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The Structure That Encourages Wild Thinking

Isabella Lewis July 29, 2025

The structure that encourages wild thinking often includes AI‑augmented ideation frameworks. These models spark out‑of‑the‑box ideas while guiding teams to radical breakthroughs.

structure that encourages wild thinking

How AI‑Augmented Group Ideation Is Shaping Creative Structures

What’s New: AI‑Enabled Brainwriting

Recent research introduces an AI‑augmented brainwriting framework where generative AI collaborates with small groups to drive ideation. Here, the AI supports both divergent idea generation and convergence analysis, boosting creative output while maintaining structure.

Why This Structure Encourages Wild Thinking

  • Divergence with AI prompts leads to more expansive, unpredictable ideas.
  • Convergence via AI evaluation tools helps filter for novelty and feasibility without quashing creativity.
  • Teams can explore wilder thoughts safely – AI aids structure without judgment.

This structure that encourages wild thinking blends human ingenuity with algorithmic stretching of boundaries, making ideation both bold and coherent.

Traditional Frameworks That Also Enable Wild Thinking

Structured yet exploratory techniques

6‑3‑5 Brainwriting

Six participants each write 3 ideas in five minutes, pass the page, and repeat six rounds—producing 108 ideas in total. This silent, structured technique avoids dominance and forces wild variety in tight timeframes.

SCAMPER Method

Use the mnemonic—Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify (magnify/minify), Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse—to provoke wild modifications of an existing concept or problem.

Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats encourages shifting thinking modes—facts, feelings, creative ideas, cautions—to bypass group bias. Lateral thinking techniques like random provocation also allow radical divergences within a structured framework.

Emerging Trends: The AI‑Enhanced Wild Thinking Structure

Trend 1: AI as Ideation Catalyst

LLMs are increasingly integrated into ideation sessions. A framework called GPS (Goals‑Prompts‑Strategies) guides humans interacting with AI to stimulate creative outcomes—structured prompts help push teams toward more imaginative ideas while retaining discipline.

Trend 2: Hybrid Divergence‑Convergence Loops

Research shows that blending human and AI prompts in cycles helps teams generate more and better ideas. The AI helps avoid common mental traps like fixation, and supports idea evaluation objectively.

Practical Guide: Build Your Own Structure That Encourages Wild Thinking

Step‑by‑Step Framework

  1. Define the goal
    Set a clear problem or opportunity space. Use “closed‑world” framing (only existing elements) to paradoxically provoke creativity—as in SIT methods.
  2. Divergent phase (wild thinking)
    • Use timer‑based writing (e.g. 6‑3‑5 brainwriting) to generate fast ideas.
    • Inject AI prompts using GPS or LLM brainstorming to further push divergence.
  3. Creative tools
    • Use SCAMPER to twist ideas in unexpected directions.
    • Add provocation/random entry techniques via lateral thinking prompts.
  4. Convergent evaluation
    • Use cluster grouping or AI scoring to highlight originality and feasibility.
    • Reflect using Six Thinking Hats (blue/black/white hats) to evaluate ideas from different angles.
  5. Prototype & iterate
    Rapidly test wild but promising ideas; feed insights back into another ideation loop.

Why This Works

This structure that encourages wild thinking mixes human spontaneity with tools and AI that shape and sustain creativity—without killing the spark. It balances freedom with focus by creating a framework that’s loose enough to let ideas breathe, yet structured enough to prevent them from dissipating into nothing.

The magic happens in the tension between chaos and order. When we give ourselves permission to think wildly, we tap into the brain’s natural associative patterns—those unexpected connections that lead to breakthrough insights. But raw creativity alone often leads to scattered thoughts that never materialize into anything meaningful. That’s where the strategic scaffolding comes in.

Tools and AI act as creative amplifiers rather than creative replacements. They help capture fleeting thoughts before they vanish, organize scattered insights into coherent patterns, and provide the analytical backbone that transforms inspiration into implementation. The key is timing: the wildness comes first, establishing the creative direction and energy, while the structure follows to give that energy sustainable form.

This approach also acknowledges how human creativity actually works in practice. We don’t create in straight lines or follow rigid processes. We leap, we backtrack, we suddenly see connections that weren’t there before. The framework accommodates this natural rhythm while ensuring that nothing valuable gets lost in the process. It’s less about controlling creativity and more about creating the conditions where it can flourish and endure.

Case Study Snapshot: Corporate Innovation Labs

Several tech-forward organizations now create internal scenario‑planning cells—think tanks that use structured AI ideation methods. These teams:

  • Pose radical “what if” scenarios (e.g. biotech meets gaming)
  • Use AI‑augmented brainstorming tools to expand the idea space
  • Combine SCAMPER, brainwriting, and AI scoring
  • Produce ideas that become internal prototypes or spin‑outs

This structured environment encourages wild conceptual leaps while yielding actionable innovations.

Benefits of This Innovation Structure

Amplified idea volume and variety

You get far more ideas than conventional sessions, and many are genuinely unconventional.

Better inclusion of diverse perspectives

Structured rounds (like brainwriting) reduce dominance—and AI tracks and integrates every input.

Faster iteration cycles

AI helps classify and tag ideas, accelerating convergence and real‑world prototyping.

Resilience to bias and groupthink

Provocation tools and AI guidance break habitual patterns and cultural biases.

Tips for Facilitators

  • Train participants on basic lateral thinking and AI prompt use before sessions.
  • Experiment with hybrid formats: human-only sessions, AI-augmentation, or full GPS frameworks.
  • Rotate roles: have different team members lead divergent vs convergent phases.
  • Debrief after sessions: what wild idea surprised you the most, and why?

Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them

  • Premature judgment kills wild ideas. Emphasize defer‑judgment during divergent phases.
  • Too much reliance on AI. Use AI to assist—not replace—human insight.
  • Over-structure smothers spontaneity. Use structure to support, not rigidly constrain, wild thinking.

Conclusion

The structure that encourages wild thinking is evolving rapidly. From 6‑3‑5 brainwriting to SCAMPER to Six Thinking Hats, we’ve long had tools to spark radical ideation. Now, with AI‑augmented structures like GPS and LLM‑enhanced brainstorms, organizations can sustain bold creativity at scale.

By combining traditional creativity tools with AI frameworks, teams get the best of both worlds: the freedom to explore wild ideas, and the rigor to develop them into breakthroughs. As more companies adopt these structures, they unlock not just more ideas—but truly transformative innovations.

References

Atchley, R. A., Strayer, D. L., & Atchley, P. (2012). Creativity in the Wild: Improving Creative Reasoning through Immersion in Natural Settings. PLoS ONE, 7(12): e51474. https://doi.org

“Exploring the Nature–Creativity Connection Across Different Settings” (2024). Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org

Xia, L. et al. (2025). “Environments That Boost Creativity: AI‑Generated Living Geometry.” Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute – Design Sciences, 9(5), Article 38. https://doi.org