OK – setting the record straight on brainstorming

Crawling into of blogging again (and into the wider world – it’s been intense lately). What made me crawl out?  This post by Marc Andreessen and the ensuing discussions that erupted around the web because of it…

Marc wrote a post called Brainstorming Sucks and then put up a quote from my book to prove why. I really like that specific quote and in essence it talks about how brainstorming in a group tends to produce far fewer ideas than doing so individually. Brainstorming, as a technique, has been researched in at least 25 separate studies around the world and, it turns out, a group of people has never managed to outdo the same number of individuals separately trying to generate ideas. Wow. Or – to sum it up:  brainstorming must be one of the most hyped idea generation techniques in the world. 

Well – Marc’s post generated a lot of other comments around the web (such here and here ).  Many folks started smiling I am sure (as I have heard people say they did when reading that passage in the book) because they somehow recognized brainstorming’s lousy track record. How many useless brainstorming sessions have there been since the technique started spreading? Don’t know, exactly - but a lot.

Yet not everyone agreed. Some folks (such as here and here) argued that brainstorming can be very effective. Among the proponents, it turns out ... ME! Yes – indeed – only a few sentences later I talk about how effective it can get. A brainstorm done right can be insanely useful. It is the basis for how the most innovative teams get great ideas going, evolving and even executed. There are a number of ways to create super-productive brainstormers (and there are folks that focus on exactly that). In The Medici Effect I looked at some reasons for why brainstorming can be difficult to pull off – but also what you can do to make it successful. Yes - it does require a great facilitator, some prep work, and preferably some great tools (various lateral thinking techniques can be quite useful) along with a high pace and good momentum. With these things in place, however, a brainstorm will ROCK and I can’t recommend it more.

There.

Comments

[Scott Berkun]

Frans: much thanks for speaking up and putting the quote from your book back into the context it came from :)

[Jay Hamilton-Roth]

Brainstorming is simply one tool for creative problem solving. The more tools in your toolbelt for solving problems (that you're skilled at using), the better the result.

Matching the right tool for the right problem is the mark of of a skilled creative craftsperson.

[Julia Styles]

Thanks for putting your quote in context. The blog definitely produced a lot of buzz and hubbub. I am glad you agree that when brainstorming is done right it can be very effective. We have often generated 700-1000 ideas in just a few hours with skilled brainstormers.

Keep up the research!

[gwalker]

Thanks for the email, and for clearing things up with the quoted passage. Good to finally hear your response.

[Chris Yeh]

When it comes to brainstorming, my feeling is that while you can certainly generate a lot of ideas individually, the quality of ideas that you can generate with 1-2 other smart, creative people is an order of magnitude higher.

I know that when I have a conversation with Frans, it's a lot more creative than simply thinking to myself!