The Concept of Think Tank Methods
According to the class content, think tank methods are purposeful methods and are the brains behind innovations. Many problems are solved traditionally through symposiums, conferences, seminars, and workshops. These are where knowledgeable people gather to learn from themselves and share information on trending matters and innovations. However, the think tank is far beyond this! Think tank involves mimicking the scenarios; this is evident in what McDonald is doing in their warehouse in Romeoville, Illinois, by having 3 restaurants within the warehouse to test their ideas (Pentilla, 2007). It also entails discussing complex issues that challenge the creative members to think holistically and come up with creative patterns by using sophisticated tools. This will proffer a long-term solution to the problems and also serve as a motivator that renews the members’ spirit (Caliva & Scheier, 1992). Therefore, the think tank method can be thought of as having a place for innovations to explore and implement new ideas as in-depth solutions to a particular issue.
There are several methods of think tanks, and some of these will be discussed here. According to Pentilla (2007), there are five think tank techniques: ” “think backward,” “do rapid prototyping,” “combine ideas,” “create an internal incubation fund,” and “take it online.” For this assignment, I will be writing about three of these; “think backward,” “combine ideas,” and “take it online.”
Before anyone can think of any innovation, the person needs to check the history and think backward to know where the gap is. Every innovation is built on the existing work, so it is critical to know the former situation, the present status, and then be able to project into the future. By this, a desirable future is defined, and the creative minds work backward to figure out the technology, policies, and programs that will make this desirable future happen, having the present as the base. McDonald uses “backcasting” for their products; this is an example of the “think backward” technique of the think tank (Penttila, 2007).
“Combine ideas,” to me, is the core of think tanks. A think tank can never have a member, it needs members to combine ideas and rub minds. Moreover, combining ideas entails combining methods with innovative ideas. This is evident in Xerox’s think tank technique (Penttila, 2007).
The third one is “take it online.” This technique opens the door to several think tanks to contribute through the web or automated systems. Delphi technique is applicable here as the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation, and Entrepreneurship used (Penttila, 2007).
References
Caliva, L., & Scheier, I. H. (1992). The Center for Creative Community: The think tank technique. http://academic.regis.edu/volunteer/ivan/sect03/sect03b.htm
Penttila, C. (2007). 5 Big biz think tank techniques: Issue of Entrepreneur. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/174688
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