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The Brainstorming Myth

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Abstract

Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. Yet firms continue to use brainstorming as a technique for generating ideas. This continuing use of an ineffective technique is interesting psychologically. From a practical viewpoint, understanding why brainstorming is usually ineffective, and why people still do it, gives a basis for suggesting how managers can improve the way they use it.

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... It is also a collective task as it requires the pooling of individual members' inputs [Karau and Williams (1993)]. This mechanism of resource pooling increases the amount of knowledge available [Furnham (2000)] as the inputs are from an array of participants with multiple skills and knowledge bases [Paulus (2000)]. ...
... Typically, this involves participants taking turns in airing their ideas to the rest of the group. Given that only one person can speak at a time, when that participant is talking other members must wait for their turn to verbalize their ideas and thus there exists the problem of not being able to express ideas as they occur [Furnham (2000)]. This is known as production blocking. ...
... This is known as production blocking. There are two apparent impacts [Paulus (2000)]: (i) the waiting time may cause an individual to forget their ideas \due to the limitation of the short-term memory" [Furnham (2000)]; (ii) an individual \may decide not to state ideas similar to those of others" [Coskun et al. (2000)] as they may consider their ideas \to be less original or relevant with respect to the presently-viewed idea" [Furnham (2000)]. Diehl and Stroebe [1987] have identi¯ed that production blocking is the main cause of productivity loss in traditional group brainstorming. ...
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The front-end of a roadmapping workshop typically consists of a brainstorming activity. The premise of which is to capture and share as many ideas as possible — to induce cognitive stimulation — resulting in a greater overall group performance in terms of the number, variety and originality of ideas. However, workshops are subjected to underlying cognitive and social processes with their associated downsides for group interaction. They include: production blocking, evaluation apprehension, free riding/social loafing, low norm setting/matching. Facilitation actions and process adjustments to counter such negative factors have been identified so as to improve the running of roadmapping workshops.
... Applying the KJ approach in the process of extracting design heuristics increases the credibility and accuracy of the extracted design heuristics, allowing design school teachers and students to be able to develop new design heuristics on their own based on course objectives. Brainstorming is one of the most popular creative techniques used in groups [32], and numerous studies have shown that nominal groups (i.e., groups that work independently but are present with each other) outperform interactive groups (i.e., groups that generate ideas from faceto-face discussion structures) in terms of the quantity and quality of ideas generated in brainstorming sessions [33,34]. These effects may be due to a variety of social and character factors, such as assessment fears, social fears, blocked production, or downward comparisons [35,36]. ...
... The brainstorming method is among the most prevalent creation techniques used in groups [32]. Numerous researchers have demonstrated that nominal groups (i.e., groups that work independently but are present with each other) generate a better quantity and quality of ideas in brainstorming meetings than interactive groups (i.e., groups that generate ideas through in-person meetings) [33,34]. To compare the effects of the experimental groups, the grouping format of the brainstorming method used in the control group in this quasi-experiment was nominal groups (i.e., individual brainstorming). ...
Article
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Previous research have demonstrated the efficiency of card-based design heuristics in product design courses, but the product case sources selected for these design heuristics have been too homogeneous and have targeted design goals, making it difficult for product design students to use them quickly and accurately in the classroom. As new products continue to iterate, previous design heuristics are no longer fully meeting the requirements of product design education. There is no process for developing design heuristics for course-targeted products that would allow design school teachers and students to develop new design heuristics on their own, based on course objectives. This study proposes case-based design heuristics (CBDHS) to support product design students in idea generation and a step-by-step process for constructing CBDHS. In addition, this study develops an eco-friendly product packaging example to validate the applicability of CBDHS in product design courses using an empirical evaluation. A total of 38 product design students participated in this quasi-experiment and were asked to generate as many ideas as possible in 45 min, with the experimental group (19 participants) generating ideas using CBDHS and the control group (19 participants) generating ideas using the brainstorming method. This quasi-experiment evaluated the ideas generated by each participant using five evaluation metrics (quantity, novelty, quality, number of good ideas, and level of design fixation). The results of the experiment show that (1) in terms of the number of ideas, the experimental group (M = 10.95, SD = 4.14) produced fewer ideas per participant on average than the control group (M = 13.68, SD = 4.44), t(36) = 1.966, p = 0.057; (2) regarding the novelty of ideas, there is no statistically significant difference between the control group (M = 4.00, SD = 1.47) and the experimental group (M = 4.48, SD = 1.56), t(149) = −1.928, p = 0.056; (3) with respect to the quality of ideas, there is no statistically significant difference between the control group (M = 4.19, SD = 1.96) and the experimental group (M = 4.40, SD = 2.05), t(149) = −0.648, p = 0.518; and (4) concerning the number of good ideas, there is a significant difference in the value of the proportion of the control group (9.5%) versus the experimental group (31.3%), x2(1, n = 151) = 11.44, p = 0.001. (5) There is no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of the level of design fixation. CBDHS can support product design students in generating ideas for the targeted products of the course, and the integration of CBDHS into the product design curriculum can help teachers to impart innovative ideas to students, ultimately leading to an improvement in teaching quality.
