When very large groups have to brainstorm in smaller subgroups, meeting organizers have a choice between two options: (1) Let every subgroup start from scratch, or (2) Let every next subgroup build on the results from the previous subgroup. We refer to these options as the Decathlon and Relay modes of brainstorming respectively. During a case study we investigated which brainstorming mode would be more productive and result in higher levels of participant satisfaction. Consistent with the hypotheses, Relay groups appeared to be more productive than Decathlon groups, in particular in terms of elaborations to previous contributions. Relay groups were also found to be more satisfied. This study also introduced the elaboration coefficient, an indicator to quantify the amount of task relevant discussion in brainstorming groups. The results of this study hint at a number of meeting design guidelines for very large brainstorming groups. ... Read more

The field of business engineering is described as the development and the use of methods and tools for quantitative an qualitative analysis of current business processes, and for design and implementation of new ways of working. New insight into interesting business engineering frameworks is provided. Both the theoretical background and case evidence that the methods work in real life cases are presented. ... Read more

The use of animation as a communication instrument has many advantages in the process of organization (re)design. An analytical definition of animation is used as a basis for describing the development and the use of animation models. The tasks of developing an animation model are linked to a problem solving process which constitutes the core of a simulation based approach for redesigning organizational processes. The use of an animation model is linked to the different types of communication encountered during a simulation study. As will be shown in two real-life case studies, animation models can help to facilitate and enhance the quality of communication processes during organization (re)design efforts. ... Read more