Employees’ ideas – the 6-3-5 method

Employees’ ideas are priceless!!! They help to solve problems in an effective way, motivate to act, implemented are a guarantee of their maintenance.

Table of Contents

  1. The 6-3-5 Method = Structured Brainstorming
  2. What you need?
  3. Instructions for the 6-3-5 Method
  4. Advantages of the 6-3-5 Method
  5. Disadvantages of the 6-3-5 Method
  6. More creativity techniques

1. The 6-3-5 Method = Structured Brainstorming

Where classic brainstorming does not produce the desired results, the lean 6-3-5 method is an alternative. Unlike brainstorming, ideas are not spoken in a group and out loud. Instead, each participant writes down his or her ideas on a piece of paper by themselves. The 6-3-5 method is: 6 participants, each should develop 3 proposals to solve the problem and during the round, which lasts 5 minutes.

2. What you need?

  • 1 facilitator
  • 6 participants
  • 6 sheets with a table consisting of three columns, each with six lines
  • 6 pens
  • 1 stopwatch

3. Instructions for the 6-3-5 Method

  • The facilitator presents the problem and distributes the sheets with the table.
  • Each participant writes down 3 ideas for solving the problem – in the upper boxes of their sheet.
  • After 5 minutes, the facilitator ends the first round. Each participant passes his sheet clockwise to his neighbor.
  • Participants now take over their predecessor’s ideas, write new relationships or expand existing ones by writing them in the line below. After another 5 minutes, the sheets are passed again.
  • When the sheets have returned to the first person the collection of ideas is over.

The collected ideas are then sorted and summarized. Their evaluation can be done with the whole group or in a smaller team.

4. Advantages of the 6-3-5 Method

  • Many ideas in a short time: up to 108 ideas can be collected in just 30 minutes.
  • No room for hasty judgments and criticism: there is no room in the table for phrases such as “We’ve tried many times, it won’t work, we’ve done it before.” Instead, participants must respond constructively to the ideas of the predecessor
  • Giving voice to introverts. Those who don’t like to be the center of attention in large rounds are likely to write down their ideas faster than express them out loud.
  • Hierarchies are irrelevant: even lower-ranking participants are not intimidated and can express themselves in a protected environment.
  • Heads and thoughts are “free” from judgment: participants are forced to think for themselves. They are not influenced by the group.

5. Disadvantages of the 6-3-5 Method

  • Lack of space for questions: not everyone manages to put their ideas on paper in a concise and understandable way within five minutes. If something is unclear, the next participant has no opportunity to ask further questions.
  • Rigid structure: can inspire some, but can also slow down the creativity of other participants.

6. More creativity techniques

Other strategies for developing and evaluating new ideas in a team are:

  • Walt Disney method,
  • mind map