Brainstorming sessions have become a familiar part of corporate culture.
Usually they involve a lot of people sitting in a room calling out ideas, while a moderator scribbles the suggestions on a big pad of paper.
But now brainstorming has gone high-tech.
One New Hampshire consultant says the new approach could help communities make better decisions, faster.
He’s on a crusade to bring the technology here.
NHPR’s Trish Anderton reports.
IN THE TENNEY CONFERENCE ROOM AT THE COMMON MAN INN IN PLYMOUTH, SEVENTEEN HEADS BOW OVER SEVENTEEN LAPTOP COMPUTERS.
THE ROOM IS SILENT, BUT FOR THE GENTLE TAP OF FINGERS ON KEYBOARDS.
Tap amb
THESE ARE ELECTED LEADERS AND OTHER KEY PLAYERS FROM BERLIN AND GORHAM.
RECENTLY THE TWO COMMUNITIES HAVE TALKED ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER ON ISSUES LIKE SCHOOLS.
BUT THE POSSIBILITY OF THAT HAPPENING IS FRAUGHT WITH ANXIETY.
THESE PEOPLE HAVE MET TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO PROCEED.
AND THIS IS THE NEW WAVE BRAINSTORMING SESSION.
RIGHT NOW THEY’RE TAPPING OUT A LIST OF THE PLUSES AND MINUSES OF COOPERATION.
AS CONSULTANT DON JUTTON EXPLAINS, THEY’VE HIT ON QUITE A FEW.
We have come up with 92 benes and costs of doing this as well as 78 ideas about why its good living in n country. As we go along we’ll start prioritizing what shd be pursued and how 2 commties can work together.
ONE CLEAR ADVANTAGE TO USING THE LAPTOPS IS SPEED.
TWENTY SETS OF HANDS CAN RECORD IDEAS A LOT MORE QUICKLY THAN ONE PERSON WITH A FLIPCHART AND A FELT-TIP.
ANOTHER ADVANTAGE IS PRIVACY.
AS EACH PERSON TYPES AN ENTRY, IT POPS UP ON A BIG LIST ON EVERYBODY’S SCREEN.
BUT THERE AREN’T ANY NAMES ATTACHED.
JUTTON SAYS THAT ELIMINATES THE SO-CALLED TOWN MEETING FACTOR.
often, people don’t vote or don’t vote their conscience bc of the old adage, I’d like to vote against police dept but I’ve got two kids in school or I live next to police chief or whatever. Mostly those are unfounded fears but they block people’s ability to move ahead.
THE BIG LIST IS ALSO PROJECTED ON A SCREEN AT THE FRONT OF THE ROOM.
MODERATOR GEORGIA HACKNEY OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY WATCHES THE COMMENTS FLOW IN.
WHEN THE LIST GROWS TO OVER 200 ITEMS, HACKENY STEPS IN TO FOCUS THE DISCUSSION.
SHE BRINGS UP A KEY POINT THAT POPS UP OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN THE LIST:
EACH COMMUNITY FEARS LOSING ITS INDIVIDUALITY.
003 14 mod - why is there a fear of losing identity? What’s the ben of keeping identity separate?
INDEED, AT FIRST GLANCE BERLIN AND GORHAM SEEM MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT.
THEY’RE ONLY SIX MILES APART.
THEY SHARE THE AMMONOOSUC RIVER.
THEY SHARE ROUTE 16.
MOST IMPORTANT THEY SHARE A PAPER MILL COMPLEX.
BUT BERLIN GREW UP RIGHT AROUND ITS MILL.
MOST PEOPLE IN GORHAM LIVE FAR AWAY FROM THE PAPER PLANTS.
GORHAM TOWN MANAGER BILL JACKSON SAYS THAT PUT THE TWO COMMUNITIES ON DIFFERENT PATHS LONG AGO.
the workers who did the manual labor, lived close to the mill, they lived in berlin. The mgrs if you will could afford to look for something they thought was better. They went to outlying areas. // Gorham became sort of the bedroom town // So you have that mentality, of mgt versus worker.
JACKSON SAYS THAT LED TO A LINGERING DISTRUST.
TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MOVE FORWARD, MODERATOR HACKNEY HAS THE GROUP LIST OBSTACLES TO COLLABORATION.
THE ANSWERS RANGE FROM THE ECONOMIC TO THE EMOTIONAL.
