100-Metodos-de-Qualidade-Total

IDEA GENERATION 129
Method 54
Buzz groups
Purpose
A way of getting the immediate reaction of a group to a new idea or
problem.
When to use
Buzz groups are used to generate energy when a group is stagnating. They
are very useful for changing the focus from previous work and bringing
everyone back into the discussion.
How to use
Buzz groups work best for small numbers of people. A maximum size of
four is suggested.
Ask the group members to form several small groups and ask them a
simple question or allocate a simple task. The question could be 'What do
you want to do now?', 'Where shall we eat tonight?' or 'How shall we
recognize successful project teams?' The task could be 'allocate the
workshop into teams of two for the next session'. They are asked to report
back on their discussions.
Benefits
The benefit comes in changing tack and generating lively discussion. Buzz
groups are very noisy and bring people back into the workshop. They can
also be useful if, as workshop leader, you need to refocus the direction of
the workshop.
Example
A company implementing the TOM process used the buzz groups technique
at the beginning of each training session to record current problems
and get people in the right frame of mind for the training to come.
Reference
T. Bourner, V. Martin and P. Race (1993) Workshops thai Work. New York: McGraw-HilI.