Is brainstorming overrated?
In my mind I already see how people react to this question. There are some smiles, some disbelief and even a frustrated sigh or two.
I am one of the frustrated ones when this question comes up. Brainstorming has caught a lot of undeserved flak over the years for being outdated, ineffective or even unproductive.
So here is my view:
Brainstorming is a tool.
We use tools to make work easier, and like any tool, its effectiveness depends on the person using it. Tools are designed with a specific purpose in mind, which is true for brainstorming.
For brainstorming to be effective, the right audience needs to be present. When you start planning for an ideation session, using brainstorming, ensure that every person you invite understands the problem/innovation you want to work with, what the scope of the session will entail and the desired outcome of the session. Ensure that every person present has a perspective that can contribute to that outcome. Having the wrong people in the room will create noise and delay, or even sabotage, your ideation process.
Ensure you have an experienced facilitator who stands objectively apart from the process. A manager, senior leader, or influential person guiding the process often turns it into a political game with people aligning themselves with perceived power and influence rather than open and honest creativity.
Plan well for the brainstorming session. Have a clear plan and process for the session. Not only must the facilitator be prepared, but the audience too. The best brainstorming sessions I have been a part of was when packs of information were shared in advance, clearly explaining the purpose of the session, the scope of work and the desired outcome. Such packs should also explain the current state of the problem/innovation, why it is a problem/innovation, and why it is important to address now. It is helpful to include research that deals with the problem/innovation and its potential consequences.
Be very clear about how you plan to use the session’s outcomes going forward. Too many times, I have seen audiences showing up for brainstorming sessions, and long discussions ensue trying to determine the issue or determine whether it is an issue or not. An unprepared audience often cannot develop usable ideas simply because they have no time and space for their research and reflection before the session.
Define clear rules for the session. Alex Osborn defined the rules for brainstorming in his book, Applied Imagination, in 1938. He suggested: no criticism of ideas, going for large quantities of ideas, building on each other’s ideas and encouraging wild and exaggerated ideas. IDEO U used this basis and created their list:
- Defer Judgment
- Encourage Wild Ideas
- Build on the Ideas of Others
- Stay Focused on the Topic
- One Conversation at a Time
- Be Visual
- Go for Quantity
Create space for individual and group ideation within the planning of your session. Some people are brilliant idea improvisers in a group session, while others are better at reflection before presenting ideas. Make sure that you accommodate both styles to reap the best ideas.
Record all the ideas. It does not matter how ridiculous or trivial an idea seems; make sure it is on the list of ideas. You are also honouring the person who came up with it by recording the idea. On many occasions, I saw people stop contributing because the facilitator did not write down their ideas and felt excluded.
Take the time needed for all the ideas to come out. Too many brainstorming sessions stop when the allocated time runs out, rather than when the ideas run out, potentially stopping creative flow before the valuable and unique ideas appear. In most brainstorming sessions, the first ideas that come out are the obvious ones, then ones that fall within the mind frame and experience of the group and finally the disruptive, or high-value ideas. If you end the session too soon or by the time constraint, you may never get to the high impact ideas.
I think developing ideas and picking the best ideas for implementation belongs in separate sessions, or at least be separated by some investigation before selecting implementation options. Whenever we evaluate disruptive or high impact ideas, there must be time for reflection and more profound research before implementation decisions.
In conclusion:
Brainstorming is not good or bad on its own.
It is simply a tool, and knowing how to use it distinguishes it. In the hands of a novice, it may create havoc and destruction, whereas, in the hands of a master craftsman, it may create something of beauty and value.
Try it out! And do it right!
