101 Innovation Hacks

Share this post
Brainstorming Doesn't Work
101innovationhacks.substack.com

Brainstorming Doesn't Work

Adam Egger
May 17
3
Share this post
Brainstorming Doesn't Work
101innovationhacks.substack.com
people sitting at the table
Photo by Memento Media on Unsplash

As Linus Pauling - one of four people to have won more than one Nobel Prize - said
“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”

But what’s the best way to have a lot of ideas?
It isn’t brainstorming.

Your team’s goal is to solve problems. But if you want to solve a problem in a delightful way, stop using brainstorming. Brainstorming doesn’t work.

Research on brainstorming from Professor Leigh Thompson from the Kellogg School of Management shows that individuals are better at divergent thinking - generating a diverse set of ideas - whereas groups are better at convergent thinking - selecting which ideas are worth pursuing and improving them.

Which means, instead of discussing solutions (aka brainstorming), have each participant write her or his ideas down silently. Then share all the captured ideas in a round-robin fashion and repeat the process.

After that, let the team decide - as a group - what ideas to pursue. Let them - again as a team - combine these ideas to create the most delightful solution for the problem.

Remember, individuals working on their own will generate more diverse ideas than the same number participating in a brainstorming session.

Share this post
Brainstorming Doesn't Work
101innovationhacks.substack.com
Comments

Create your profile

0 subscriptions will be displayed on your profile (edit)

Skip for now

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.

TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2022 Adam Egger
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Publish on Substack Get the app
Substack is the home for great writing