The Brainstorming Process Is B.S. But Can We Rework It?

The business practice of brainstorming has been around with us so long that it seems like unadorned common sense: If you want a rash of new ideas, you get a group of people in a room, have them shout things out, and make sure not to criticize, because that sort of self-censoring is sure to kill the flow of new thoughts. It wasn’t always so: This entire process was invented by Alex Osborn, one of the founders of BBDO, in the 1940's. It was motivated by Osborn’s own theory of creativity. He thought, quite reasonably, that creativity was both brittle and fickle: In the presence of criticism, it simply couldn’t wring itself free from our own minds. We could only call our muses if judgments didn’t drag us down. Osborn claimed that this very brainstorming process was the secret to BBDO’s durable creativity, allowing his ad guys to produce as many as 87 ideas in 90 minutes--a veritable avalanche. You’re More Creative Working Alone Lehrer doesn’t quite explain why that happens. Why is that?

Rick Boersma: Saturday afternoon inking... Rick Boersma: Ch 6 p7 #innovation inked... Rick Boersma: Perseverance, the main tal... Rick Boersma: #innovation applied to hot... Rick Boersma: #innovation thru 1-step st... Rick Boersma: Random related #innovatio... Rick Boersma: Another page of #innovatio... Rick Boersma: Back to p1 of ch6 of #inno... Rick Boersma: Ch 6 p2, #innovation in a... Front End of Innovation Group News Rick Boersma: ...and another #innovation... Rick Boersma: Sat morning rough-drafting... The Making of an Innovation Master - Scott Anthony by Scott Anthony | 12:01 PM March 23, 2012 A workshop attendee asked me this seemingly simple question: “So, what else should I read to learn more about innovation?” It’s a hard question to answer because there is so much high-quality material out there. And specific recommendations depend on the specific topic about which you are most curious. But in thinking it through, I did eventually end up with a highly personal list I call “The Masters of Innovation” (which appears in my latest book). So what makes a Master? Do the individual’s ideas bring clarity to the quest of improving the predictability and productivity of innovation? These three questions lead to obviously biased selections. There were a ton of great thinkers that didn’t quite make the cut, such as Chip and Dan Heath, Geoffrey Moore, Constantinos Markides, Robert Burgelman, Henry Mintzberg, Gary Hamel, Michael Tushman, W. One natural question is, “Who is next?” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.