Brainstorming
"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." -- Thomas Alva Edison
What is Brainstorming?
Brainstorming is a process for developing creative solutions to problems. Alex Faickney Osborn, an advertising manager, popularized the method in 1953 in his book, Applied Imagination. Ten years later, he proposed that teams could double their creative output with brainstorming (Osborn, 1963).
Brainstorming works by focusing on a problem, and then deliberately coming up with as many solutions as possible and by pushing the ideas as far as possible. One of the reasons it is so effective is that the brainstormers not only come up with new ideas in a session, but also spark off from associations with other people's ideas by developing and refining them.
While some research has found brainstorming to be ineffective, this seems more of a problem with the research itself than with the brainstorming tool (Isaksen, 1998).
There are four basic rules in brainstorming (Osborn, 1963) intended to reduce social inhibitions among team members, stimulate idea generation, and increase overall creativity:
- No criticism: Criticism of ideas are withheld during the brainstorming session as the purpose is on generating varied and unusual ideals and extending or adding to these ideas. Criticism is reserved for the evaluation stage of the the process. This allows the members to feel comfortable with the idea of generating unusual ideas.
- Welcome unusual ideas: Unusual ideas are welcomed as it is normally easier to "tame down" than to "tame up" as new ways of thinking and looking at the world may provide better solutions.
- Quantity Wanted: The greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution.
- Combine and improve ideas: Not only are a variety of ideals wanted, but also ways to combine ideas in order to make them better.
Brainstorming Steps:
- Gather the participants from as wide a range of disciplines with as broad a range of experience as possible. This brings many more creative ideas to the session.
- Write down a brief description of the problem - the leader should take control of the session, initially defining the problem to be solved with any criteria that must be met, and then keeping the session on course.
- Use the description to get everyone's mind clear of what the problem is and post it where it can be seen. This helps in keeping the group focused.
- Encourage an enthusiastic, uncritical attitude among brainstormers and encourage participation by all members of the team. Encourage them to have fun!
- Write down all the solutions that come to mind (even ribald ones). Do NOT interpret the idea, however you may rework the wording for clarity's sake.
- Do NOT evaluate ideas until the session moves to the evaluation phase. Once the brainstorming session has been completed, the results of the session can be analyzed and the best solutions can be explored either using further brainstorming or more conventional solutions.
- Do NOT censor any solution, no matter how silly it sounds. The silly ones will often lead to creative ones - the idea is to open up as many possibilities as possible, and break down preconceptions about the limits of the problem.
- The leader should keep the brainstorming on subject, and should try to steer it towards the development of some practical solutions.
- Once all the solutions have been written down, evaluate the list to determine the best action to correct the problem.
Brainstorming Variations
- One approach is to seed the session with a word pulled randomly from a dictionary. Use this word as a starting point in the process of generating ideas.
- When the participants say they "can't think of any more ideas" then give them about 15 more minutes as the best ideas sometimes come towards the end of a longer thought process.
- Brainstorming can either be carried out by individuals or groups. When done individually, brainstorming tends to produce a wider range of ideas than group brainstorming as individuals are free to explore ideas in their own time without any fear of criticism. On the other hand, groups tend to develop the ideas more effectively due to the wider range of diversity.
- Keep all the generated ideas visible. As a flip chart page becomes full, remove it from the pad and tape it to a wall as that it is visible. This "combined recollection" is helpful for creating new ideals.
- If the brainstormers have difficulty in coming up with solutions, you may have to restate the problem in a different context, such as using metaphors or linking it to own knowledge.
Selecting a Solution
When you are sure the brainstorming session is over, it is time to select a solution:
- Use a show of hands (or another voting method) to allow each person to vote.
- Write the vote tallies next to the ideal.
- Once the voting is completed, delete all items with no votes.
- Next, look for logical breaks. For example, if you have several items with 5 or 6 votes, and no 3 or 4 and only a couple of 1 and 2, then retain only the 5 and 6 votes. The group can help to decide the breaking point.
- Now, it is time to vote again. Each person gets half number of votes as there are ideals left. For example is you narrowed the number of generated ideals down to 20, then each person gets 10 votes (if it is a odd number, round down). Each person will keep track of his or her votes. The scribe should again tally the votes next to the ideal, only this time use a different color.
- Continue this process of elimination until you get down to about 5 ideals.
- Put the remainder ideas into a matrix. Put each ideal into its own row (first column). Next label some columns using selected criteria. For example:
| Generated Idea | Low Cost | Easy to Implement and is Feasible | Will Help Other Processes | TOTAL |
| Outsource it to a vendor. | ||||
| Hire a new employee. | ||||
| Share the extra workload. |
- Next, working one column at a time, ask the group to order each idea. Using the above example, which one will cost the least, the most, and will be in the middle.
- Repeat by working the next column until you have completed all columns. Total each column until it looks similar to this:
| Generated Idea | Low Cost | Easy to Implement and is Feasible | Will Help Other Processes | TOTAL |
| Outsource it to a vendor. | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Hire a new employee. | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Share the extra workload. | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
- In this case, the lowest number column, "Hire a new employee," would be the best solution.
- Note that you should work each column first (not each row).
