TOPIC 5: Brainstorming and its Variants

5.1 CLASSICAL BRAINSTORMING

(a) Rules
(b) Process
5.2 VARIANTS
(a) Wildest idea
(b) Stop and go
(c) Round-robin
(d) Gordon-Little
(e)Trigger method
5.3 PROBLEMS WITH BRAINSTORMING
(a) Brainwriting
(b) Brainlining (brainstorming on the Internet)
TOPIC 5: Brainstorming and its Variants
Under-productive meetings

How many times do we have meetings, raise issues and problems,

and then go away without any real conviction that what we have
decided to do is really the only possible way of tackling a problem?
Often there is a feeling that there might have been a better
approach to dealing with a particular problem if only we could have
come up with an idea that we feel was lurking at the back our mind.
Indeed, it could be several months later that we suddenly realize
that another way of tackling the problem would have produced a
better solution! If only we had thought of it at the time!
Brainstorming is a paradigm-preserving approach to creative
problem solving that enables us to gain insights into problems that
otherwise we might overlook. It enables us to bring to mind those
other solutions that somehow always seem to evade us when we
most need them.
5.1 CLASSICAL BRAINSTORMING
A form of brainstorming was practiced in Asia over 3,000 years ago;
however, in modern times its popularization has been attributed to Alex
Osborn in the 1940s and 1950s (Rickards, 1988).
Most brainstorming techniques fall into two categories: unstructured and
structured. Unstructured brainstorming is not guided by any agreed-upon
set of procedures. The result is often an unproductive session. A good
example of structured brainstorming is classical brainstorming. It is based
upon a few major principles and was originally recognized and used from
the early 1950s.
Osborn (1953) advocated the virtue of deferment of judgment as an aid
to creativity. Later work at Buffalo in the United States by Parnes (1963)
supported Osborns claims that, through the deferment-of-judgement
principle, more and more good ideas could be produced in unit time.
Osborn had four basic rules for brainstorming:
(1) Criticism is not permitted adverse judgement of ideas must be withheld.
(2) Free-wheeling is welcome the wilder the idea the better. One should not be afraid to
say anything that comes into ones mind. This complete freedom stimulates more and
better ideas.
(3) Quantity is required the greater the number of ideas, the more likelihood of winners.
(4) Combinations and improvements should be tried out. In addition to contributing ideas
of ones own, one should suggest how ideas of others can be improved, or how two or
more ideas can be joined into a still better idea.
5.1 (a) Rules of brainstorming
Brainstorming is a tool to generate ideas, and some
ground rules are needed to maintain order.
Following 4 rules will maximize productivity:
(1) Evaluate later.
(2) Go for quantity.
- Flexibility
- Fluency
(3) Encourage wild ideas.
(4) Build on other ideas.
- Elaboration
(1) Evaluate later
One does not have to defend or explain ideas. Evaluating
or explaining interrupts the process and can make it hard
to generate ideas. All ideas put forward are equally
valuable, and people are apt to hold back their ideas if
they feel they may be ridiculed.

