Anaqua

SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

At Anaqua, client-led innovation and product strategy have been part of our DNA since our founding. Client groups involved in Anaqua’s product development approach include: an Executive Council which defines Anaqua’s 3- to 5-year product strategy, a Steering Group which outlines the roadmap for the next 12 months and Working Groups which comprise of clients who focus on specific IP product topics to develop requirements, validate solutions, and define best practices.

Roadmap 40

Roadmap Product Strategy Groups Software 40

BrainZooming

JANUARY 17, 2018

We’ve written about the importance of signaling collaboration strategy preferences when you and team members are working remotely. Talking with someone who is struggling with identifying the best ways to signal the appropriate collaboration strategy approash, we hit on a variation on the Sergio Zyman decision levels. A 5-Level Collaboration Strategy Approach. C – The leader and team will collaborate from scratch to figure it out.

Collaboration 76

Collaboration Strategy Strategy Video 76

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 28, 2015

The week included: Large scale community collaboration workshops – Nearly eighty students from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale gathered Monday night and a comparable number of Carbondale, IL residents assembled on Tuesday for community collaboration workshops to imagine the community’s future with Gigabit Internet capabilities. Switching among so many ways we facilitate community collaboration and learning for organizations keeps us at the top of our game.

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Collaboration Groups Engagement Exercises 105

Anaqua

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

Anaqua is taking us into the next generation of IP management with new levels of collaboration and productivity.” – Heidi Martinez, Chief IP Counsel and Associate General Counsel, Xerox Corporation. They defined a new class of enterprise software and set the stage for a company culture that empowers its clients with direct influence on product development. Simply put, if it is not in our clients’ best interest, then it is not in our product roadmap.

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Collaboration Roadmap Industry Software 75

BrainZooming

AUGUST 30, 2016

I mentioned upcoming business collaboration opportunities for Brainzooming yesterday , including co-presentations, creating content, and developing new workshop and training offerings. What to look for in a business collaboration? Shame on me, but I’ve never put the criteria I look for from a business collaboration into the type of strategic decision making tool we develop for clients. There is a mutual commitment to learning from the business collaboration.

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Collaboration Creative Thinking Engagement Training 92

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 1, 2015

In nearly every Brainzooming community collaboration workshop, we conclude with a Plus-Minus-Interesting-Recommendation-Question exercise (a PMIRQ for short). Based on the large number of responses to the individual PMIRQ handout sheets at the Southern Illinois University and Carbondale, IL community visioning session workshops, we wanted to share what people found “interesting” about participating in a community collaboration workshop. Small unknown group collaboration”.

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Collaboration Exercises Brainstorming Groups 109

BrainZooming

AUGUST 11, 2016

What leadership skills are necessary to successfully champion a collaborative strategy ? A client fully immersed in developing and implementing a collaborative strategy asked that question. Since we’re involved at the heart of driving the process to develop a collaborative strategy, we navigate our way through the development process based on an organization’s specific culture enablers and quirks. 4 Vital Characteristics of Collaborative Strategy Leaders.

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Collaboration Strategy Strategy Exercises 65

BrainZooming

AUGUST 1, 2016

If you’ve been a Brainzooming reader for any length of time, you know we’re huge proponents of collaborative strategic planning. Collaborative planning implies a process that goes beyond the board room to include individuals throughout the organization in meaningful ways to provide insights and input to shape organizational strategy. Admittedly, collaborative planning processes aren’t all that common. 5 Things Collaborative Strategic Planning Isn’t.

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Collaboration eBook Exercises Tips 63

BrainZooming

MAY 9, 2017

Learning what participants in an upcoming big meeting know, think, and believe before they come together in a large group is one tactic to strengthen team collaboration. 14 Team Collaboration Benefits from Pre-Meeting Outreach. Depending on the nature of the pre-meeting outreach you conduct with participants, it can promote team collaboration and help: Get to know participants better and figure out how to best work with them. In the new Brainzooming strategy eBook 321 GO! ,

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Collaboration Meeting eBook Groups 77

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 26, 2016

When discussing a strategic planning or innovation strategy engagement with a client, we use the graphic below to design our recommended approach. We’re increasingly incorporating online collaboration workshops ( which we call Zoomferences ) to do more of the work typically done through in-person visioning workshops. Sometimes they proceed an in-person strategy planning meeting, but not always. 3 Ways Online Collaboration Works to Deliver Big Benefits.