... On the other hand, numerous processes could increase individual capacity for creativity. Longer commutes may lead to lower stress levels (Ashforth et al., 2000), higher efficiency wages (Ross & Zenou, 2008), and more time for personal creativity (Furnham, 2000). ...
Article
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The impact of rising housing prices on talent attraction and resulting innovation output in cities has garnered significant attention. However, most existing studies have overlooked the moderating effect of commuting distance when investigating the association between housing prices and innovation, employing various estimating methodologies. To address this research gap, this study analyzes the focused topic using mobile signaling data and relevant macro data from Shanghai City Statistical Yearbooks for the period 2015 to 2022. The empirical findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between housing prices and regional innovation, indicating that as housing prices initially rise, regional innovation also rises before eventually decreasing. In the downtown area, high housing prices have a tendency to diminish innovation outcomes. Whereas the urban fringe area experiences a reverse effect. Additionally, this study reveals that commuting distance plays a significant moderating role in the relationship between housing prices and innovation. Our findings contribute to optimizing the spatial structure of urban employment and population distribution while providing valuable guidance for relevant high-tech enterprises and government departments in designing employee-oriented housing policies aligned with employment locations, thereby supporting future urban management policymaking.
... Then, use cases for a DT that might contribute to solving these problems were identified. This process was supported by creativity methods such as brainstorming (Furnham, 2000) or the use phase data use case catalogue by Wilberg, Lau, et al. (2018). A total of 15 relevant use cases were derived. ...
Thesis
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This work presents a toolbox supporting engineering firms in the conception and implementation of Digital Twins (DTs). The proposed toolbox consists of six main elements: (1) a procedure model guiding the development, (2) a business modeling approach to assess the value of DTs, (3) a value map supporting the identification of value propositions, (4) a catalogue to support the ideation of suitable DT use cases, (5) a template for consistent documentation of use cases, and (6) a trust framework supporting companies in building trust in their DT solutions.
... Brainstorming is a technique for generating a large quantity of ideas from a relatively small group of people. Originally developed by a Madison Avenue advertising executive Alex Osborn in the late 1950s, the technique has been overwhelmingly adopted by business and the design community over the last 30 years, in spite of some empirical evidence that it may not be as effective as individual thought (Furnham, 2000). That said, it remains a powerful technique to employ and it is used in business and industry the world over. ...
Chapter
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Educators have been using technology to gain leverage over the process of teaching for over 100 years. Nowhere has that effort been more apparent than in the use of media for instruction. This chapter looks at a university class designed to explore the factors involved in using media for education, what its constituent parts are, and how educators might design more effective media-centric solutions in the future. A taxonomy of these parts was developed in a structured seminar and subsequently applied to think about a new generation of media tools for education.
... Moderatör konu hakkında eleştiri ve yargılama endişesinden uzak, yaratıcı fikirlerin ortaya çıkmasını sağlamaya çalışmaktadır (Oppong, 2017). Problemin tespiti, çözümü ve iyileştirilmesi aşamalarında kendi başına kullanılacağı gibi diğer enstrümanlarla da kullanılarak daha fazla seçenek sunarak yaratıcılığı ve fikir üretkenliğini öne çıkarmaktadır (Furnham, 2000). ...
