Think Tanks

 Think tanks are organizations with the goal of performing and publishing research on specific topics or ideas. Think tanks are comprised of interdisciplinary professionals and academics who strive to influence regional or global policies which cover a variety of topics such as politics, sociology, security, economics, and technology. While think tanks tend to have a political affiliation (such as left, right, liberal, etc.), the goal is to encourage discussion and inform the public of the facts associated with particular topics (University of Oxford, 2022). While most think tanks operate with similar goals, their methodologies can vary. Think tank methodologies can include:

Backward Planning – An outcome is determined first, and then the process and methodology are developed with the goal of reaching the predetermined outcome. This method allows for procedures and ethical concerns to be determined before reaching the target goal (University of Colorado Boulder, n.d.). I believe this method addresses common questions of “how” or “what”. For example, a broad question like “how can we reduce the rate of deforestation” includes the end goal, reducing deforestation, and the steps towards that goal are what needs to be developed.

Rapid prototyping – an idea is quickly produced over a short period of time. The idea is later refined over a longer period of time. The goal of rapid prototyping is to quickly “bring to life” an idea with the details being determined at a later time (Engineering Product Design, 2018). A few years ago I participated in an event known as a “game jam,” which operates on a similar concept. During a game jam, teams or individuals are given a short period of time to produce a video game, typically 24 to 72 hours. The games produced are usually rough ideas and lack the polish of a fully developed video game, but it's an interesting event that produces some great ideas that may eventually become full products.

Combine ideas – during the beginning of a session, participants will present their individual ideas or solutions. The “combine ideas” method will take these individual ideas and compare and combine them in a logical manner. This approach acknowledges that there can be multiple solutions to an issue. While a solution may seem straightforward to the creator, a different solution may seem more logical to a different person. To create an effective solution, multiple ideas may need to be combined to create a cohesive solution (Adeghe, 2016).

Again, while think tanks utilize different methodologies, they operate with similar goals. The participants of think tanks are attempting to address deep, impactful dilemmas in order to better the world (O., 2019).

References

Adeghe, J. (2016, February 1). Think Tank Methods. Innovating Solutions. http://insight-to-the-future.blogspot.com/2016/02/think-tank-methods.html

Engineering Product Design. (2018). What is Rapid prototyping? https://engineeringproductdesign.com/knowledge-base/rapid-prototyping-techniques/

O., A. (2019, July 6). Think Tank Methods. Think and Knowledge Tank. https://thinkandknowledgetank.home.blog/2019/07/06/think-tank-methods-3/

University of Colorado Boulder. (n.d.). Backward Design. Office of Undergraduate Education. https://www.colorado.edu/office-undergraduate-education/backward-design#:~:text=Backward%20design%20is%20the%20process,a%20focus%20on%20student%20learning.

University of Oxford. (2022). Think Tanks. Oxford University Careers Service. https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/think-tanks#collapse1529736