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'Brainstorming Doesn't Work' (fastcompany.com) 89

Posted by msmash from the science-of-work dept.
People aren't necessarily more creative in groups than alone, or vice versa, according to numerous studies. An anonymous reader shares an article: In fact, creativity needs both conditions; our performance peaks when we alternate -- first working alone, then coming together to share our ideas, then going off by ourselves again to mull over what we heard. It's a process. This is because our brains' creative engines are fueled both by quiet mind-wandering, allowing novel and unexpected connections to form, and by encountering new information, which often comes from other people. The typical brainstorm over-delivers on the latter and under-delivers on the former, which means that for lots of people, brainstorming is an utter nightmare. Introverts just feel alienated, and extroverts aren't pushed to reflect more deeply on the ideas they've batted around amongst themselves.
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'Brainstorming Doesn't Work' More

'Brainstorming Doesn't Work'

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  • Isn't this whole thread going to be a brainstorming session about brainstorming?

  • The boss can take credit this way (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ITRambo ( 1467509 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:16AM (#54126757)
    When a manager holds a brainstorming session, my experience is that they use the result to make themselves looks better, while keeping notes to later blame an attendee in case the ideas don't work. Win-win for management. Only meetings of peers sharing ideas seem to make any sense.

    • PHBs need not apply for brainstorming sessions. Lacking a brain, it usually means all you get is a tempest in the teapot.

    • In theory a manager does this when he is dissatisfied with teamwork and wants to find a way to get everyone to contribute, even if the contributions of everyone in particular are shit, it at least invests them in the goal. At work, even in really good companies, we often put up with sub-standard solutions to enlist the support of others in an effort that is simply too big for one person. It's the seedy side of teamwork, but about the only way to get things done amongst highly creative, easily distracted peo

    • Re:The boss can take credit this way (Score:4, Interesting)

      by omfglearntoplay ( 1163771 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @11:50AM (#54127543)

      Sounds like a subordinate I had in reverse... actually nothing to do with brainstorming. I'd give him a task... he'd do it, but then make me "check" his task to make sure I was OK with it. That sounds OK at first to you the reader, but the reality was I'd have to spend the exact amount of time on the task that he did in order to check every detail. I hired him so I would get more time, not less. I gave him the benefit of the doubt once or so but caught on real quick on what he was up to and let him know.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        This is how Japanese managers want to manage. They give you a task without giving you enough detail to be able to complete it to their satisfaction, expecting you to start on it, then come back for feedback so you can get closer to what they want. Iterate until they're happy. They even have a name for it. Horenso (which coincidentally is the Japanese word for spinach.)

  • I find that it is useful to do brainstorming when it is 2-4 people, each one having worked on a different part of the same system as an example, then it is more or less useful. At least it helps to avoid major mishaps, people who know their particular part of the system / problem can filter everybody's input through their knowledge and at the minimum provide reasons for why a proposed idea will/will not work.

  • A lot of times group brainstorming sessions are less about generating new ideas and more about making an open environment to get team members to communicate and share their ideas.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jafiwam ( 310805 )
      Or to stop the retarded ideas from repeatedly being floated to a long list of people. Get it out once, shoot it down once. Move on.

    • The article isn't even about brainstorming but more about when a creative process works better alone or in group. The creative group session can take many forms.
      Their main theme is that depending on the individual the optimal strategy can be different. Some people work better alone.
      Just as well often people prefer a combination, alternating group and individual stages.
      All pretty sensible and bland I would think.

  • Bullshit! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Eloking ( 877834 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:19AM (#54126791)

    Well, the headline escalated quickly from "People aren't necessarily more creative in groups than alone" to "Brainstorming Doesn't Work".

    Ever heard of Duck Debugging? : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

    The idea is that if you're stuck in a code, only by explaining line by line your reasoning to someone (or even a rubber duck), it'll help you to find the solution yourself.

    But you know what's even more efficient? Talking to another person.

    The number of time I got stuck for like half an hour, quickly poked a coworker to talk about it only to find the solution 5 min later.

    Expert to Expert brainstorming work. It's useless corporate meeting that doesn't : https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Bigbutt ( 65939 )

      Heck, I even talk to myself, according to my team and my girlfriend. I'm working on a bit of code and per the team, I'm all of a sudden talking through the bit I'm stuck on and about half the time get it figured out that way.