Chapter
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Sağlık kurumlarında stratejik insan kaynakları yönetimi, İKY işlevleri ile sağlık kurumunun stratejik hedefler arasında uyum sağlamaya odaklanmaktadır. Sağlık kurumlarında iç ve dış örgütsel çevre etkilerini doğru yönetebilmek için uzun vadeli hedefler ile İKY stratejilerinin bütünleştirilmesi gereklidir. Sağlık yöneticileri, sağlık insan kaynakları yetersizliği, düşük motivasyon, yetersiz maddi ve maddi olmayan teşvikler, yüksek tükenmişlik oranları ve yüksek iş gücü devri gibi insan kaynakları problemleri ile baş etmek zorundadırlar. Tüm bu problemlerle etkili bir şekilde baş edebilmek için sağlık insan kaynaklarının stratejik olarak yönetimi son derece önemlidir. Stratejik insan kaynaklarının başarılı bir şekilde uygulandığı kurumlarda hasta bakımı göstergelerinde iyileşme, tıbbi hatalarda azalma, çalışan ve hasta memnuniyetinde artış ve daha başarılı bir kriz yönetimi olduğu belirlenmiştir.
... At the same time, (2) the actual impact and effectiveness of a method is often not well understood. If we look, for example, at brainstorming (Osborn, 1953), a very popular design method for developing ideas in groups, research has recently shown that it actually produces "fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone" (Furnham, 2000). This example illustrates the need for a thorough understanding or even validation of a method. ...
... Moderatör konu hakkında eleştiri ve yargılama endişesinden uzak, yaratıcı fikirlerin ortaya çıkmasını sağlamaya çalışmaktadır (Oppong, 2017). Problemin tespiti, çözümü ve iyileştirilmesi aşamalarında kendi başına kullanılacağı gibi diğer enstrümanlarla da kullanılarak daha fazla seçenek sunarak yaratıcılığı ve fikir üretkenliğini öne çıkarmaktadır (Furnham, 2000). ...
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Bu bölümün amacı, değer odaklı sağlık bakım anlayışı ile sağlıkta stratejik satın alma ilişkisi hakkındaki mevcut literatürü ortaya koymaktır. Bu kapsamda yapılan literatür taramasında, cevap aranan temel araştırma sorusu şu şekildedir: Değer odaklı sağlık bakım yaklaşımına dayanan stratejik satın alma, sağlık hizmet sunucularına sürdürülebilir rekabet avantajı sağlar mı? Bu doğrultuda sağlık hizmetlerinde öncelikle değer odaklı sağlık bakım anlayışı ve stratejik satın alma konusunda bir çerçeve oluşturulmuş, ardından değer odaklı sağlık bakımı ile sağlık hizmetlerinde stratejik satın alma arasındaki ilişki ile bunun farklı paydaşlar açısından ortaya çıkarabileceği etkiler tartışılmaktadır.
... Some support for each of these suggestions can be found in the literature. We document some of that support and that of additional factors (see also Furnham, 2000 andRosing et al., 2018). ...
... Originally, brainstorming was invented to help advertisers find new and original ideas for the creation of advertising campaigns [1]. The challenges of designing new products and innovations were therefore completely foreign in the development of this method. ...
Article
Brainstorming has been established as the gold standard in generating new creative and innovative ideas in organizations. However, brainstorming is less efficient than it seems. This article discusses brainstorming as a method for innovation and highlights managerial insights to improve the generation of innovative concepts.
... However, the effectiveness of brainstorming as an ideation technique is highly debated in the academic literature, to a "surprising" degree, according to some scholars, given its persistence and ubiquity (Puccio et al., 2012, p. 63). Similarly, the professional press is dotted by articles dismissing brainstorming and portraying it as a "myth" (Furnham, 2000;Lehrer, 2012), an outright "waste of time" (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2015) that simply "does not work" (Torres, 2016). By contrast, advocates of brainstorming assert that, if done properly, "it can be innovation magic" (Gobble, 2014, p. 66). ...
Chapter
The chapter investigates the role of brainstorming as an educational tool on the basis of the author's experience in transnational education, and a review of the literature. Brainstorming is an ideation technique invented by Alex Osborn in the 40s. Still popular today, it has found numerous applications in education. Despite its diffusion, a large body of literature dismisses brainstorming as less effective in comparison to individuals working alone or other techniques in terms of quantity and quality of idea produced. Advocates of brainstorming claim that when done properly it can be very powerful in generating breakthrough ideas, and studies show that factors such as the presence of a facilitator, training, and the right time and type of problem assigned can greatly change the outcome of a session. After reviewing this contrasting literature, the author concludes that these studies ignore the cultural origin of brainstorming and attention should be paid to the cultural implications of the technique in transnational contexts outside the US.
... TRIZ is a famous theory for creative problem solving such as merging (e.g., combining similar objects) and segmentation (e.g., separating objects into independent parts). Brainstorming uses divergent thinking to generate all possible solutions to a specific problem, then uses the judgment of each idea to choose the best idea [83]. The Six Hats technique assumes six different patterns of thinking: Red (emotional thinking); White (factbased thinking); Yellow (positive thinking); and Blue (thinking about thinking); Black (caution thinking); Green (creative thinking) [63]. ...
Article
Educational policy plays a pivotal role in influencing educational practices in schools and can help promote creativity. In Saudi Arabia, however, few studies have focused on the analysis of these educational policies or on how they promote creativity with gifted students. Given that all schools in Saudi Arabia follow the educational policies issued by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and schools do not have separate educational policies or implementation documents to promote creativity, these policies could have a greater influence than in other countries where guidance is provided to schools on implementing national education policies. This study aimed to understand how the promotion of creativity is expressed for gifted students in Saudi Arabia by analysing educational policies issued by the MoE. To inform and guide the analysing of data, a 3Ps framework (Press, Process, and Person) was synthesised and used in the study. The findings identified two major gaps in the Saudi educational documents regarding gifted education for secondary school students. The first gap was the lack of a clear definition of creativity and giftedness, the relationship between creativity and giftedness, and the contradictions in defining creativity and giftedness. The second gap in these documents was a lack of detail about implementation mechanisms that could benefit teachers in schools. This study, therefore, suggests adding another (P) to the 3Ps framework for improvement, that is, promoting creativity in the educational context needs to include Policy, leading to four embedded circles of (P): Policy, Press, Process, and Person.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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Following Signposts takes us through trails that expose us to unique ways of viewing work, the workplace, and ourselves. However, the process can be overwhelming. Yet, if these markers are to deliver on their promise, they would have to converge in a single destination: a better place to work, Fig. 36.1. Consequently, it is not necessary to follow them all.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Day 30 was a short 13 km walk from Mollymook Beach to Conjola in NSW. It was one of the shortest walks of the whole pilgrimage and I covered it in less than 3 hours. Weatherwise, I wished I had spent more time on the road on that sunny day which was pleasantly cool and completely devoid of my nemesis wind.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
My backpack was very sturdy and if I interpreted what Ballistic Nylon Fabric meant correctly, it was bullet proof too. I carried two packs: a big one with a 70 litre capacity and a small 15 litre one which I wore in front to balance the weight of the larger pack on my back. I’d originally purchased the packs for an overseas trek that required something sturdy to endure rocky terrain and the better-not-to-know things that happen when one checks in their luggage on an international flight.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
In preparing for my walk, I mapped the route all the way from Melbourne to Sydney and planned where I would stop and when. As it turned out, factors like the wind and rain, and even my mood (who knew?) didn’t care about my well-intentioned plans.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
The renowned German filmmaker Werner Herzog started walking from Munich to Paris in a bitterly cold northern European winter, believing that in doing so he could save his friend and film critic Lotte Eisner. I will not distort what Herzog wrote about so beautifully in his book Of Walking in Ice [22] but, for me, the most striking part of his journey remains its spontaneity. True, he had a strong motivation.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Not long after I returned from my pilgrimage, I was approached by a publisher requesting an article about isolation in the workplace [3]. It was in response to tragic events that transpired at the remote Bellingshausen Station in Antarctica. The incident involved a researcher allegedly stabbing a colleague for giving away the endings of the books he was reading [4]. One spoiler too many led to the unfortunate stabbing.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
The question I was asked most frequently before, during and after I completed my pilgrimage was: “why?”. Sometimes I would give full Galapagos-iguana answers and at others I avoided answering altogether by suggesting “why not?”. Without a doubt, the latter was more convincing.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
I experienced my fair share of days walking in severe, gusty wind. The weather alert on my phone warned me of peak gusts of over 90 km/h and when it did, I relied on my walking sticks to keep me upright. I also paid extra attention to potential falling branches and even entire trees – gum trees have notoriously shallow roots. Strong wind also made for noticeably longer, or shorter, walking days depending on the wind’s direction and it played a role in whether camping was hard or simply impossible.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
I haven’t forgotten about the other four signposts that I discussed with the locals. These will not be discussed in any detail, but I do want to share just three views which came up while discussing the process of delivering a workplace (Signpost 11).