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Collaboration Groups Exercises Creative Thinking 75

BrainZooming

JUNE 26, 2018

Talking with one city’s representatives about strategies to sell-in a broadband recommendation with voters, they asked whether it is okay to engage its citizens after city leadership develops a recommendation. Engage your audience in collaborative strategic planning earlier than later. If you engage your audience early in the collaborative strategic planning process, you can make a legitimate claim to creating a collaborative vision.

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Collaboration Engagement Strategy Strategy 59

BrainZooming

APRIL 5, 2017

Talking to executives, you hear the expectation that an organization should implement a solid strategic plan strategy-by-strategy. 7 Collaborative Strategic Planning Process Impacts (Even if the Plan Sits on the Shelf). When you develop a plan from a collaborative, conversationally-driven strategy planning process , you see other tangible impacts. Looking at this list, you can see why we place such an emphasis on using a collaborative strategic planning process.

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Collaboration Exercises Strategic Management Engagement 73

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

One reveals an important lesson as you develop employee engagement strategies. 3 Vital Employee Engagement Strategies for Winning Ideas. The obvious lesson relative to employee engagement strategies is simple: Listen to, consider, and act on smart ideas from team members.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy Video 121

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 11, 2016

Yesterday’s post on using a new type of SWOT analysis to stimulate bolder strategic conversations in strategy meetings garnered quite a bit of attention. This helps a group inside of a strategy meeting work harder and more effectively to generate ideas. What are WEAKNESSES relative to: Delivering the product attributes and performance most important to customer s? Need to get your strategy developed quickly? Faster Strategy through Collaboration.

Analysis 102

Analysis Strategic Thinking Exercises Agile 102

BrainZooming

JANUARY 25, 2016

The thing is, there’s a different way to structure business meetings to help a group come together and collaborate in an innovative, productive way. We create these types of radically different (and beneficial) business meetings for clients , in large part, by bringing together the right people in the right settings with the right structure to allow them to be productive and successful participants. Actively engage more employees in strategy AND implementation success.

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Meeting Tips Engagement Creativity 73

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 10, 2016

Going into a strategy meeting today that is sure to be a snoozer ? Even if you are going into the meeting with the same old people , the same old topics, and the same old expectations to just get a strategy done and put into a notebook on a shelf so you can go back to doing what you’ve always been doing, there is hope! Go into your next strategy meeting with a different spin on this important, yet tired old strategic thinking exercise.

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Strategic Thinking Exercises Meeting Groups 101

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders are looking for powerful ways to engage strong collaborators to shape shared visions. They need strategic thinkers who can develop strategy and turn it into results. This new Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons for leaders to increase strategic collaboration, engagement, and create improved results.

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Leadership Meeting Brainstorming Creative Thinking 107

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

To make it a little easier to track down ideas for how you can approach developing strategy this year, here are nineteen Brainzooming articles filled with 113 techniques and ideas for improving your organization’s strategic planning process. 4 Ways to Make a Strategic Planning Process Productive. 10 Signs of a Strategy Planning Meeting Nightmare. 11 Boring Details for Making Strategy Planning Fun. 9 Strategic Thinking Questions – Helping Teams Execute Strategy.

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Exercises Guidelines Analysis Strategic Management 97

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Relative to the personal side of strategic planning facilitation, here are ten characteristics to look for in the person facilitating group collaboration-oriented strategic planning for your organization: Strong listening skills – to entire interactions and to bits and pieces of interactions, to what is being said and what isn’t being said. 10 Keys to Involving Employees In Your Strategy. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

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Groups Product Strategy Creativity Company 96

BrainZooming

JANUARY 22, 2016

And by done well, we mean that the vision statement: Is developed broadly and collaboratively. Collaborating on a Vision Statement. Strategic Planning – All the Strategy Roles You Need. Strategic Visioning Exercises – Group Collaboration the Right Way. Creating Change and Change Management – 4 Strategy Options. 5 Questions for Creating a Collaborative Vision. Actively engage more employees in strategy AND implementation success.

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Exercises Engagement Creativity Groups 84

BrainZooming

OCTOBER 5, 2015

People who collaborated for the first time. An idea aligning with the company strategy. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders are looking for powerful ways to engage strong collaborators to shape shared visions. They need strategic thinkers who can develop strategy and turn it into results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use. Actively engage stakeholders in strategy AND implementation success.

