute you selected); build new ideas for your innovation focus from the list of attributes.
• Role Play: Give each group member the name of a famous person. Tell them to assume they are that person. Ask them to think about what’s important to that person, what their living environment is like, what are they thinking about? Next, ask them to invent a new product within your innovation project scope that works for that person.

The key to successful creativity with lateral thinking techniques is to move people away from concentrating on the specific opportunity area you are brainstorming on to another place. Let them incubate in the other place for a while and then force fit that new thinking back to the innovation opportunity.

Sometimes it takes a change in focus to open up creativity in the brain. Facilitating your group away from your primary focus to another area provides stimulus for their creativity and can be a productive, energetic and fun way to make significant progress during innovation sessions.

— Cindy Diamond, Diamond Marketing Solutions & Ignite

Facilitating Idea Generation — Divergence and Convergence

I read a great snippet today that said “Innovation is 10% idea generation and 90% process.” I have found, in my work as an innovation strategist and facilitator, that this statement is 100% true! That has inspired me to discuss the Diamond Innovation Process.

Click on the following link to see a chart of the process: Diamond Innovation Process

There are two main components to the idea generation process. The first is the expansion phase, also referred to as the divergent thinking phase. This is where the facilitator helps the group explore lots of territory where ideas might be uncovered. The goal of this phase is to generate lots of ideas around a clearly articulated problem or opportunity. The second phase is the convergence phase. This is the phase where the facilitator takes the group through a process to hone down the ideas and select those that are most likely to solve the problem or best address the opportunity.

The graphic attached called “The Diamond Innovation Process” depicts these two processes in a diamond shape. In the diamond shape, both processes have equal weight — the top triangle is the expansion (divergence) phase and the bottom triangle is the convergence phase. This is not always the case in reality! Teams will often spend the majority of their time on the divergence process and save ten minutes (if any time at all!) at the end for the convergence process. Ultimately, this does not produce the best result. Particularly when problems are complex, multi-faceted or mission critical, teams most likely need to spend at least as much time on convergence as they do on divergence.

Each of these phases has multiple steps as follows:

Expansion phase:

Step 1: Clearly identify the issue that is to be addressed with the innovation process

Step 2: Immersion: Explore information relevant to the problem. This could be trends, current operating environment, market research, competitive data, etc. — specific information that helps to shed light on the issue being explored.

Step 3: Identify opportunity areas: The team identifies buckets, called “opportunity areas” where a solution may be found. For an innovation session focusing on introducing a new snack product the opportunity areas might be “healthy snacking”, “kid focused snacks”, “snacking for energy”, and “indulgent snacks.”

Step 4: Idea Generation: For each of the opportunity areas, the faciltiator leads the team through idea generation techniques to help uncover new possibilities. During this process, the rules of brainstorming apply (see my post on “Setting the Stage” for some effective rules). As you move through the idea generation, new ideas become harder to find and the facilitator must be prepared with exercises that stimulate the group’s thinking. This is often when the best new ideas are born!

The Convergence Phase:

Step one: Setting criteria – the group works together to set the criteria for how ideas will be selected to move forward to the next step. These might include “fits with the brand” and “is unique in the category.” At this stage, be careful not to narrow the sieve too much or you may lose some great ideas before they get a chance to be explored.

Step two: Idea Selection — using a variety of convergence techniques (I’ll talk about these in another post), the facilitator helps the group narrow down the number of ideas to a manageable number. This will include voting, combining like ideas and championing favorite ideas. Championing favorite ideas is important so that the consensus oriented process doesn’t drive out really creative, unique (but sometimes difficult) ideas.

Step three: Synthesis/Discussion – the team comes to agreement on the ideas that will move forward into concept research or whatever the next step of your process will be.  The group provides definition around each of the lead ideas — perhaps, at this stage, creating concept outlines that can be written into concepts for the research step.

Step four: Research Preparation– this is the process where the new concepts are finalized and the research parameters are identified. Parameters include the key objectives of the research, the audience to test with, the screening criteria and the survey or discussion guide.

With this BRIEF description (I know, that’s funny!) you can see how process is 90% of the innovation process and ideas are 10%. Effective idea generation requires strong process for both the expansion and convergence processes. These two phases are equally important to the innovation process. You can generate lots and lots of ideas, but without structure and process for evaluating them they remain only ideas.

— Cindy Diamond, Principal Diamond Marketing Solutions & IGNiTE

Facilitating Brainstorming Sessions: Setting the Stage

Prior to beginning the facilitation of a brainstorming session with any group, I find that it’s critical to set the stage by articulating the expectations of the group during the divergent thinking activities. While this may sound like old hat, it pays to remind groups of the productive behaviors that are most desirable for idea generation. I’m not talking about the obvious ones, such as turn off cell phones, talk one at a time and return from breaks on time. I’m talking about setting clear expectations for how the session will flow and creating a safe environment for participation. Here are some examples of the norms I like best:

Ideation Rules of Engagement

¨      Let ideas flow freely – quantity not quality

¨      No evaluating ideas until later

¨      Build on the ideas of others

¨      Be humorous and creative

¨      There are no bad ideas

¨      No debating

¨      Everyone participates

¨      Think in new ways; break out of old pattern

¨      Keep discussion moving; avoid back stories

¨      Hitch-hiking & building (combination and improvement) on ideas are encouraged

¨      Look at what everyone else looks at but see what no one else sees

 

Setting these expectations in advance can help a group in many ways, including:

1.      Creating a safe environment so everyone feels comfortable participating.

2.      Calling out behaviors that don’t fall in line with the rules as out-of-bounds — such as launching into a debate about some one’s idea.