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
My Camino came with extras that were not included in the Sydney pilgrimage: I got postcards. One of these was from when I arrived at Pamplona and, allegedly, I had a go at running with the bulls. A postcard, or better said a digital image of a postcard, arrived by email each time I accumulated the number of kilometres that warranted one.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Even though the events in this book took place years before COVID-19 hit the world, the lessons of my pilgrimage take on new relevance and urgency in light of the global pandemic and its aftermath. Writing this book in parallel with the world encountering vast and long-lasting changes caused me to ponder the relevance of where we work.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
I find Signpost 4 particularly intriguing. It tells us that adversities are worth keeping, even introduced, in the workplace to promote innovation. This signpost points in the opposite direction from the way in which design deals with adversity and David summarised this well: "this better version of the world has a lot to do with removing the bad, including adversity." That is why even if adversity is as good at delivering wisdom and innovation, design might be as hardwired to avoid it as the rest of us.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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En-route adventures and stunning landscapes along the real Camino have inspired books such as Paulo Coelho’s The Pilgrimage [53], Hollywood movies The Way [54], and even award winning documentaries Walking the Camino [55]. As far as I know, nothing so lofty has come out of the virtual version and I think I know why.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
I am both surprised and grateful to see that a handful of friends came to the city for a send-off. It’s dark and we make efforts to recognise each other’s silhouettes in the blackness, eventually realising that it’s too early and cold for anyone besides us to be in the square on such a crisp Sunday morning.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Let’s start our pilgrimage by following one of the most significant signposts of all: the workplace should promote absurdity. Signpost 2 came out of the idea that our capability to be absurd gives us a competitive edge over logic-based algorithms in the future of work. Because of this, absurdity should be nurtured at the places where we work (Signpost 3).
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Before setting out on the walk, I had read books about pilgrimages and the practicalities of long-distance trekking. I got inspiration from the former and good tips from the latter. Hot tip: if your hair stands on end, you should drop on your knees and bend forward, but not lie flat on the floor, because lightning is about to strike you.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
Flying to Sydney for work came with the promise of exciting conversations and felt as though I fitted a week’s worth of work into a single day. In contrast, my Sisyphus goes to Sydney arrival had no meetings or conferences scheduled, nor any coffee catchups to go to. There was only one thing I had to do once I arrived in Sydney and that was to get a flight back home to Melbourne.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
I am on a peak-hour, return leg flight from Sydney to Melbourne following a full day of meetings with clients where I shared the findings from our latest workplace design research. The conversations were fruitful, with a particular focus on innovation – a popular topic among organisations. We discussed the ways a workplace could help unearth ideas that organisations intuitively know exist in the ranks of their employees but can be awfully hard to uncover.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
Full-text available
My GPS diligently tracked the 905 km that I walked between two of Australia’s major cities and a pedometer counted each and every humble but persistent act of putting one foot in front of another a total of 1,281,772 times.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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Having a rule or prescribed manner in which distance should be covered is a common feature among most pilgrimages. Rarely are these intended to improve the comfort or welfare of the pilgrim, in most cases, it’s quite the opposite. For example, a Tibetan pilgrimage requires pilgrims to perform body-length prostrations along a rocky path for 50 km – suffering is a necessary part of the journey [9]. Whereas most of us hope to be saved from pain, others hope to be saved through pain [10].
