World Café for (Market) Research (QAA 1,2,7)

Objective:

• The learner will be able to explore a problem as openly as possible to gather a wide range of solutions involving every learner in the room
• To evidence the power of group work as more ideas are created through cross-pollination of ideas
• Students learn more about the most effective ways to ask market research questions

Overview

The World Café (Brown & Isaacs, 1995) is not new, it is common practice for ideas generation, creating conversations and developing strategy. We have extended its use to include learning about asking research questions. We use it regularly to bring provocations, mainly topical/local/international societal challenge issues, and to generate solutions to these, and also to support teams of researchers and industry partners to plan key issues their research should be addressing. The process is most valuable in order to 'switch on' creative thinking, and often the ideas that arise bear no relationship to the original provocation, but its presence provides a necessary stimulus to get groups started.

Instead of a provocation, teams of learners/entrepreneurs or individuals bring with them a key market research question based on their new idea, which becomes the provocation for the world café. Halfway through the world café exercise, the facilitator invites the 'owners' of the research question to return to it and consider whether the formulation of the question is evoking the relevant response (there are often many lists of 'yes' or 'no' which has limited use in this context). Upon changing their question the task resumes and usually results in a more productive second half. You can re-visit the questions as often as appropriate, bearing in mind the need for a few groups to have visited each base to collect more meaningful data. Entrepreneurs could use this in a focus group environment, with their key partners, or customers as the participants.

Activity

What is World Café?

Created in 1995 to 'discuss an issue', Juanita Brown and David Isaacs invited participants to form small groups for discussion. Someone suggested moving from table to table to share ideas, this created energy and engagement and World Café was born! This innovative approach to large group dialogue allows participation in small evolving dialogue, whilst remaining part of a single, large connected conversation.

How does World Café Work?

Small café style tables are set out with flip chart paper and pens. Each table contains a provocation around an issue relating to life, work or communityyou wish to explore through discussion and ideas; these might be grand challenges, societal issues, objectives for teaching and learning etc. (If it fitsbetter to your needs, you could call it a 'Leadership Café', 'Knowledge Café', 'Strategy Café'...etc) Following the matrix shown below, participants move around tables in a process of divergent thinking ('if only', 'what if'), recording thoughts and key insights in words and pictures on each table; conversations with different groups of people link and build, resulting in cross-pollination of ideas. Eachtable should have a facilitator to update each arriving group on the development of the discussion. As the network of connections increases, knowledge sharing grows, at the final table participants move to convergent thinking ('how could this be made possible?', 'which of these can we achieve?') and innovation possibilities for action emerge.

How does Newcastle University apply the principles of World Café?

Adapted from: Brown, Issacs et al. (2005) 'The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter'. First Edition: Berret-Koehler Publishers

1) Set the Context

• Give the background to the process and explain the divergent and convergent nature of the thinking required
• Give some tips and techniques on creative thinking (SCAMPER, Edward de Bono, Gardener etc.)
• Establish the 'rules of engagement' (ideas should not be judged, criticised or evaluated at the divergent stage)

2) Create Hospitable Space

• Think about venue and location - create an informal and inviting environment
• Be open and welcoming
• Make sure the room is set-up ahead of the participants arrival

3) Explore Questions That Matter:

• To achieve constructive outcomes, provocations need to be in the format of focussed questions/ statements
• Select provocations that are meaningful and relevant to the audience to ensure purposeful, inclusive discussion (e.g. Newcastle University's Societal Challenge Themes (Ageing & Health, Sustainability, Social Renewal)

4) Encourage Everyone's Participation

• Having table hosts and facilitators is beneficial (Facilitators have a dual role, they facilitate engagement and at the same time facilitate the discussions to enable the group to connect ideas and consider new perspectives)

5) Cross-pollinate and Connect Diverse Perspectives

• Each participant moves around the room in a different sequence. The secret to World Cafe's success is in ensuring that all participants visit each table (at least once). Never the same table twice
• Divergent thinking usually happens in multiple rounds (normally x3 rounds) of 10-15 minutes
• Participants capture free flowing ideas as they emerge, recording the conversations on the flip chart paper provided Embedding Enterprise Toolkit Series World Café Creativity Exercise
• Convergent thinking requires participants to select one idea which they feel has the most potential – and work-up that idea...to the next stage of development! See Ketso™ from the Embedding Enterprise Toolkit Series

6) Listen Together for Insights, Patterns, and Deeper Questions

• Facilitators should support each group with this process

7) Harvest and Share Collective Discoveries

• Facilitators can collect and post emerging questions; at the end of the process participants then walk from question to question, adding their comments and insights on post-its

How does the sequence work for participants to move around tables?

a) Fewer than 16 Participants or fewer than 4 tables – move around ad hoc

b) 5 Tables, 16-20 Participants:

Skill Development:

stimulating discussion, peer-interaction, idea generation, market research, idea evaluation, innovation, adaptability

Resources:

• Flip chart or paper table cloths, pens, provocations/research questions
• Tables in cabaret style (prime number of tables)
• Algorithm for table movement (attached)

References:

Brown, Issacs et al. (2005) 'The World Café: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter'. First Edition: Berret-Koehler Publishers