Episode #128: Idea Generation Best Practice

How can leaders tap into the full idea potential of their teams?

Many leaders in Japanese companies and multinational organisations in Tokyo know that their future depends on the quality of ideas their teams generate and the discipline to execute those ideas. Yet when it comes to innovation, most teams still rely on the same old method: get everyone in a room, grab a whiteboard, and start “brainstorming.”

The result?

• Dominant personalities control the conversation

• Introverts and younger members stay quiet

• Ideas stay at a superficial, “quick-thinking” level

• Hierarchy and criticism shut down real creativity

To unlock the true idea potential of your teams, you need a structured, psychologically safe process that separates idea generation from evaluation and gives both fast and deep thinkers room to contribute.

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In today’s Japanese and multinational business environment, leaders need a repeatable process—not random inspiration—to generate and harvest high-quality ideas.

Executives in 東京 often ask:

“We have smart people—why aren’t our brainstorming sessions producing breakthrough ideas?”

Typical group brainstorming has several built-in flaws:

• Hierarchy dominates. In many 日本企業 and 外資系企業 alike, people defer to title and seniority. The highest-ranking person ends up shaping most of the content on the whiteboard.

• Speed is overvalued. Fast ideas are rewarded, deeper reflection is quietly punished by the pace of the meeting.

• Criticism appears too early. Even subtle facial expressions or off-hand comments can shut down contribution.

• One thinking style wins. Extroverts who “think while talking” dominate; reflective thinkers have no time to go deeper.

These dynamics mean you rarely get the widest range of ideas, nor the deepest, most valuable insights — especially on complex topics like leadership transformation, sales innovation, presentation impact, or DEI initiatives.

Traditional brainstorming is not a thinking process; it is often a performance—and performance kills genuine creativity.

To avoid these pitfalls, leaders need a two-phase approach:

1. Green Light Thinking – Unrestricted idea generation

2. Red Light Thinking – Disciplined evaluation and prioritisation

During Green Light, the rule is simple:

No criticism. No evaluation. No hierarchy. Only ideas.

The purpose is volume and diversity of ideas. The team’s “idea bench strength” grows because everyone contributes in silence, at their own pace, without power plays.

Only after a wide field of ideas has been created do we move to Red Light, where the team evaluates, prioritises, and selects the highest-value ideas to present to decision-makers.

By clearly separating “create” and “critique,” leaders protect psychological safety while still ensuring rigorous business decisions.

1. How do we start ideation without pressure or hierarchy? – Stage One: Silent Individual Idea Capture

Each person sits in complete silence, thinking independently.

• When someone has an idea, they write one idea per Post-it

• They quietly walk up and stick their Post-its on the whiteboard

• No talking, no comments, no reactions

This removes:

• Pressure to “perform” in front of others

• Power dynamics between senior and junior members

• Early criticism or group-think

In Stage One, the goal is quantity, not quality—unlocking contributions from every member, not just the loudest voices.

2. How do we organise raw ideas into meaningful themes? – Stage Two: Silent Group Clustering

Now the team stands at the whiteboard and:

• Rearranges Post-its into columns of similar topics

• Asks only clarification questions if handwriting or meaning is unclear

• Assigns a topic name at the top of each column

Still no evaluation—just understanding and structure.

Stage Two transforms scattered ideas into a visual map of themes without killing creativity through early judgment.

3. How do we leverage multiple teams for cross-pollination? – Stage Three: Group Sharing Without Evaluation

Each team presents its columns and ideas to the others:

• They explain the themes

• Other teams may ask clarifying questions

• Still no evaluation or criticism

This creates cross-pollination: ideas from one team inspire insights in another.

Stage Three widens the creative field by exposing teams to diverse thinking while keeping judgment out of the conversation.

4. How do we give deeper thinkers time to shine? – Stage Four: Second Round of Silent Individual Ideation

Teams go back to their seats and again work individually in silence:

• Participants reflect on what they’ve seen and heard

• New ideas—often deeper and more strategic—are written on Post-its

• These are added to the existing columns on the whiteboard

At this point, some people will have no new ideas—and that is perfectly fine. Others, especially deep thinkers, will start to surface more profound insights.

Stage Four recognises that innovation is not a one-speed process and gives reflective thinkers a chance to contribute their best ideas.

5. How do we refine and extend existing themes? – Stage Five: Share, Sort, and Present Again

The team:

• Shares their newest ideas with each other

• Places them into existing columns or creates new columns

• Presents the updated structure to the other groups again

This phase continues to strengthen the idea architecture, capturing both breadth and depth of thinking.

Stage Five reinforces collaboration while steadily building a more robust, structured idea landscape.