      [John]

    • Re:Bullshit! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Bongo ( 13261 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:36AM (#54126911)

      The idea is that if you're stuck in a code, only by explaining line by line your reasoning to someone (or even a rubber duck), it'll help you to find the solution yourself.

      Similar principle in designing buildings. When the architect is sketching, it is called "having a conversation with himself",

      I do the same writing scripts, when I get stuck, I write (in the comments) what I'm thinking, and by writing down thought 1, that makes space to have thought 2.

      Kinda like a pipe, or stack, you pop the first one off, so you can see the next one.

      • Heh. My stories all start out as nothing *but* a huge collection of jots and notes that are then arranged, rearranged and done again until the only thing left to do is details.

      • Your brainstorming works because while you have not figured out the exact script, you understand the method and concepts to complete the task. This is what I believe would be common among all people who brainstorm successfully as individuals. They use the Socratic method to interrogate the process they have in mind and come up with the best solution.

        In a group, brainstorming can work if you have the right set of people with the intellectual capacity to debate and question (Socratic Method), and similar to

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Bongo ( 13261 )

          Your brainstorming works because while you have not figured out the exact script, you understand the method and concepts to complete the task. This is what I believe would be common among all people who brainstorm successfully as individuals. They use the Socratic method to interrogate the process they have in mind and come up with the best solution.

          In a group, brainstorming can work if you have the right set of people with the intellectual capacity to debate and question (Socratic Method), and similar to the individual, knowledge of the concepts and methods needed to complete the task.

          That does make sense, and explains times when I've discussed a project with a colleague over coffee, informally, for a few hours, including a lot of "silly" talk, and ended up with a good idea which neither of us would have arrived at on our own.

    • I've heard it called "Cardboard cut-out debugging."

      I knew someone who had a life-sized cardboard cut-out of Darth Vader in his cube for debugging sessions.

    • It's definitely a "click bait" headline. Since it clearly then goes on to say brainstorming ALONE doesn't work. And even that isn't quite right. There are many times where brainstorming alone does work whether it's to generate a new idea or solve a problem. Putting a specific time limit on brainstorming/collaborating and solo investigation are definitely worthwhile for complex issues that take more than an hour to resolve. Just alternating for the sake of alternating may give certain personality st
    • That's forcing yourself to document your work.

      Brainstorming is when one or more people just speak whatever is on their minds, in the hope that they'll arrive at a solution they wouldn't have thought of if they'd stayed on the rails. It's a way to force people to think outside the artificial mental box they may have constructed by pre-defining a problem incorrectly. The main hindrance to brainstorming has been well-known for over 60 years. When you put people into a group, they tend to want to conform [wikipedia.org]

    • Duck debuigging is about clearly articulating your thought process, causing you to clarify it and realize where you went wrong. Brainstorming is about creative idea generation. They are very dissimilar tasks.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by fermion ( 181285 )
      According to this argument, nothing that is used in the design cycle works because it does not work individually. Brainstorming is one tool that you can use in design or engineering work. Like any tool, it is not intended to be used on it's own. So you brainstorm, design, brainstorm, design, build, etc.

      One big benefit of brainstorming, when it is done right, it that it gets the bullshit ideas out of the way so the group can dig deeply for good ideas. If there is one person, working on one thing, an en

    • Ever heard of Duck Debugging?

      I hadn't until now..

      The idea is that if you're stuck in a code, only by explaining line by line your reasoning to someone (or even a rubber duck), it'll help you to find the solution yourself.

      Ah that's what they call that!
      I discovered this technique because when I was stuck I'd always try to explain in detail my problem in an email to a colleague or support desk. Most of the time I'd get half way through then get the light bulb moment and figure out the problem myself. And now I have a name for this process. Thanks!

  • Hell that was probably the best way I had of outlining/planning papers when we were learning how to write essays (eg the 5 paragraph essay) in school. I didn't mind group brainstorming sessions, but usually got more out of doing it by myself.

  • Sounds largely right, also because in order to understand a problem one often has to try to solve it,
    ie. a new idea, and then by wondering why the idea sucks, so start to understand the nature of the problem better.
    What people call "iteration".

    Meeting with others is a good way to discover why your solution sucks.

    Staying quiet in solitude with the mind wandering, is a good way to generate new ideas. [1]

    Brainstorming kinda does these in reverse, trying to generate ideas in the high pressure confusion of exter

  • That's the whole reason why you *announce* a brainstorming session in advance... perhaps by as much as a week, but no less than 24 hours. Everyone is encouraged to jot down ideas on a notepad and bring them to the session. Then no more than two days later, but after everyone has had enough time to reflect upon the session, you come together again to discuss what further thoughts people have on what has been discussed and choose a course of action.

