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Introduction

Activities breakdown

Duration

Slide Presentation: Idea generation and strategic thinking

(35 minutes)

Activity 1: Green idea generation exercise

(60 minutes, including breaks)

Activity 2: Options analysis and idea selection

(30 minutes)

Activity 3: Verbal team idea presentation 

(30 minutes)

Feedforward: Formative feedforward to group, linking theory and concepts to a real-life scenario

(30 minutes)

Debriefing: Q&A session to identify gaps in learning and address them (Q&A, quiz, or case study) and what next.

(20 minutes)

Activity 4: Personal reflection and optional homework.

(60 minutes)

Assessment: Complete a training evaluation form

(5 minutes)

The overall duration of the session: 3 hours 30 minutes - (2 hours 30 minutes session + 1 hour homework)

Topic: Green idea and opportunity generation.

  • Trainer provides a brief overview of the sessions and the activities.
  • Trainer hands out necessary learning materials and makes clear where to find the learning resources and other OERs.

Note: This session relies heavily on the output from Session 1 as the input and starting point for this session. Learnings gained from the previous session must be used in this session.

Where possible, the trainer is encouraged to split the group into four teams for activity 2. That way, each team will work using one idea generation method and at the end of the session, these methods can then be critiqued and reflected on as a group in an open discussion.  

 

Background information: Thinking outside the box is one of the phases in the OUTSIDE framework, where participants are encouraged to look at the world around them in a nonconventional way, weighting up alternatives and welcoming divergent views in order to generate new ideas. Participants will be encouraged to question the norm and not focus purely on the obvious. To do so, the green idea and opportunity generation session calls for participants to become "critical thinkers'' and still be able to argue rationally, to present ideas in a logical format, and draw conclusions in an informed way. 

 

With the phrase "critical thinker", this session uses the definition provided by Angelo (1995), suggesting that it "involves the intentional application of rational, higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, problem-recognition and problem-solving, inference and evaluation." T.A. Angelo. (1995). “Classroom assessment for critical thinking.” Teaching of Psychology, 22(1), p.6)

 

Thus, in the brainstorming exercise participants are encouraged to; investigate an environmental issue, weigh up the evidence for and against it the issue; test the evidence through cross-examination, comparing and contrasting; consider alternative perspectives and question traditions; reach an informed opinion that is evidence-based before drawing conclusions.

 

The essence of the session is to get participants working in teams to engender "group-think", where team members commit to the same problem-solving goal and encourage each other's creative ability and talents. The outcome of the session should give participants options that can be further analysed in order to become the selected value-add proposition.

 

By value proposition, this module describes it as the bundle of products and services that create value for a specific customer segment, which is the reason why customers commit to the obligation. For the customer, the proposition offered adds value, solves a problem, or satisfies a need for that specific segment -- This value proposition definition is adapted from "Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers", Osterwalder, A, & Pigneur, Y 2010, John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, Chichester. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central.

 

Slide Presentation: Idea generation and strategic thinking (35 minutes):

  1. Explores the Green growth and circular economy and ideation.
  2. Encourages discussion, weighing outcomes from Session 1 against green economy.
  3. Reviews pros and cons of tools for thinking and idea generation techniques table.
  4. Trainer runs a quiz session to consolidate knowledge and address gaps at the end.