DON JUTTON READS THROUGH THEM.
Political turf, money, NIMBY, jealousy, fear of redux in pay or workforce. Here’s another one: Its never really been tried but people seem to be sure it will fail.
HACKNEY USES THE SOFTWARE TO HELP ORGANIZE AND FOCUS THOSE CONCERNS.
AT ONE POINT, SHE HAS EVERYONE IN THE ROOM RANK SIX ITEMS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
THE COMPUTER CRUNCHES THE TWENTY DIFFERENT RANKINGS AND COMES UP WITH AN OVERALL RATING.
THAT GET EVERYONE TO A QUICK CONSENSUS.
HACKNEY ALSO USES RANKINGS AND INSTANT VOTES TO GET OUT OF JAMS.
LET’S SAY ONE PERSON IS OBSESSED WITH THE PRICE OF TEA IN CHINA, AND KEEPS TRYING TO START A DEBATE ABOUT IT.
42 105 once you begin to fall into that pattern you can disintegrate that. For instance I can pull up a yes or no vote and people get to take sides and you can’t argue with the result.
BY THE END OF THE SESSION, THE GROUP GENERATES SOME 70 SUGGESTIONS FOR MOVING AHEAD.
SOME ARE WHIMSICAL, LIKE HANDING OUT BUMPER STICKERS THAT SAY I’M FROM BERLIN-GORHAM.
OTHERS ARE MORE SWEEPING, SUCH AS DRAWING UP A MASTER PLAN FOR BOTH COMMUNITIES.
AS THE MEETING WRAPS UP, JUTTON THANKS EVERYONE FOR COMING AND PROMISES TO FOLLOW UP.
46 28 we’ll see you after new year with this stuff and we’ll pick up and start working
JUTTON IS THE FOUNDER OF MUNICIPAL RESOURCES INCORPORATED.
HIS COMPANY HELPS TOWNS GOVERN.
JUTTON ALSO SERVES AS TOWN MANAGER IN LITTLETON.
AND HE’S A BIG FAN OF THIS GROUP SYSTEMS SOFTWARE.
LITTLETON RECENLTY BECAME THE ONLY TOWN IN THE STATE TO MERGE ITS ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETING WITH ITS TOWN MEETING.
THE IDEA WAS TO PROMOTE A UNIFIED VISION.
JUTTON SAYS THE SOFTWARE HELPED PEOPLE GET PAST TRADITIONAL POLITICAL BARRIERS.
It really was a fundamental turning point for establishing the notion of no turf. In Littleton theres a credo that no turf is allowed. A lot of those thoughts came out of this process. (WHAT’S THIS MEAN?)
THE COMPANY THAT MAKES GROUP SYSTEMS CLAIMS IT CAN SPEED UP PROJECTS BY AS MUCH AS NINETY PERCENT.
JUTTON SAYS LITTLETON’S EXPERIENCE WAS PRETTY CLOSE TO THAT.
(DO WE KNOW WHAT LITTLETON HAS DONE WITH IT? DO WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF A PROBLEM SOLVED??)
AND THE SOFTWARE GETS HIGH MARKS FROM THE BERLIN GORHAM GROUP.
MITCH COUTURE OF THE BERLIN SCHOOL BOARD SAYS IT WAS MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE THAN A FLIPCHART.
46 114 I think the idea sharing is far superior bc you cd literally see what people are thinking, it just creates more ideas to look at.
THE MAIN COMPLAINT WAS THAT THERE WASN’T ENOUGH TIME TO DISCUSS EVERYONE’S IDEAS AT THE END.
THAT’S PARTLY BECAUSE THIS WAS A SHORT, DEMONSTRATION MEETING.
JUTTON ORGANIZED FOUR OF THESE MEETINGS TO GET PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE STATE INTERESTED IN THE SOFTWARE.
THE COMPLETE SETUP COSTS BETWEEN 60 AND 90 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
HE’S HOPING TO FORM A COALITION OR WRITE A GRANT TO BUY THE SYSTEM.
JUTTON WOULD LIKE TO CREATE A DECISION SUPPORT LABORATORY AT PLYMOUTH STATE COLLEGE, WHERE TOWN LEADERS FROM AROUND NEW HAMPSHIRE COULD GO FOR A DOSE OF HIGH-TECH BRAINSTORMING.
FOR NHPR NEWS I’M TRISH ANDERTON IN PLYMOUTH.