Creativity 111

Creativity Engagement Strategy Strategy 111

BrainZooming

JANUARY 24, 2017

This Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons leaders can use to boost collaboration, meaningful strategic conversations, and results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use. Actively engage stakeholders in strategy AND implementation success. Brainzooming - All Posts Collaboration Communication Implementation Performance Strategic Thinking Tools leaders

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Conference Strategy Strategy Engagement 58

BrainZooming

JUNE 29, 2017

Someone downloaded a free Brainzooming strategy eBook, noting his biggest strategy challenge is “how to do a strategic planning process when you are new.” While leading strategy development in a new company poses challenges (including needing to learn a tremendous amount as you go), it has a comparable number of advantages (Including not laboring under preconceived ideas about how the organization does things). Four Must-Know Ways to Read a Strategy Document.

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Resources Comparison eBook Brainstorming 86

BrainZooming

JANUARY 29, 2016

We are working with a client to develop a content marketing strategy for multiple business units in the organization. With that information, we will be in a strong position to identify a content marketing strategy specific to each business unit’s needs. Brainzooming - All Posts Collaboration Strategic Planning Strategic Thinking Strategy Tools strategic initiatives strategic objectives

Exercises 99

Exercises Project Report Product Strategy 99

BrainZooming

JULY 25, 2016

The thing is, unsuccessful employee engagement strategies are not an employee problem. It is a LEADERSHIP problem when purported employee engagement strategies are not working. We see great leaders among our clients successfully taking steps that meaningfully involve employees in shaping strategy and implementation. If you want to go deeper on a viable strategy to improve employee engagement, download our Results eBook.

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Engagement Strategy Strategy eBook 67

BrainZooming

MAY 17, 2016

While there’s more to come in the months ahead, here are highlights of a couple of innovation strategy presentations this week to very different groups. Innovation Strategy in Your Organization – An Innovative Workplace Culture. Innovation Strategy across a Community – Forward to the Future. On Monday, I discussed the community collaboration process we facilitated for Carbondale, IL in September 2015.

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Strategy Strategy Engagement Agile 70

BrainZooming

MARCH 2, 2016

Many organizations are in the early stages of executing new strategies for this year. That is when you discover whether you have a solid, implementable plan or something that (maybe) looks good on paper, but doesn’t work well when you try to execute the strategy. 9 Strategic Thinking Questions for Helping Teams Execute Strategy. Do you personally believe in the strategy? Were serious, strategic people involved in creating the strategy?

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Strategic Thinking Strategy Strategy Strategic Management 72

BrainZooming

MARCH 21, 2016

I’ll be presenting a Brainzooming workshop on internal branding strategy at the Brand Strategy Conference in New York, April 6-8. The workshop, while drawing on material from my Fortune 500 work, springs from multiple conversations at the 2015 Brand Strategy Conference. The discussions focused on when employees should be brought into branding strategy decisions. Download Your Free Internal Branding Strategy eBook!

Engagement 60

Engagement Conference Strategy Strategy 60

BrainZooming

JANUARY 15, 2016

Creating Strategic Impact” Senior executives are looking for employees who are strong collaborators and communicators while being creative and flexible. In short they need strategic thinkers who can develop strategy and turn it into results. This new Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons for senior executives to increase strategic collaboration, employee engagement, and grow revenues for their organizations.

Creative Thinking 65

Creative Thinking Creativity Brainstorming Strategic Thinking 65

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 12, 2016

You can provide people with strategic thinking exercises, creative thinking tools, strategy questions, and ways to collaborate with one another, using structure to help imagine better strategies. This means there is no opportunity for productive collaboration to devise the plan. Productive Structure for Strategic Planning Exercises. After this strategic collaboration, a full-time strategic planner (i.e.,

Exercises 66

Exercises Groups Strategic Management Creative Thinking 66

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders need high-impact ways to develop employees that can provide input into strategy and then turn it into results. This Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons leaders can use to boost collaboration, meaningful strategic conversations, and results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

Strategic Thinking 81

Strategic Thinking Tips Engagement Product Strategy 81

BrainZooming

NOVEMBER 2, 2015

That does not mean everyone determines and forms strategy. Instead of simply knowing something is working or not, strategic frontline employees can provide valuable feedback on early warning signs when strategy that appears fantastic in the boardroom is not working in the field. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders are looking for powerful ways to engage strong collaborators to shape shared visions. Actively engage stakeholders in strategy AND implementation success.

