Frame the challenge
A vague prompt produces vague ideas. Name the person affected, the result you want, and the constraint the team must respect. A question such as “How might we reduce the first-week confusion for a new supervisor?” gives the group something it can work on.
Write down the assumptions surrounding the question. Ask which ones reflect a true constraint and which ones come from habit.
Generate ideas alone first
Give each person time to write or sketch before anyone presents. Individual generation prevents one early idea from setting the direction and gives quieter participants equal room to contribute.
Ask for volume at this stage. Participants can capture partial ideas, questions, examples from another field, and combinations that need more work.
Use the group to develop ideas
Move into pairs or small groups. Each group can combine ideas, add detail, and look for a condition that would make an unusual option useful. Rotate a few ideas between groups so new people can extend them.
Dr. Robert Epstein’s work on generative creativity describes conditions that support this process: capture new ideas, broaden your inputs, shape the surroundings, and use challenge to create new responses.
Choose a test
Set criteria before the final discussion. The team might consider usefulness, effort, risk, and what it needs to learn. Then choose an idea that can move into a small test.
The test turns creative work into evidence. Give it an owner, a time frame, and a question to answer. Bring the result back to the team before expanding the idea.