- Some of the columns will require much discussion, as choosing an arbitrary number will not be that easy in some cases.
- Often, you will have a couple of ideas that tie, but having it diagramed out in a matrix makes it easier to make a decision.
Radical Thinking and Successful Brainstorming
Once your team or company grows by more than one individual, ensure the new individual is one who truly thinks differently than you — to encourage radical thinking and effective brainstorming is truly diverse thinking styles on your team.And when you get another member, ensure that person's thinking style is different than yours and the other team member. And so on down the line. This is the first step in remaining competitive. Do not full into the trap of hiring someone like you or your favorite employee — this leads to group-think.
Doug Hall, who specializes in new business development, training, and consulting had this to say about team diversity, "The more diverse you are, the more likely you are to have loud and sometimes obnoxious debates. This is good. It means that all the folks have passion and a pulse. Remember, real teams are more like the family on the television show 'Roseanne' than they are like the Cleavers in 'Leave It to Beaver.' Real teams fight to make their point, yet they still have respect for each other."
In the Abilene Paradox, Dr. Harvey uses a parable to illustrate what he believes is a major symptom of organizational group-think: the management of agreement — as opposed to the management of disagreement or conflict. When we fail to engage in deep inquiry and in self-disclosure, we tend to agree with others, no matter if it is the best way to do so or not. Part of the reason this "management of agreement" comes about is that each individual's style is similar to other team members. When our interests our too similar, radical discourse fails to take place. For more information, see the section labeled, "Abilene Paradox"in Creativity.
Real team members should not be afraid to disagree, but once a decision has been made, they all need to be on the same bandwagon. They ensure their ideals and opinions are heard, but once it is time to go forward, they concentrate on getting there, not going back.
One often used technique for generating new ideals in a brainstorming session is to pick up a dictionary and toss out a random word. However, there is a better way to provide a climate of creativity. There is a game called Cranium that does a good job of using the various parts of the mind. You sketch, sculpt, draw with you eyes, use your knowledge, unscramble words, spell, hum, whistle, impersonate, etc. in order to get your team member(s) to discover the secret word or phase. You do these activities by drawing a card and then performing the activity before the timer runs out. For example, one team member might draw the word "Measure." The card tells her what type of activity to perform, such as drawing clues on a paper (no talking, letters, or symbols) with her eyes closed.
To use this game in brainstorming, play the game normally, except that after each card drawing activity has been performed, have all the participants generate x number of ideals before moving on to the next activity (normally 10 to 20 ideals). Normal brainstorming rules also apply. This may sound like a slower process than the regular brainstorming sessions we are used to, but remember, radical ideals are important for you organization to survive! And radical ideals come from creative activities. You cannot expect people to be creative by sitting in a room staring at four blank walls. The ideal is to get their creative juices flowing.
The Cranium game also performs an important function for radical thinking -- reducing the fear factor by providing fun. Fear is a barricade for new ideals. By providing fun and laughter, you create a pathway for radical ideals to emerge.
Out of the Box
"Thinking out of the box" is often used over and I hate it when I'm told to "get out of my box" (I'm on the shy side). However, as the steps to radical thinking and brainstorming show, you need radical thinking generators to reach a high creative level:
- Diverse thinking styles. You need lively discussions, not "Leave It to Beaver" dinner talk.
- Stimulus to spark the mind — activities that will get the creative juices flowing, such as the Cranium game.
- Fear prevention — fun games, friendly environment, and firm gestures that creates the feeling that everything is OK!
This is truly "thinking out of the box" as it provides an environment that uses everyone's thinking styles, rather than telling them to change their thinking style. When you tell people "to come out of the box," you are basically saying that you want them to be the same box as you. Now why would we go to all that trouble of getting a diverse workforce and then cloning everyone into the same style? When you provide a creative environment, instead of trying to change a person, you get the real person! When you get real persons into open, trusting environments with creative activities, you get radical thinking. And when you get radical thinking, you get the next great ideal for your organization!
How to Stop Great Ideas
"Inventions reached their limit long ago, and I see no hope for further development," - Julius Frontinus in the first century A.D.
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." - Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy." - Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." - A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" - H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." - Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"640K ought to be enough for anybody." - Bill Gates, 1981
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" - David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year." - The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it good for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons." - Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.
"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools." - 1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.
"I assure you, Marlon Brando will not appear in this film, " said a Paramount Studio exec about the casting of The Godfather.
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876.
After Fred Astair's first screen test in 1933, the MGM testing director wrote a meme saying, "Can't act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little. " Astaire got the memo and kept it over his fireplace.
An expert said of football coach Vince Lombardi, "He possesses minimal football knowledge. Lacks motivation."
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'" - Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer.
"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper," explained Gary Cooper on his refusal to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."
"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this." - Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M's Post-It notes
References
Isaksen, S. G. (1998). A Review of Brainstorming Research: Six Critical Issues for Research. Buffalo: Creative Problem Solving Group. Monograph 302. Retrieved March 5, 2010: http://www.cpsb.com/resources/downloads/public/302-Brainstorm.pdf
Osborn, A.F. (1963) Applied imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem solving (3rd Ed.). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.