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Brainstorming: The Benefits and Drawbacks
Website Editor • Feb 19, 2020
An examination of the benefits and drawbacks of brainstorming as a means of idea generation.
Brainstorming can be productive when the exercise or desired outcomes are, in effect, constrained:
- When goals are few and very clear, when groups are smaller and more intimate, when individuals are more comfortable with each other, and are not striving for consensus.
- When ideas that have already been chosen for development through a more creative process, possibly in a series of one-to-one scenarios, are to be explored in a specific, expert, or technical way.
- When tactics for manufacturing dissent
are employed by the facilitator to break groupthink in a case where key decisions are to be made.
- When people who may have been inspired during a session, but are unwilling to share their thoughts, can be de-briefed post hoc by a facilitator.
- When the session is treated primarily as a motivational exercise, so that any innovative ideas that emerge are a bonus.
Tapping into the rich resources and capabilities of the individuals in an organisation is crucial for motivating and getting the most out of people, as well as for the success of a smart organisation. An organisational structure with clearly open lines of communication that encourages people to express themselves, while also incorporating a means for seeking out, encouraging, and acting on feedback goes a long way to achieving this. While brainstorming sessions are no longer in the greatest favour, they are still a valuable vehicle for bringing people together and that has many benefits for any organisation. Our advice is to complement any brainstorming sessions with defined structures and processes in order to maximise effectiveness and efficiency.
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