Making Connections with Jim - Chapter 2: Structuring a Brainstorm, the Social Business Way

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Structuring a Brainstorm, the

Social Business Way

Chapter 2

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Nice to see you again!Last week, I told you about Betty, a

coworker new to social business. This

week, we’ll be chatting about Charlie.

As you may remember, Charlie overheard

Betty talking about the benefits of social

business. He wondered if social business

could help him, too.

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Charlie is part of our marketing team and

hosts a lot of team brainstorms.

But the brainstorms weren’t always fruitful.

His team wasn’t always in the same place

at the same time. They didn’t always have

the information or experts they needed. And

somehow the same old ideas kept finding

their way back into the mix.

He knew old ideas just weren’t going to cut it

anymore. The marketplace is competitive, and

he knew the team needed to innovate--fast--in

order to stay on top.

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So it’s no surprise that when Charlie overheard

Betty thanking me for helping her team, he

was eager to learn more.

“I need a faster, more efficient way to get

innovative ideas from my people,” Charlie

said, “But how?”

“Easy!” I replied.

I explained to Charlie that IBM Connections

can help get the job done. It allows teams to

collaboratively share ideas quickly and easily.

Access

IBM Connections

through your own

60-day trial of

IBM SmartCloud Engage

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With IBM Connections, brainstorms don’t

have to be in person to be effective. With

Connections Forums and ideation blogs,

you can host online jams, bringing people

together to share and discuss ideas all in one

place online. That way, your team can access

and participate in those discussions from

wherever they are, on any device—whether

it’s a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. You can

also turn a forum discussion or blog into an

online meeting.

“What’s more, IBM Connections can help you

discover and engage subject matter experts

with specific knowledge to better inform the

brainstorm,” I finished.

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“That sounds great!” Charlie excitedly

replied.

I then wrote a quick recap to share with his

team. You can share this with yours, too.

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The following week, I caught up with Charlie

over lunch to ask how the brainstorm went.

Charlie grew animated, “My boss is thrilled!”

He explained how much easier it was for his

team to collaborate and how quickly they had

begun to spark fresh new ideas —especially

since they were bringing in outside experts.

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As he spoke, Maria, the HR manager,

pulled a chair up alongside us.

“I’ve heard great things about the new

process, Charlie. Great job on getting

your team engaged! Mind if I join

one of your brainstorms? I’m curious

about how this all works.”

Charlie laughed. “Sure, Maria, but you

don’t have to be an expert to brainstorm

with IBM Connections, everything is built

right in.”

Maria and Charlie scheduled a time

for her to sit in on his next brainstorm,

but as Maria’s eyes lit up, I had a

feeling my job wasn’t done yet…

SocialBusiness

have a question?Tweet them to

@JimClaussen using #ConnectionsWithJim

discover how you can host more fruitful brainstorms, like charlie did.

Listen to the AskJim Podcast (Episode 2) and get the inside scoop on making

brainstorms more effective.