6. How do we capture the deepest, rarest ideas? – Stage Six: Final Round of Independent Work

Another cycle of independent thinking is introduced:

• Most people will now have zero new ideas, which is expected

• A few individuals, however, will continue to produce fresh, often highly valuable ideas

• These final ideas are added to the board and integrated into columns

This is where the deepest, most original thinking often appears—particularly important for strategic topics like next-generation leadership, high-stakes sales strategies, or DEI transformation in Japanese and multinational contexts.

Stage Six ensures that the small number of truly breakthrough ideas have the space and time to emerge.

7. How do we complete idea generation without slipping into evaluation? – Stage Seven: Final Sharing to All Groups

Teams present their newest additions to the other groups, as before:

• Explain what has been added

• Clarify where they fit

• Still hold back all evaluation

At the end of Stage Seven, you have:

• A broad, deep portfolio of ideas

• Organised by themes

• Generated without hierarchy, fear, or premature criticism

Stage Seven closes the Green Light phase, leaving leaders with the richest possible field of innovation to evaluate later.

Once the idea field is fully populated, leaders switch to Red Light Thinking—structured evaluation and prioritisation.

Red Light Stage One – How do we rank ideas within each theme?

Teams evaluate the ideas in each column and place them in priority order.

• Debate and discussion are now encouraged

• Trade-offs are made

• The strongest ideas move to the top

Stage One converts raw creativity into a structured priority list aligned with business impact.

Red Light Stage Two – How do we test top ideas across teams?

Each group presents its top 10 ideas to the other teams.

• This allows challenge, refinement, and new perspectives

• Teams see how others interpret value and feasibility

Stage Two ensures that leading ideas are robust enough to stand up to scrutiny across multiple teams.

Red Light Stage Three – How do we refine priorities after external input?

After hearing from others, each team:

• Re-examines its own priority list

• Reorders ideas as needed

• Ensures alignment with strategic objectives

Stage Three adjusts for blind spots and incorporates insights from other groups before final selection.

Red Light Stage Four – How do we choose the final candidates for action?

Each group selects its top three ideas for:

• Group-wide discussion

• Comparison and consolidation

This conversation focuses on:

• Strategic fit

• Feasibility and resource requirements

• Potential ROI for the business

Stage Four narrows the field to a shortlist of high-impact, execution-ready ideas.

Red Light Stage Five – How do we secure commitment and resources?

The finalist ideas are presented to the decision-maker (or executive team):

• Clear rationale for each idea

• Expected business impact

• Required investment and timeline

The decision-maker then approves, funds, or adopts the selected ideas.

Stage Five connects structured ideation to real business decisions, turning ideas into concrete actions and outcomes.

Executives in both Japanese headquartered companies and multinational organisations in Tokyo can apply this Green Light / Red Light approach to:

• Leadership Training & Executive Coaching

  • Design new leadership development journeys tailored to hybrid work and global collaboration

  • Engage senior leaders and emerging talent in co-creating the future culture

• Sales Training & Client Strategy

  • Develop more sophisticated account strategies for complex B2B sales

  • Generate field-tested ideas on how to win and retain key Japanese and global clients

• Presentation Training & Communication

  • Create more compelling messaging frameworks for investor, town hall, and client presentations

  • Evolve how leaders communicate change, transformation, and new initiatives

• DEI Programs in Japan

  • Surface diverse perspectives safely in a culture where speaking up can feel risky

  • Build inclusive practices that respect both Japanese norms and global DEI expectations

Dale Carnegie has over 100 years of global expertise and more than 60 years in Tokyo, helping leaders in 日本企業 and 外資系企業 build cultures of trust, collaboration, and innovation. This structured idea-generation method aligns directly with our leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI training solutions in Japan.

When combined with high-quality leadership and communication training, this method becomes a powerful engine for continuous innovation and change.

• Structured idea generation beats unstructured brainstorming. Separate Green Light (creation) from Red Light (evaluation) to protect creativity while maintaining rigor.

• Silence and individual work unlock hidden talent. Many of your best ideas will come from people who rarely speak up in traditional meetings.

• Alternating individual and group work deepens thinking. Early stages favour quantity; later cycles surface the rare, high-value insights.

• Hierarchy-free ideation, leadership-level evaluation. Remove rank and criticism from creation—reintroduce them only when it’s time to prioritise and decide.

Founded in the U.S. in 1912, Dale Carnegie Training has supported individuals and companies worldwide for over a century in leadership, sales, presentation, executive coaching, and DEI. Our Tokyo office, established in 1963, has been empowering both Japanese and multinational corporate clients ever since.