Brainstorming is broken
For over 10 years, I have attended countless creative brainstorming meetings about service programming, marketing ideas, and creative events. As much as I hate to say it, I have concluded that brainstorming DOES NOT WORK. At least not the traditional model used by most teams. It does not yield the type of innovative results that can be achieved through faster and more efficient means. We have all sat though supposedly ‘creative brainstorm meetings’ thinking; “This is such a waste of my time…” So what happened and how did we get here? I have come up with a few 'mental storms' that cause creative obstacles.
Storm chasers…
The first storm is this mythical illusion that has been created around brainstorming. It’s like brainstorming is some sort of a magical place where the average attendee instantly becomes a more creative person. The fact is if you are not creative before you enter a meeting, you will not be once you get there. The innovative process is a discipline developed over time. Creativity is a muscle that has to be worked out on a regular basis. I have seen too many meetings with clueless individuals that do not contribute a single good idea but their involvement in the project justifies their attendance. There are too many wrong people in these creative meetings. Many times the wrong person is even the pastor, boss, or CEO!
Brainstorming Rule #1: Get rid of all the useless voices.
The second storm is the idea that it’s the creative leader’s responsibility to get EVERYONE involved. The pressure to collaborate is unhealthy in too many places, inside the church and out. There are too many social dynamics in play during a brainstorm meeting. You have to be conscious of everyone’s feelings, praise even bad ideas, figure out why some people are not talking, trying to manage dead time, please the boss, and end with general consensus. What ends up happening is that great ideas die quickly and bad ideas linger on for too long. The truth is, an idea comes to a person not to a group. An organization does not innovate, a person does. The group is great for ‘buy in’ but not to generate original ideas. The group is also great for broad input and feedback but terrible at innovation and ‘on the edge’ thinking. Social pressures make people slow, quiet, and unoriginal.
Brainstorming Rule #2: Stop wasting the group’s time.
The third storm is the belief in bad group theories. Do the research yourself. There have been many studies done over decades that conclude the same thing- traditional brainstorming leads to mediocre results. We do it because we are social creatures, driven by guilt, people pleasing, and misconceptions to involve everyone. It ‘feels’ right even though the results are predictable. For example, in the world of inventions, the individual is much more successful than the group. What’s the last invention you can remember accredited to a team versus an individual? At the bottom, I’ve listed some links to get you thinking about this idea.
Brainstorming Rule #3: Do the research of what really works.
The Perfect Storm…
So what do you do now? First, highly skilled and creative people should only be invited to brainstorm meetings. People that are natural innovators and ‘out of the box’ thinkers should be in the room from the very beginning. These artists and leaders are assigned points to develop before the meeting and they are expected to come with many ideas that are fully baked. (this is where most drop the ball). They take this role very seriously and are pushing for concrete results. The room has no more than 8 people and every person is fully committed to not wasting each other’s time. There is no illusion here. This group can see their dreams turning into reality; they just need the right spark to launch it. If anyone can’t cut it, they are out. You’ll probably find that your best innovative thinkers won’t waste their time with the wrong groups.
Brainstorming Rule #4: Empower a ‘dream team’ that can be the core of your brainstorm meetings.
I know you have been to meetings where the wrong people come up with the right idea. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Just because something works on occasion does not mean it works like it should. Brainstorming should be like a car. If it only works on occasion then you have to admit it’s broken. Only when it works all of the time is your car useful. The best brainstorming teams have spent a lot of time together, have a mutual respect for each other and they've done their homework before the meeting. Output and innovation is their number one goal and they won’t leave the room till they have achieved it.
Most of us have been exposed to way too many poor brainstorming experiences. That’s not your fault. The question is are you going to continue the vicious storm cycle or are you willing to create a new culture of creativity for your team and staff? If you can champion these ideas, you will be surprised to see how in a perfect storm lightning can strike again, again, and again.
Here are some articles to think about in regards to brainstorming:
INC.Magazine Article
Seth Godin Article
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