Kellogg Business School Professor Ben Jones challenges the traditional idea that brainstorming is the best way to generate new ideas.
Many teams operate under the false assumption that the traditional tenants of brainstorming (encouraging a plethora of free-flowing ideas absent of any criticism or judgment) is the best way to stimulate creative thought.
Research from Yale dating back to the late ‘50’s questioned the value of brainstorming, but most organizations continued to use it for decades thereafter despite its lack of efficacy.
So, what should you and your team do instead of brainstorm?
Based on his research, Dr. Jones makes these two suggestions:
Continue to talk about new ideas in a group setting. It’s clear that creativity occurs within community.
There is something about developing a community of people around a central goal that cultivates and initiates creativity.
Take off the kid gloves. The ineffectiveness of brainstorming stems from the thought that ideas should be shared in a judgment-free environment.
Debate and criticism do not inhibit ideas, rather they stimulate more ideas relative to what others are sharing.
Recruiting in today’s competitive landscape and challenging marketing conditions requires new ideas, innovation, and a relentless focus on results.
It takes a good leader to sharpen the focus while still maintaining a positive culture.
If you shy away from this challenge, you’ll be stuck with a diminishing status quo.