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Training Leadership Exercises Engagement 100

BrainZooming

MARCH 9, 2016

The challenge in a client meeting was developing the strategy for a later meeting intended to build support for a biennial community event. The team leader asked, “How is it possible to listen to us talk and turn it into a strategy so quickly?”. 9 Creative Thinking Skills to Turn Talk into Strategy. Listen for smart things people say , even if they are snippets, and incorporate those right away into the strategy.

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Creative Thinking Creativity Strategy Strategy 92

BrainZooming

APRIL 20, 2016

This Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons leaders can use to boost collaboration, meaningful strategic conversations, and results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use. Actively engage stakeholders in strategy AND implementation success. We were working with a team responsible for a highly focused internal process that includes a customer-facing aspect.

Strategic Thinking 73

Strategic Thinking Engagement Groups Creative Thinking 73

BrainZooming

AUGUST 4, 2016

If you need help to speed up the process, actively involve more employees, or make planning more productive than it has been in the past, contact us. 10 Keys to Involving Employees In Your Strategy. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders need high-impact ways to develop employees that can provide input into strategy that turns into results. Increase focus for your team with productive strategy questions everyone can use.

Engagement 66

Engagement Product Strategy Meeting Industry 66

BrainZooming

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

Prioritize the time you invest in creating specific product/service marketing plans based on each one’s expected contribution to revenue and profit growth. Look at how many strategies and tactics you actually implemented this year, and use that as the threshold for how deeply detailed your plan for next year should be. If you have a bunch of unimplemented strategies and tactics for this year that are still sound, simply use those for next year’s plan.

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Strategic Management Groups Product Strategy Analysis 63

BrainZooming

APRIL 5, 2016

Since all the companies competed with one another, each one needed to determine its own business strategies. And if it’s bad, use other strategic thinking exercises to gently bring the ideas back to something smarter and more productive. – Mike Brown. This Brainzooming mini-book, “Results – Creating Strategic Impact” unveils ten proven lessons leaders can use to boost collaboration, meaningful strategic conversations, and results.

Strategic Thinking 70

Strategic Thinking Exercises Brainstorming Creative Thinking 70

BrainZooming

JUNE 28, 2016

Most executives can’t write a strategy plan, so don’t make them. Since strategy planning is an infrequent activity, it is difficult for executives to master it. We learned that if we asked executives a series of questions leading to the information needed to complete a strategy plan, they became productive strategy planners. Strategy Implication: Remove the tedious aspects of strategy planning, replacing them with efficient alternative approaches.

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Exercises eBook Resources Creative Thinking 65

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 23, 2016

And the asterisk on fun acknowledges we’re stretching the definition of fun to cover things nerdy strategic planners think are fun such as “mental stimulation,” “highly collaborative groups,” and “people that want to be involved in strategic planning the next time it happens.”. Creating Strategic Impact” Leaders need high-impact ways to develop employees that can provide input into strategy and then turn it into results.

Exercises 60

Exercises Groups Engagement Creative Thinking 60

BrainZooming

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

4 Ways to Make a Strategic Planning Process Productive. What can you do to make strategic planning more productive before, during, and after? Instead of requiring people complete complex strategic planning templates unrelated to daily business, we use productive interactions to change the strategic planning process from completing complex forms into conversations, events, and experiences people engage in and learn from as they participate.

Exercises 66

Exercises Engagement Strategy Strategy 66

BrainZooming

JULY 12, 2016

Reviewing the innovation strategy challenges business executives identified when downloading Brainzooming eBooks , they frequently mention gaining “buy-in” for significant change initiatives. There are so many ways to botch involving employees (and community members, if that’s your audience) in developing and successfully implementing an innovation strategy. Here are five keys we’ve found for successfully engaging employees in innovation strategy.

eBook 66

eBook Engagement Exercises Strategy 66

BrainZooming

DECEMBER 9, 2015

We facilitated a two-day innovation strategy workshop for an industrial company. The company wants to make significant changes to a major production process. During the innovation strategy discussions, we addressed the production process changes from five different perspectives. In each of the five mini-innovation strategy workshops, we had a group of core team members, plus people familiar with each perspective.

Strategic Thinking 73

Strategic Thinking Exercises Groups Brainstorming 73

BrainZooming

MARCH 16, 2016

Whenever possible, we try to help clients select a mix of people to participate in group strategy exercises. We are also proponents for reaching beyond familiar people that are always involved strategic planning meetings and drive the outcomes of group strategy exercises. 9 Ideas on How to Involve a Team in Group Strategy Exercises. Turn strategy into a game and let the team assign roles to specific team members.

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Exercises Groups Strategy Strategy 61