Strategic Thinking
Wishful Thinking
Wishful Thinking is a brainstorming technique where participants imagine the best possible outcomes or solutions without constraints. This approach encourages unrestricted creativity, helping teams to think outside the box and identify innovative ideas that might not emerge through conventional thinking.
EFFORT
Low, Medium
The exercise itself is not resource-intensive but requires some time for discussion and idea development.
DIFFICULTY
Easy, Moderate
The task is straightforward but needs skillful facilitation to harness practical outputs from free-form brainstorming.
IMPLEMENTATION
Define the Goal: Clearly state the problem or challenge that needs addressing.
Encourage Imagination: Prompt participants to freely express their ideal solutions or scenarios, ignoring current limitations such as budget, technology, or resources.
Record Ideas: Capture all suggestions, no matter how ambitious or unrealistic they may seem.
Explore and Expand: Discuss each idea, exploring how it could be achieved in an ideal world. This can lead to viable elements that could be adapted to real-world constraints.
Reality Check: Gradually introduce real-world constraints back into the discussion to see which ideas or elements can be realistically implemented or adapted.
Develop Action Plans: Formulate actionable strategies based on the refined ideas that combine innovation with feasibility.
BENEFITS
Frees the mind from constraints, leading to potentially groundbreaking ideas.
Boosts morale and engagement by allowing team members to dream big.
Often leads to unique and creative solutions that could be missed with a more conservative approach.
CHALLENGES
There is a risk of disappointment if expectations set during the exercise are not tempered when facing real-world constraints.
It may be challenging to transition from idealistic concepts to practical implementations.
Managing the balance between creativity and feasibility requires careful moderation.
RECOMMENDED TEAM MEMBERS
Product Manager, UI/UX Designer, Engineering, Marketing
DELIVERABLES
A list of ideal outcomes and innovative solutions generated during the session.
A set of potentially adaptable ideas that have been evaluated for real-world implementation.
An action plan outlining steps to explore or prototype the most promising ideas.
Wishful Thinking is a powerful technique to unlock creativity within teams, providing a platform to push boundaries and envision new possibilities. It is especially useful in early stages of product development or when seeking disruptive innovations.
Stay tuned for an upcoming template.