  • Brainstorming is best (Score:5, Interesting)

    by jenningsthecat ( 1525947 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:29AM (#54126857)

    when it happens organically, in small companies or in small cohesive groups within a company. Planning brainstorm sessions in the way that HR types would prefer doesn't work as a rule. What does work is an informal get-together in a comfortable space with a whiteboard, and passionate people who know what they're talking about, respect each other, have no time for political BS, and trust each other enough to blurt out the stupid-sounding stuff that can lead to innovation.

    I remember when I was no more than 12 years old, reading a Reader's Digest article on brainstorming. One example given was a group of people who were trying to find a way to deliver some kind of explosive charge to the bottom of a liquid-filled bore hole, that was cheaper than the aluminum devices currently in use. They weren't making any headway, and one of the frustrated participants said 'why don't we just put the damn thing in a paper bag?'. That led fairly quickly to the solution - basically a variation on a paper tube. Happily, that lesson has stuck with me all my life.

    It's the uncensored moments that make brainstorming work; that's why it tends NOT to work in most corporate environments, where failure to self-censor may be career-limiting at best, and career-ending at worst.

    • Re:Brainstorming is best (Score:5, Interesting)

      by codeButcher ( 223668 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:58AM (#54127095)

      It's the uncensored moments that make brainstorming work; that's why it tends NOT to work in most corporate environments, where failure to self-censor may be career-limiting at best, and career-ending at worst.

      Edward de Bono observes the same in his writings on "Lateral thinking" - lateral thinking in his definition is the quintessential uncensored, creative thinking were one (or the group) generates as many ideas as possible, no matter how whacky or impractical. Only after this process has finished, one applies "linear" (critical, rational) thinking to select the workable out of the rest.

      According to him, doing the former in group sessions (brainstorming) has the benefit that one person's whacky, playful, and not-serious idea may trigger an association with another person that may very well lead to the needed solution. But he suggests a fairly rigid methodology of conducting such brainstorming sessions, in which critical, judgmental "linear" thinking is verboten.

      Unfortunately many orgs do something (e.g. brainstorming, or agile) because they've heard the name and benefits somewhere, but have no idea about the critical workings under the hood - and what they do is that thing only in name. And THEN there are organizations where the vast majority of us work, where creativity is frowned upon...

  • Different people work differently (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ErichTheRed ( 39327 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @10:31AM (#54126873)

    I'm glad someone is publishing information that confirms what I've found to be true for years. Force-fitting people together and making them build something in rapid-fire fashion with half-thought out ideas doesn't make for a good experience. Anyone who's ever worked with me knows that my approach to a problem is to identify what's wrong, go have a think on it, do some research and present a semi-formed opinion/argument for discussion. Most of my job these days is reading and writing...and my backlog of reading is extremely long. But, coming to the table with a little knowledge on the subject is better than having people blurt out the first thing that comes to their mind. At best it's not fully thought out, and at worst people are just saying whatever they can think of to avoid not saying something.

    Now, can we please fund some studies on how bad "open workspace" offices are for productivity? They may work great for salespeople, marketing folks or 25 year olds pulling all nighters and shooting Nerf guns at each other...but a real workplace needs a mix of environments. You need a quiet personal space to make phone calls, read or work on things. You also need the ability to host a small group in something less formal than a meeting room. I hate to use the word "stand up" or "scrum" because there's all sorts of negative connotations around that. But, having something where people are just human to each other instead of being project management robots is a good way to exchange ideas. I can't tell you how many multi-hour meetings I've sat in with project managers who are using the exact same phrases from their PMP training manuals. I've never taken the coursework for PMP, but I seriously think all PMs are told "this is the exact language you must use when coming to Stage 2.3.5.22 of your Generic Software Project Plan."

    • Now, can we please fund some studies on how bad "open workspace" offices are for productivity?

      There has been, and every single study suggests that same thing, that they're terrible for productivity. It doesn't matter, they don't care. They want control, and cheapness.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      confirms what I've found to be true for years. Force-fitting people together and making them build something in rapid-fire fashion with half-thought out ideas doesn't make for a good experience.

      Imagine what would happen if somebody tried to run Washington DC that way...

