"Brainstorming" - Why it doesn't work.

The conference room looked out over the ocean, the group was brave, the company agile -- but when I asked what they thought about brainstorming -- the answer was the same. Comments like, "Sometimes I feel like nothing comes out of it." and "I feel like I could come up with better ideas alone."

These comments aren't unusual -- and depending on the kind of brainstorm -- correct. Here's why the traditional form of brainstorming doesn't work. (From Wikipedia) - The term was popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1953 book Applied Imagination. Brainstorming is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members.

Unfortunately, study after study has shown that this "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" approach is about 40% less effective than working individually. The New Yorker has a great article explaining why. It can be found here: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/01/30/groupthink

Honestly, it's hard news to break to a group of people who have been toiling away in these kinds of brainstorms. It isn't their fault -- sometimes we need to brainstorm about new brainstorm ideas -- but how would we do it?

There's hope! Luckily scientists spend their valuable time looking into these things. With a little work, a different approach, and some special science sauce -- the difference is stunning.

Dr. Robert Epstein has created a research-driven framework to help people understand how creativity happens, how to maintain it, and how to cultivate it in brainstorming sessions. His research can be found here: https://drrobertepstein.com. There's an overview of the process that I use in my sessions below. (Feel free to use it -- or better yet, call me and I'll help.)

THE BRAINSTORMING SOLUTION: An Overview.

• Meet somewhere new.
• Frame the challenge to be solved.
• Have individuals generate ideas to solve the challenge before any discussion. (Make sure they write them down).
• Form small groups of five to eight people and have them select and improve the ideas. (This also group ownership and avoids an idea death resulting from just one proponent.)
• Change groups and rotate every 20 minutes.
• After a few rotations, discuss the ideas as a group.

There's a bit more to it than I have listed here -- but if you only follow the steps above -- you'll be amazed by the results. Reach out if there's anything I can do to help. A special thank you goes out to the wonderful clients who inspired this article.