Thunderbird Professor Launches Teamput, a Cloud-Based Brainstorming and Ideation Application
It just got easier to transform teleconferences into truly engaging brainstorming sessions. Thunderbird School of Global Management Associate Professor Bill Youngdahl, and 14falcons technical co-founder Fletcher Fowler, launched Teamput.com, a cloud-based application that mirrors face-to-face sticky-note brainstorming and ideation.
“It’s hard to beat sticky notes for idea generation,” Youngdahl said. “They allow people to clarify their thoughts and ideas privately in their own minds before sharing with the group.” Unfortunately, remote teams have missed out on this effective approach, until now. Teamput lets individuals express their ideas using notes, checklists and images on a private canvas before moving them to a shared canvas that the team can see. “Teamput levels the playing field,” Youngdahl said. “No longer will idea generation be dominated by the boss speaking first or by forceful personalities.”
Youngdahl, who teaches in Thunderbird’s MBA, Executive MBA, and Executive Education programs, drew inspiration for Teamput from his consulting experiences. “I’d often facilitate sticky note ideation sessions to identify project risks or new business opportunities,” he said. “Clients could see the value in the approach and began asking me how they could include team members dialing in from China or other places around the globe. I had to either find a solution or create one.”
Youngdahl concluded that existing web applications did not adequately mirror the private and collaborative aspects of face-to-face brainstorming, so he partnered with Fowler, who had experience developing web and mobile apps. Fowler confirmed Youngdahl’s conclusion. “To give everyone a voice, there has to be an element of privacy, and no one else is supporting this capability. Without it, we are no different from group chatting,” Fowler said.
With collaborative teams being spread out more than ever, these entrepreneurs are shaping the future of how businesses will engage remote contributors in idea generation. Teamput truly feels like face-to-face sticky note brainstorming.
You can try Teamput at http://www.teamput.com.
Virginia Mungovan
Public Relations Specialist
Thunderbird School of Global Management
(602)978-7081
virginia.mungovan@thunderbird.edu
About Thunderbird School of Global Management
Thunderbird is the world’s No. 1-ranked school of international business, with nearly 70 years of experience in equipping global leaders with the business skills and global mindset necessary to create sustainable prosperity worldwide. For more about Thunderbird, visit http://www.thunderbird.edu.
About Bill Youngdahl, Ph.D.
An award-winning and highly sought-after executive educator, author, coach, and cofounder and chief executive and creative officer at 14falcons, Bill Youngdahl serves as associate professor of project and operations leadership at Thunderbird School of Global Management. To learn more, visit, http://www.thunderbird.edu/faculty/bill-youngdahl-phd.
About Fletcher Fowler
Cofounder and chief technology officer at 14falcons, Fletcher Fowler oversees the development of Teamput and other 14falcons products. To learn more, visit, http://14falcons.com/about-14falcons/
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