Better Brainstorming

  Communications Management   Innovation   Knowledge Management   Lessons Learned   Talent Management   Teams   ProjectsAtWork  

Many project leaders and teams believe brainstorming is a waste of time and doesn’t produce meaningful results. Maybe they aren’t doing it right. A variation called reverse brainstorming can help, focusing on the quality over quantity of ideas. Here’s advice on achieving better outcomes from both techniques.

We all know what brainstorming is and how to do it. Then how come so many people do it so poorly? They think they do it well, but as an observer, I can tell you they don’t. And the ones who are proudest and loudest of their skills are often the ones lacking them the most. Let’s explore what brainstorming is and why so many people find it difficult to do it right and get true benefits from it.

The biggest reason I see is that those leading the brainstorming session are too involved in the outcome rather than the process. This is unfortunate and driven by the fact that we often run our own meetings and do not have the luxury of using an outside facilitator. As a manager or a project manager, if we need some new ideas, approaches or solutions, we lead the team in developing them.

The trouble with this scenario is that we own the ultimate decision. That is normally not a bad thing and is part of our responsibility. But in the case of finding new solutions or ideas, if we are going to be held personally responsible for the outcome, we will be much more …

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