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
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What a journey it has been. Five years ago I would have had a hard time believing a commuter flight from Sydney to Melbourne would fill my mind with iguanas and send me on a pilgrimage.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
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In a nutshell, the calibrations tell us to continue to follow the signposts, the details can be found in Appendix C: Signpost calibration.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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The online Camino started in the beautiful Saint-Jean-Pied-De-Port, right at the foot of the French Pyrenees. This time there was not a small get-together at the starting point and that was a good thing, because I wasn’t there either. I started the walk many thousands of kilometres away.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
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I looked through the aeroplane window and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I recognised the route I had taken on my approach to Sydney. I grabbed my phone and took a picture of a distinctive section of the road that I had covered on day 32 of the walk, from Sanctuary Point (covered by the wing on the right) to Bomaderry (under the low-level clouds on the left) indicated with an ‘x’, Fig. 22.1.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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As important as it was to be prepared, I still needed to work on the reason why I needed to be prepared. I needed an idea to incubate. Choosing the right idea was critical, I didn’t want to finish the walk only to discover that my mind had figuratively walked in the wrong direction, even if my sore legs made it quite clear they had taken me to Sydney.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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As the towns along the way got smaller the ‘award-winning’ signs and their competition began to disappear. One small town had nothing more than a pub that doubled as a post office – a default winner for my patronage. However, the experience of this small-town pub was in sharp contrast to the scones and jam of larger towns.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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It took me 66 loops in the stormwater drain trail over the same number of days to complete the 774 km of El Camino online. A significantly slower pace when compared to the 905 km in 42 days of my walk to Sydney. However, this time around I didn’t have to put my life on hold and I squeezed the pilgrimage in alongside my daily life and unescapable household chores.
... Research shows unequivocally that brainstorming groups produce fewer and poorer quality ideas than the same number of individuals working alone. [99] In her book Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking [100], Susan Cain strings together a broad discussion on the shortcomings of collective thinking and she might have part of the answer when she argues that it's the social glue, as opposed to creativity which is the main benefit of group interaction. ...
Chapter
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This book freezes my pursuit of Signposts in search of a better place to work, what I have referred to as ‘my iguana’. But the ideas which underpin my creature will continue to evolve beyond the pages of this book. Not only because I will keep laying paths, but also because of you.
Book
This Element offers a concise introduction to the theory and practice of narrative creativity. It distinguishes narrative creativity from ideation, divergent thinking, design thinking, brainstorming, and other current approaches to explaining and/or cultivating creativity. It explains the biological and neuroscientific origins of narrative creativity. It provides practical exercises, developed and tested in hundreds of classrooms and businesses, and validated independently by the US Army. It details how narrative creativity contributes to technological innovation, scientific progress, cultural growth, and psychological wellbeing. It describes how narrative creativity can be assessed. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
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Creativity is one of the important research topics in engineering design, industrial design, psychology and other domains. Researchers are looking for possibilities to improve the creativity of individuals or teams based on methods, tools, specific environment or mindset. On the other hand, it is well known that in industry just a very small percentage of ideas available are leading to successful products. Why should we generate even more ideas, as long as the success rate is that poor? Design Thinking claimed to address this topic; SCRUM and similar concepts of agile development did this in a different way. Are these just simple trial and error methods? Is the classical design methodology becoming obsolete? Combining all the valuable methods and concepts including LEAN lead us to the TMS- approach developed at TUM. Interdisciplinarity, lean, agile, design methodology, and customer orientation are important aspects. A framework of methods and working principles are supporting this attempt. More than 300 master-students of different disciplines and more than 250 practitioners in industry worked in small interdisciplinary teams following this TMS- approach. More than 15% of the students continued and developed a start-up quite successfully. In industry the output and the comments of participants convinced their top-management. What is the origin of this success? Just making things work and tangible in early phases of product development! Then the designers as well as the management have a much better chance to recognise the potential of ideas! This was observed and recognised during all the projects. Conclusion out of this: research regarding creativity is valuable and necessary. More important in industry—and for students—is the “making” of ideas to reduce or eliminate inadequate barriers.
