Importance of Brainstorming in Organizational Performance: A Case Study of Walmart

Running head: HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
Human Resource Management
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Executive Summary
This paper has been elaborated on highlighting the importance of the concept of
brainstorming in the success of an organisation. The chosen organisation for this purpose is
Walmart, an UK based international retail company. It has assessed the importance of this
concept in regard to Walmart and what improvements it might bring within the company. On
the basis of diamond model, the strategy of Walmart along with its Human resource
management practise, resources, systems and processes, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats are all assessed. In order to analyse the external environment of the company
PESTLE framework has been used. Furthermore, an implementation plan for the
brainstorming session has also proposed in this paper for Walmart which is believed to
improve its organisational performance and employee loyalty.

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Table of Contents
Part A:........................................................................................................................................3
What is Brainstorming?..........................................................................................................3
How brainstorming should be managed?...............................................................................3
How this model is applied to Walmart supermarket for innovation and creativity...............4
How brainstorming can improve organizational performance?.............................................4
Why is brainstorming important to Walmart.........................................................................5
What variables in the “diamond” align with Brainstorming or should/need to align with
brainstorming?........................................................................................................................7
Part B........................................................................................................................................11
Change methodology and approach to use brainstorming concept in the culture and
operation of Walmart...........................................................................................................11
Steps of implementing the Brainstorming session:..............................................................12
Tools, initiatives methods, adjustment to organizational polices necessary to make for
reinforcing or engraining the concept of Brainstorming in Walmart...................................13
Why this Framework would help in cementing the outcome of the Organizational
Development Initiative in the organization..........................................................................14
Kotter’s 8 step change management model for Walmart.....................................................15
References:...............................................................................................................................17

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Part A:
What is Brainstorming?
The chosen concept is brainstorming. It is to note that brainstorming refers to the
group or set of creative techniques by means of which efforts that are for finding a conclusion
for a particular issues or problem by gathering range of ideas that are contributed by the
group members. As per Baruah and Paulus (2016), it is a process of “generating creative
ideas and solutions through intensive and freewheeling group discussion”. In this process,
each and every participants are encouraged for thinking aloud and suggest a wide range of
ideas, no matter how bizarre or outlandish they are. It is something that is always useful in
each and every field of industry. It helps in developing some creative and innovative
solutions for a specific problem and is especially useful when one need to break out of the
bad thinking patterns (Chan, Dang & Dow, 2016).
How brainstorming should be managed?
Brainstorming is effective when practiced with a group of 8 to 12 individuals,
all gathered in a relaxed environment. A good organisation of brainstorming is very important
to bring out the desired result. According to Alyoubi (2015), “Brainstorming is valuable as
long as it is focused on a goal.” However, it often gets bad reputation as these sessions often
generate some humdrum ideas and then is tended to be dominated by the high ranking
participants. However, the very first step in the management of the process of brainstorming
is to determine a problem question that the session need to address. Thereafter, compiling all
the additional information that the members of the brainstorming session need to know about
are important. They should be sent to them and must be presented during the session.
Moreover, a proper facilitator is necessary in order to keep a track of the session.
Brainstorming places a very notable burden on the facilitator during the management
of the entire process. A facilitator is highly responsible for a proper brainstorming session.
Right from ensuring people’s effective engagement and their sensitivities, to managing the
follow up actions of the brainstorming session, a facilitator has many things to do. Therefore,
he should be unbiased and has ample of experience with brainstorming (Lim et al., 2017).
Each and every idea should be listen and noted down. It is to note that many techniques
prevails to structure the brainstorming session. The simple yet effective is that of diverging
the components for the facilitator for handing out sticky notes and giving the participants of