Jones, Derek

Lotz, Nicole

English

Open Research Online

Open Research OnlineThe Open University’s repository of research publicationsand other research outputsJust breatheBook SectionHow to cite:Lotz, Nicole and Jones, Derek (2014). Just breathe. In: Williams, Alison; Jones, Derek and Robertson, Judyeds. BITE: Recipes for Remarkable Research. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers, pp. 144–145.For guidance on citations see FAQs.c© 2014 Sense PublishersVersion: Accepted ManuscriptLink(s) to article on publisher’s website:https://www.sensepublishers.com/catalogs/bookseries/other-books/bite/Copyright and Moral Rights for the articles on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyrightowners. For more information on Open Research Online’s data policy on reuse of materials please consult the policiespage.oro.open.ac.uk	Just breathe Authors:			Nicole	Lotz	and	Derek	Jones	Strapline:		Breathe	in	and	out	for	creative	Nirvana	Serve	to:		large	teams	from	6	onwards	Number	of	servings:			Cost/resource:		low	Background Applying	divergent	and	convergent	thinking	to	large	teams	can	offer	rich	interactions	and	inspire	creative	thinking	(Osborn,	1953;	Guilford,	1967).	Divergent	thinking,	here,	is	the	process	of	generating	multiple,	different	and	original	ideas	to	a	problem.	Convergent	thinking	is	then	used	to	apply	an	order	to	the	ideas	generated	to	converge	on	a	few,	or	one.		I	have	used	the	breathe	metaphor	in	creative	sessions	as	a	useful	way	of	communicating	this	process.	‘Breathing	in’	means	diverging.	Imagine	taking	a	deep	breath:	you	take	in	different	ideas	and	everything	around	you.	Now	breathe	out:	and	you	are	left	with	a	few	valuable	ideas,	discarding	the	remains	back	into	nirvana.		Good	breathing	helps	to	avoid	groupthink	(Janis,	1971),	which	characterises	a	group	that	reaches	consensus	without	thinking	of	alternatives.	Ingredients • Sticky	notes,	flipcharts	and	pens,	whiteboards	• Some	secluded	places	for	small	groups	• A	large	room	with	wall	space	for	posting	and	ordering	ideas	Method 1. Post	a	problem	statement	to	a	large	group	of	diverse	people.	2. Breathe	in	(diverge)	a. Discuss	the	problem	in	large	group	for	a	few	minutes	(max	10min).	This	starts	the	divergent	phase	that	generates	multiple	different	ideas.	Try	to	consider	any	relevant	issues	around	the	problem	(see	“How	might	we”	space	for	some	ideas	on	how	to	do	this).	b. Split	into	smaller	sub-groups	to	continue	the	breathing	in	process	for	30	min.	This	time,	discuss	some	of	the	ideas	in	more	detail,	again,	exploring	as	many	issues	as	come	out	of	the	process	as	possible.	At	some	point	in	this	step	the	converging	or	breathing	out	will	naturally	begin.		3. Breathe	out	(converge)	a. Come	back	together	into	the	large	group	and	present	all	the	ideas	while	pinning	the	gist	of	the	idea	with	some	detail	on	a	post	it	note	to	the	wall.	Others	can	make	note	of	similar	ideas	during	the	presentation.	b. Discuss	overlapping	and	outstanding	ideas.	End	the	convergence	by	trying	to	identify	patterns	in	the	ideas	generated.	4. Now	consider	whether	the	original	problem	statement	is	still	the	right	problem.		5. This	should	lead	to	another	round	of	breathing	in	which	the	subgroups	take	a	converged	idea	and	generate	more	ideas	or	alternative	details.	Use	a	sequence	of	divergence	and	convergence	to	work	through	the	issues	of	any	problem.			6. Don’t	diverge	or	converge	too	far	–	but	make	sure	you	go	far	enough.	Somewhere	in	between	these	extremes	lies	the	Sweet	spot.	On	either	side	of	this	will	be	questions	such	as	‘why	didn’t	you	consider…’,	so	at	the	very	least,	you	will	be	exposing	yourself	to	these	sooner	rather	than	later.		Notes on ingredients For	a	good	primer	on	this,	see	Cougar	(1994),	the	Creative	Education	Foundation	(2013)	and	the	IDEO	toolkit	for	educators	(Riverdale	and	IDEO,	2011).	Remember	that	this	is	as	much	an	acclimatisation	activity	as	it	is	problem	solving	one	–	considering	a	topic	is	as	much	about	exploring	the	context	as	it	is	the	problem	itself.	Cook’s tips In	very	large	teams	breathing	can	be	difficult,	especially	if	the	team	is	very	diverse	and	not	familiar	with	another.	In	the	divergent	phase,	some	people	in	the	group	might	speak	up	while	others	remain	silent.	Experiment	with	the	sub-group	arrangement	to	get	a	balanced	team	that	allows	inclusive	team	contributions	to	emerge.	Warnings In	the	divergent	phase,	the	details	behind	some	ideas	might	get	lost	in	a	more	superficial	discussion	and	the	team	missed	out	on	an	informed	process	of	ordering	ideas.	

Just breathe

http://oro.open.ac.uk/42006/1/2_1_8_Lotz_just_breathe.pdf

Just breathe

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Open Research Online