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The current study aimed to reveal the “reality of employing modern teaching strategies in ‎Jordanian schools from the teachers point of view”. The study sample consisted of (200) male ‎and female teachers. of the private sector teachers in Amman in the first semester of the ‎academic year (2022/2023) in Jordanian schools, They were chosen randomly. In order to achieve ‎the research goals, the researcher developed a four-dimensional scale to assess modern teaching ‎methods. The dimensions included Brainstorming, The Six Hats, PDEODE, and SWOM. The ‎scale's validity and reliability were confirmed, and it was then given to the study participants. ‎The results indicated that the teachers in the study implemented all of the strategies to a "high" ‎degree. As a result, the researcher recommended that a variety of teaching strategies should be ‎utilized in the classroom to achieve desired outcomes
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Brainstorming is an old and widely used process designed to help organizations generate ideas. It has not changed much since its introduction in 1953, and the general consensus today is that, more often than not, it does not produce satisfactory results. This paper examines why that is so and what can be done to improve the brainstorming process. The authors believe that the recommendations put forward here represent a significant modification, not only to the brainstorming process but to the way organizations need to approach and organize their brainstorming sessions. The paper challenges long standing practices and assumptions regarding brainstorming. The authors conclude, after conducting their own primary research with brainstorming participant groups, that two of the four guidelines which creator Alex Osborn originally specified are beyond the expertise of most brainstorming group participants and require specific training. The lack of this pre-training of participants is why most ideation sessions fail, though professionalisation of facilitation is also likely to improve brainstorming outcomes.
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We conducted four experiments to investigate free riding, evaluation apprehension, and production blocking as explanations of the difference in brainstorming productivity typically observed between real and nominal groups. In Experiment 1, we manipulated assessment expectations in group and individual brainstorming. Although productivity was higher when subjects worked under personal rather than collective assessment instructions, type of session still had a major impact on brainstorming productivity under conditions that eliminated the temptation to free ride. Experiment 2 demonstrated that inducing evaluation apprehension reduced productivity in individual brainstorming. However, the failure to find an interaction between evaluation apprehension and type of session in Experiment 3 raises doubts about evaluation apprehension as a major explanation of the productivity loss in brainstorming groups. Finally, by manipulating blocking directly, we determined in Experiment 4 that production blocking accounted for most of the productivity loss of real brainstorming groups. The processes underlying production blocking are discussed, and a motivational interpretation of blocking is offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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A modified brainstorming procedure that required Ss (male introductory psychology students) to identify psychologically with significant components of the task (called synectics) was compared to standard brainstorming over 3 sessions and 9 different problems. Each treatment condition was also divided into high- and low-interpersonal-effectiveness groups. The synectics groups were superior to the brainstorming groups on all 9 problems, but the differences were statistically significant for only 4. There were no significant main effects due to group composition, nor were there any interactions. It is concluded that synectics is a more effective group-problem-solving strategy than brainstorming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Research has consistently found nominal group brainstorming (in which members work separately without communicating) to be superior to brainstorming in which group members interact verbally. This article presents the results of an experiment that found the reverse to be true for computer-mediated electronic brainstorming. In this experiment, 12-member electronically interacting groups generated more ideas than did 12-member nominal groups, and there were no differences between 6-member electronic and 6-member nominal groups. The authors attribute these results to the ability of electronic brainstorming to introduce few process losses (production blocking, evaluation apprehension, and free riding) while enabling process gains (synergy and the avoidance of redundant ideas). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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The authors predicted that individuals high in dispositional anxiousness would perform poorly when brainstorming in groups but not during solitary brainstorming. Exp demonstrated this result in a comparison of groups of 4 that were all high or all low in interaction anxiousness. In groups with 2 low- and 2 high-anxious individuals, the low-anxious individuals lowered their performance in the direction of the high-anxious individuals. These results suggest that part of the productivity loss observed in interactive brainstorming groups may be due to the inhibited performance of individuals who are uncomfortable with group interaction. Moreover, these individuals may influence others in the group to lower their performance in line with that inhibited performance level. Exp 2 demonstrated that poor performance of socially anxious groups in interactive brainstorming is not dependent on whether group members have individual microphones or share 1 common microphone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
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Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually. A meta-analysis of 78 studies demonstrates that social loafing is robust and generalizes across tasks and S populations. A large number of variables were found to moderate social loafing. Evaluation potential, expectations of co-worker performance, task meaningfulness, and culture had espeically strong influence. These findings are interpreted in the light of a Collective Effort Model that integrates elements of expectancy-value, social identity, and self-validation theories.