3.      Giving people permission to laugh, to say what they think and to get out of their functional boxes.

4.      Creating a team atmosphere where an idea isn’t owned by a specific contributor, but rather is built and, therefore, owned by the team using hitchhiking and building add-ons.

 

In addition to these “Ideation Rules of Engagement,” I like to post the following Principles of Creativity:

 

Principles of Creativity

1. Creativity requires a commitment of living outside the box.

2. Creative ideas require a fresh perspective.

3. Creative ideas are new combinations of two or more existing ideas.

4. Creativity requires a belief in the ability of oneself to make the impossible possible.

5. Fun and energy are fundamental to creative thinking.

6. Successful creative teams have shared objectives and strategies.

7. Successful creative teams leverage the strengths and weaknesses of each and every member.

8. Good ideas hide where you least expect them to.

9. It takes lots of swings to hit a home run.

 

These principles assure team members that not every idea needs to be a “home run,” but that most ideas will be a trigger or spark for other team member’s to come up with new ideas and will contribute to the productivity of the idea generation overall.

Try setting these suggested Idea Generation Rules and posting the Principles of Creativity at your next meeting and let me know how it works for you! If you have other rules that you have found to be particularly good ones, please post a comment as well.

 

— Cindy Diamond, Principal Diamond Marketing Solutions & Ignite

 

 

 

 

 

Facilitating Team Building Sessions using The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

I recently faciltitated a team building session for a senior management team at General Mills. The team consisted of nine individuals, each with a senior leadership role within the same function.   The team was seeking to build trust and relationships by gaining a better understanding of team dynamics, their role on the team and insight into the styles and preferences of the other individuals on the team.

I based the process for this team building workshop on Patrick Lencioni’s book titled “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.”  In his book, Lencioni discusses the following 5 team dysfunctions: absence of trust, fear of conflice, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and, finally, inattention to results. Each must be addressed in order to overcome the dysfunctions. We decided to address “trust” in this initial workshop.

Prior to the workshop, all team members were asked to read this book and to fill out a survey that would help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the entire team. In addition, each participant filled out a Tracom Social Styles Profile. The combination of these two tools helped the team understand where the team as a whole needed to focus and how to better work with one another.

The Social Style Assessment that each team member completed identifies four behavioral styles, each with positive and negative attributes related to productive work relationships. The model charts behaviors on two scales related to an individual’s assertive and responsive behaviors. When combined, those scales reveal the four quadrants of behavioral patterns, or Social Styles: driving, expressive, amiable, and analytical. The key concept of applying Social Style is understanding Versatility, a measure of how well a person works with others.

The process of the workshop focused on a combination of trust building exercises, where particpants were asked to gradually reveal more about themselves — both personally and professionally, and understanding the team dynamics.

After participating in this Team Building Session, team members  have a better understanding of and appreciation for:

1.      The overall team dynamics and how each individual plays a role in those dynamics. 

2.      Team dysfunctions in the areas of trust, conflict, commitment, accountability and results and a foundation for beginning to build a more cohesive, high functioning team.

3.      Their individual social style and how it affects the way they interact with and are perceived by team members.

4.      Their degree of versatility as it relates to their social style and how it influences their behavior.

5.      The styles of team members and how they relate to individual strengths and weakness.

6. Tools for working with the different social styles and becoming more versatile, and thus more effective as a team player,  in their own styles.

I would recommend The Five Dysfunctions of a Team to almost any group seeking to increase team performance and results and create more effective relationships.

—- Cindy Diamond, Principal Diamond Marketing Solutions & IGNiTE

Facilitating Teams through Vision Development

In the past couple of months, IGNiTE has facilitated a number of workshops to help corporate and non-profit teams develop their vision. We have developed a very effective process for working on vision based on the Harvard Business Review article titled: “Building Your Company’s Vision” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. Collins, by the way, is the author of Good to Great. 

In the HBR article, the authors construct a model for vision consisting of two arms, the first is termed “Core Ideology” and the second is termed “Envisioned Future.” The core ideology gets to the organization’s core purpose and core values, while the envisioned future articulates the organization’s Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) –  a goal 5-10 years out, along with a  vivid description of what the future state looks like when the BHAG is accomplished.

At Ignite, our facilitation process provides time for individuals and teams to ponder, discuss and debate what it is they truly value and why they exist. These are the essential core elements of the business or organization and they must come from within. They are enduring qualities that never change.  We help teams build their core purpose from the bottom up — first articulating what it is they do and then looking at WHY they do those things. After a number of “why do you do that” questions, elements of the core purpose emerge and a light bulb goes off.

The majority of the organizations we have worked with are fearful when it comes to creating their BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). It’s a scary prospect to articulate a big goal for the future, even one you’d like to achieve, when you feel you don’t have the resources today to get it done.  To work through this hesitation, we have team members create a vivid description of what the future looks like when the company or organization is operating at its best, looking 5 to 10 years down the road. Collage works well for this but other visualization techniques work too. Once the themes have been collected from the visualizations, it’s easier to pinpoint the BHAG that, if the organization achieves it, the envisioned future will be a reality.

The elements described in “Building Your Company’s Vision” are essential to every organization — be it a Fortune 500 company or a small non-profit.  WIthout clarity on who you are and where you are headed, you are operating with blinders on.  A facilitated process works particularly well with vision development as it ensures all team members have the opportunity to voice their individual vision, creates structure and process, and helps bring the team along so steady progress is made. 

— submitted by Cindy Diamond, Principal of Diamond Marketing Solutions & IGNiTE