  • The only brainstorming session I was ever involved in was in Small Group Communications at college. The instructor put me in with a group of Vietnamese students. They in turn nominated me as the group leader because I was the only white guy in the group. I don't remember what the subject was but I did all the work, gave the presentation and the instructor gave me all the credit. The Vietnamese guys were upset that they didn't get any points as contributors to my presentation and the instructor also deducted
  • ...who believes that all people work the same.

  • Pathological brainstorming being the structured kind, where they bring in an outside facilitator who tells everyone that no idea should be criticized and that everyone should be given an equal chance to speak. This is what happens when the organization is in a rut, and upper management so is desperate that they are resorting to gimmicks.

    Fuck that.

    Get the right people in the same room with a whiteboard and let them go at it, no holds barred. I have seen amazing things accomplished in such situations. Introve

    • >or perhaps a major award for success, can also help keep people focused and productively on task.

      Oddly enough, there have been some interesting studies [citation needed, don't have it...] that show rewards lose motivational value very quickly as they grow, at least until they pass through 'reasonable' to 'excessive'.

      People surprisingly don't give a shit about a $10 gift card for the coffee shop vs. $100 on their next pay. In terms of productivity, it's essentially the same.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dlleigh ( 313922 )

        Both a $10 gift card and a $100 bonus are well below what I would consider to be useful rewards. Considering that it costs a company thousands of dollars to keep a group of employees in a room for a day of brainstorming, a suitable reward for a successful outcome should be at least of the same magnitude.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      Outside facilitators are often brought in for a number of reasons. One is that management has already selected a course of action and the 'brainstorming' session is just a way to generate consensus among the workers. Everyone gets an equal chance to speak, including the plant who parrots the boss' idea. Another is that management wants to pick the brains of the people with domain knowledge and then run off and implement the ideas somewhere else. It could be the boss' idiot son-in-law who gets to lead the de

  • People aren't necessarily more creative in groups than alone

    "-1 troll", i.e. disagree - although the focus of the creativity is different with a shift towards "how can I game the group dynamic to get my idea to the top of the pile."

    var outcome = participants <= 2 ? Outcome.chanceOfSuccess : Outcome.fail;

  • So, yet another "brilliant" MBA idea, like open offices, forced-ranking, goal-setting and scrum has been demonstrated to be ineffective? Too bad all of these decisions are made on instinct and emotion rather than on what the actual data suggests.
    • I had a college roommate who went through 20 majors in five years. He finally settled on business because that had the fewest requirements remaining towards graduation. Small group communication, collaborative projects and brainstorming sessions are part and parcel of the curriculum. The pain inflicted on business majors by the instructor is in turned inflicted on coworkers in the business world. As for my roommate, he eventually became a tech writer.

  • There is _no_ idiot proof way of manufacturing clever thinking. Who'd have thought that?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      There is _no_ idiot proof way

      The idiots always manage to get invited to the brainstorming sessions.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Many of my best ideas come while driving home, taking a shower, 4am when I can't sleep, or when taking a crap.

  • Covered in the book "Quiet" (Score:4, Informative)

    by Trailer Trash ( 60756 ) on Tuesday March 28, 2017 @11:38AM (#54127431) Homepage

    This is covered in the book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking":

    https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-P... [amazon.com]

    Specifically, pages 87-92. Very similar conclusion there.

  • It sounds like the finding is more that brainstorming is not a complete solution. They acknowledge two components of creativity, and point out that brainstorming works well for one part of an alternating pattern. Instead of this being a pro- or anti-brainstorming argument, this information should be used in HOW to best utilize brainstorming. If you think the solution to ALL problems is indiscriminate brainstorming, then it's not going to work, and will mostly just be torture.
  • I think the brainstorming itself does work due to the fact everyone actually considers the problem, rather than ignoring the e-mail/voicemail/whatever asking for solutions. It enables to get input from all sources, not just the one bonehead who actually takes the time to read his inbox.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • One thing is for sure, that website was designed by brainstorming marketing shitheads, I closed the tab after the third float in the relentless parade of crapware started spooling up.

  • No individual will ever come up with the stupid ideas a committee will.
  • If you hired on merit then your staff have the skills to think.
    If staff have to be educated on the job, they will never deliver any new ideas.
    The only skill they have is to ask for more advice.
  • already knows brainstorming is BS anyway, especially when you try to death-march everyone into it.

    Quality takes time and effort, and the best ideas happen when you're doing other things. Like walking or taking a shower.
  • That's what I saw when I read the title. I'll keep that in mind Mr. Government....or not ;)...get it?

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