Chapter
This chapter presents a brief and partly historical overview of electronic imaging, image processing, and display. It traces the development of imaging devices from photomultipliers through to CCD and CMOS sensors, and outlines their fundamental operating principles. The evolution of early electronic display systems is then described, and the chapter concludes with a review of image processing and the basic principles of computer graphics.
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A series of studies examined the role of social influence processes in group brainstorming. Two studies with pairs and 1 with groups of 4 revealed that the performance of participants in interactive groups is more similar than the performance of those in nominal groups. A 4th study demonstrated that performance levels in an initial group session predicted performance on a different problem 2 sessions later. In a 5th study it was found that the productivity gap between an interactive and nominal group could be eliminated by giving interactive group members a performance standard comparable with the typical performance of nominal groups. These studies indicate that performance levels in brainstorming groups are strongly affected by exposure to information about the performance of others. It is proposed that social matching of low performance levels by interactive group members may be an important factor in the productivity loss observed in group brain storming.
Article
Two studies were conducted to examine the influence of individual and group goal setting on brainstorming performance. Results from the studies indicated that the individual goals of nominal participants were higher than the individual goals of interactive participants. Group goal setting by consensus led to the lowest goals. There was no influence of goal setting on group brainstorming performance. However, participants who set goals rated their individual performance more favorably than did participants who did not set goals. The low group goals set by interactive groups are discussed in terms of assumptions made regarding the ability of other group members and the detrimental effects of group interaction.
Article
This study addresses the causes and potential mediators of social loafing on tasks which require active cognitive effort. Contrary to previous research, social loafing did occur despite the use of a task which was thought-provoking, personally involving, and provided the opportunity for unique contributions. The results suggest that equity theory, which has been supported as a reason for social loafing on physical tasks, may also be the basis for loafing on cognitive tasks. No significant loafing occurred when the subjects believed their partners would not loaf.
Article
This study examined the effects of personality (psychoticism) and nominal vs real groups using brainstorming techniques in problem solving. Subjects either brainstormed three problems on their own, in pairs or in four person groups consisting of similar personality scores. There were six dependent measures: total number of non-redundant ideas; number of ‘superior’ responses; a rating on the quality of the ideas; the percentage of superior responses; a creativity production rate and a self-rating of imaginativeness. It was predicted that high P scorers brainstorming alone would have the highest creative scores but when they interact with similar types of individuals in group settings, their superior score rate would be overtaken by equivalent groups of low creative individuals. This prediction was supported for four person groups on the number and percentage of superior response measures and the mean creative rate measure. Dyads total creativity scores were always lower than four person nominal or real groups or two individuals working alone. There were almost no significant interactions between personality type, group size or the tasks used. Implications for organizations is discussed and the direction of future research is examined.
Applied Imagination Social influence processes in group brainstorming
  • A Osborn
Osborn, A. (1957) Applied Imagination. New York: Scribner Paulus, P. and Dzindolet, M. (1993) Social influence processes in group brainstorming. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 575-586
Introduction to Electronic Meetings
  • A Weatherall
  • J Nunamaker
Weatherall, A. and Nunamaker, J. (1996) Introduction to Electronic Meetings, Chichester: Technical Graphics.