Brainstorming? A Waste.
Brainstorming doesn’t work.
Why? Let’s have a close look when it happens.
A meeting invitation kicked in your mailbox titled “Discussion on project way forward.” Two or three sentences cover from greetings to a vague problem statement. You mark it as Read, then forget about it for two more days until the meeting. With four colleagues, you gaze into a laptop screen, waiting for the organizer to talk. The discussion starts. After restating the issue from the email, the moderator asks the question and looks around with full expectation.
“What is your idea?”
In good situations, someone starts to talk. Then everyone nods and echos. After a few rounds of reassuring each other, the host concludes the meeting. And everyone (including the one who talks the most) leaves the table with a voice in mind. What a waste of my time! The solution is too obvious to be worth a meeting!
Occasionally, no one talks. You are either staring at the screen or drawing circles in the notebook. Somehow, the host manages to proceed with the meeting till the end. But the discussion is like a black hole, nothing comes out of it.
If more than 80% of your brainstorming session looks like that and nobody thought about changing, either you are working in a slowly dying Global 500 or a startup that will go bankrupt soon. You better start searching for alternatives.
Why doesn’t brainstorming work? Three main reasons.
#1 Lack of preparation leads to cognitive biases.
Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" provides insight into cognitive biases.
"Availability heuristic" refers to the tendency to judge the frequency or likelihood of an event based on how easily examples come to mind. In brainstorming sessions, when people are not well prepared, they may evaluate the quality of ideas based on how easy they are to imagine or how similar they are to ideas that have been successful in the past rather than on their actual potential.
Another bad influence brought by unprepared is opinion "anchoring." It refers to the tendency for people to rely too heavily on the first piece of information they receive when making decisions or judgments. In brainstorming sessions, the anchoring effect can lead people to accept or reject ideas based on their initial impression of the idea rather than on a more careful evaluation of its merits. For example, if the first idea presented is seen as unfeasible or impractical, it may create a negative anchor that biases the group's evaluation of subsequent ideas. Conversely, if the first idea presented is seen as highly innovative or valuable, it may create a positive anchor that biases the group's evaluation of subsequent ideas.
#2 High wall of GroupThink leads to individual suppression
Kahneman also discusses the concept of "groupthink," which refers to the tendency for groups to conform to the dominant opinion or avoid expressing dissenting views. In brainstorming sessions, groupthink can lead to a lack of diversity in ideas and a reluctance to challenge the status quo. This can be exacerbated by the fear of evaluation and the pressure to conform to the group's expectations.
Evaluation apprehension refers to the fear of being judged by others in the group and the resulting reluctance to share ideas. This fear of evaluation can lead to a self-censorship of thoughts and ideas that a person may consider too risky or unconventional. In brainstorming sessions, people may hold back from sharing ideas because they fear that others may judge their ideas as stupid, irrelevant, or unfeasible. This can result in a lack of participation and narrowing the range of ideas generated. The group may end up relying on the same few people who feel comfortable sharing their ideas rather than benefiting from the diverse perspectives and creativity of the entire group.
Mental contagion can lead to losing individuality and critical thinking within the group. In his book "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind,” Gustave Le Bon describes the emergence of a group mind or collective consciousness, in which the group's beliefs and emotions become stronger and more influential than the beliefs and emotions of its individual members. This can lead to a narrowing of ideas and a suppression of dissenting views. Le Bon argues that groups are often more interested in maintaining harmony and avoiding conflict than in evaluating the merits of ideas or exploring new possibilities.
#3 Lack of structure leads to chaos
If the meeting doesn't have a clear agenda and participants don't know what to expect, the discussion can become unfocused or derailed. Creating a clear agenda and providing participants with sufficient information beforehand to prepare and contribute effectively is important to make brainstorming sessions more effective.
How to hold a successful brainstorming session?
In his book "Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days," Jake Knapp offers a structured approach to brainstorming that can help teams generate more effective and innovative ideas. Specifically for the ideation phase, the book lays a very strict condition for promoting individual idea generation and prioritization. For example, an experienced and neutral facilitator, an uninterrupted and complete silent period before idea sharing, and a set of rules for idea presentations.
I will not go in-depth about the Sprint approach to keep the post short. However, to overcome the anchoring effect and social influence in brainstorming sessions, groups should strive to be more aware of their own biases and encourage a diversity of perspectives and ideas. This can be achieved by appointing a neutral facilitator, rotating the leadership role, or using anonymous idea submission to reduce the influence of status or authority within the group. By promoting a culture of openness and reflection, groups can generate more innovative and independent ideas while avoiding the pitfalls of social influence and the anchoring effect.
Now the problem becomes: whether it is faster for your organization to change the way of brainstorming or you change a job.
Reference
Think fast & slow
Sprint: how to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days
The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind