Brainstorming is one of those workaday solutions for many many offsites and away days. It doesn’t always work. But it can work in specific situations.
In The Brainstorming Process Is B.S. But Can We Rework It Cliff Kuang outlines some interesting research on group work and creativity, picking up some recent publications suggesting that introverts fare poorly in group work situations and steers via workplaces where “accidental” cross-fertilisation makes them more productive.
He suggests that we can use brainstorming to find problems AND answers, because “the fact is that people are usually better at finding fault than they are at finding answers.” Quotes research that brainstorming WITH debate is actually more productive.
