All partners had to acknowledge that, despite the huge differences between the people and the organizations involved, they could nevertheless get behind one goal (i.e. creating an innovative, future-oriented healthcare industry). This was how the group found its common values and challenges.
Jan was convinced that starting a think tank without concrete, short-term results would not be viable. To attain a set of shared short-term goals (i.e. achievable in 12 months), Jan organized a mass brainstorm and follow-up clustering. For this purpose, he mixed and matched the larger group into internally diverse brainstorm groups of 5 to 6 people (varying in terms of industry, age, expertise, etc.). The output of the brainstorm was then clustered into keywords. These keywords were in turn passed on to a team of 8 to 10 creatives, who generated additional ideas and refined the phrasing.
The result was a change in goal orientation: from purely economic profit to social profit. In addition, this generated a shift towards a broader range of patients, rather than just the elderly. This finetuning and this change of direction following suggestions from partners show the flexibility Jan needed to define a shared challenge.