(2) Go for quantity

The generation of many ideas opens up a wide range of
possibilities. This quantity has two dimensions: flexibility
and fluency.
Flexibility is a range of different classes of ideas. Imagine
one is brainstorming for frozen items to sell in a store. The
list might include ice cream, microwave dinners,
concentrated fruit juice and desserts. This shows
flexibility; the variety of types of products is high.
Fluency reflects variety of ideas clustered around a
common theme. Returning to the frozen food, the list
may contain several kinds of ice cream, including
Raspberry Ripple, Rum and Raisin, Vanilla and Chocolate.
The fluency of ice-cream-related ideas is also high.
(3) Encourage wild ideas
Everyone can think of wild ideas. For example, one should look
beyond trying to satisfy the customer. One should try to create
ideas that can:
dazzle customers. leave them feeling breathless.
(4) Build on other ideas
Ideas that are shared during brainstorming can inspire even more
ideas. Osborn believed that modifying or combining ideas could
lead to new and even better ones. These ideas come from people
with the creative skill of elaboration. They are able to expand an
idea or take it in a new direction. Elaboration may happen
spontaneously. Combining two ideas that might not seem closely
related can produce a better idea. It will certainly produce a wild
one.
Brainstorming is a traditional approach to creative thinking. The
whole idea of brainstorming is that peoples thoughts act to
stimulate one another and produce a chain reaction of ideas.
Thereare many variants to brainstorming.
5.1 (b) THE PROCESS OF BRAINSTORMING
A brainstorming session needs to be well planned, and those
who take part as group members need to be well briefed
beforehand on how the sessions are to be conducted and on
the rules they will be expected to apply. The brainstorming
group should comprise 1012 people: a leader, a scribe, and
810 regular and guest members. Ideally, it should take place
away from the everyday place of work. The room needs
comfortable chairs, flip charts, Blu-Tack and marker pens.
There are a number of stages to brainstorming:
(1) The client should be asked to state the problem and clarify
any aspects which appear confusing to the group members.
(2) The problem is recorded along with any redefinitions
produced by the group.
(3) The client picks the most useful redefinitions, which are
then used for idea generation.
(4) Ideas are then generated.
A formal statement of the problem is given by the client. The brainstorming group then attempts
to interpret the goals or objectives of the situation. A good technique for understanding goals is
to use the how to approach. For example, when looking for good new product ideas the problem
might be variously defined as:
how to introduce new products which are winners (problem as given)
how to identify winning new products (sub-problem)
how to satisfy customers wants and needs (looking at the problem in a new way)
how to get the horse first past the post (metaphorical approach)
The client is invited to indicate the most useful redefinitions, and redefinitions continue focusing on what
the client has indicated as a fruitful direction. Finally, the client selects one or more redefinitions for
ideation purposes and the group then begins to generate ideas for each one of the selected problem
redefinitions in turn.
Example 1
Problem as given:
How to decrease production times.
Redefinitions:
How to increase the use of computers.
How to improve the efficiency of the workforce.
How to generate flexibility.
How to replace batch production with continuous production.
Problem taken:
How to improve the efficiency of the workforce.
Ideation stage:
Job sharing between departments.
Introduce performance-related pay.
Encourage social outings.
Give workers super powers.
Get rid of lunch breaks.
Discuss how to achieve common goals.
Bring in organizational consultants.
Replace workers with computers.
Example 2
Problem as given:
How to make the manufacture and marketing of cartons more profitable.
Redefinitions:
How to identify new and profitable uses for a carton.
How to satisfy customer wants.
How to be the early bird and catch the worm (gain entry to new markets).
Problem taken:
How to identify new profitable uses for a carton.
Ideation stage:
shoe boxes boards for notices
folders videocassette and tape box
components for picture frames egg holder
advertising material envelopes
hardware packaging wrapping material
pencil cases chocolate packaging
theatre stage dcor perfume box
dress models paper bin
drawing and painting pads desk organiser
Example 3
Problem as given:
A clothes manufacturer is facing resistance from employees to the frequent changes to job and work methods that
developments in the product and production methods have forced upon them.
Redefinitions
How to make employees more enthusiastic to new methods.
How to make new methods more welcome.
How to make the rewards more appealing.
How to determine what kinds of rewards to give.
How to achieve the appropriate balance between new methods and rewards.
First redefinition taken:
How to make employees more enthusiastic to new methods.
Ideas:
1 Give them incentives. 2 Make them co-operate.
3 Ask them what would please them. 4 Make the new methods appear challenging.
5 Introduce benefits with each new method introduced. 6 Reduce negative responses towards new tasks.
7 Train the employees to become more flexible. 8 Alter the inspection routines.
9 Show them that co-operation will be to their benefit.
Second redefinition taken:
How to make rewards more appealing.
Ideas:
1 Ask the employees themselves. 2 Look at a crystal ball.
3 Give them non-monetary rewards. 4 Make them offers they cannot refuse.
5 Offer holiday trips and parties. 6 Tell them what they will lose if they do not co-operate.
7 Ask someone who knows. 8 Show them the punishments.
The answer seems to lie in reducing or eliminating the hostility towards the new
ways of performing jobs or tasks. Employees may be persuaded to have a more
positive attitude if some kind of reward is offered with each new method that they
learn. This way new methods will appear challenging rather than threatening. For
example, learning a new method might be rewarded with token points. After
collecting a certain number of points employees might be offered a special reward
such as three days additional paid leave.

Brainstorming is used most frequently to generate as many solutions to a particular

problem as possible because quantity is favored over quality. The product of a
brainstorming session is ideally a wide range of possible ideas that can be presented
to a client. The basic assumption is that two heads are better than one and that
together, in groups, innovative solutions can be found.

Most of the problems faced by organizations are not well structured. They do not
have any obvious steps or parts, and there is no obviously right or wrong answer.
Such problems are referred to as poorly structured. Creative thinking is required to
make decisions on poorly structured tasks. For example, a company deciding how to
use a new ingredient in its consumer products is facing a poorly structured problem.
Other poorly structured problems might include coming up with a new product
name, image or logo, or finding new or original uses for familiar objects like a coat-
hanger, paper-clip or brick.
5.2 (a) WILDEST-IDEA VARIANT
Getting really good insights into a problem can often be greatly
assisted by participants introducing wild ideas into the proceedings. It
is the leaders responsibility to ask the participants to make this kind
of contribution. Wild ideas may not be productive in themselves but
they can spur others on to think of more practical ideas.
Sometimes, however, the group may experience difficulty in
generating wild ideas this is often the case with less experienced
groups. In such an instance the leader may suspend the normal
session and introduce a variant of brainstorming which encourages
people to speculate. When this is done, members of the group are
actually asked to write down a fantasy or dream-like solution to the
problem. Next, the various suggestions are collected and written on
the flip chart. Each fantasy idea is then brainstormed until a realistic
idea is found.
Example
PROBLEM: reducing the amount of paperwork in the office.
FANTASY SOLUTION: do without all the paperwork in the office.
PRACTICAL SOLUTION: use email for everything, except where
paperwork is absolutely essential.
5.2 (b) STOP-AND-GO BRAINSTORMING
The procedure here is similar to classical brainstorming
except for the fact that the session is divided up into
segments. Rest periods are introduced every 35
minutes or so to allow participants to gather their
thoughts and peruse the ideas that have been recorded
up to that point.

5.2 (c) ROUND-ROBIN BRAINSTORMING

Here again the rules are the same as those for classical
brainstorming, but, instead of the participants being
encouraged to shout out ideas at random, each person
in turn is asked to make a contribution. The round is
repeated several times until it appears that ideas have
dried up or until a fixed period of time has elapsed.
5.2 (d) GORDONLITTLE VARIATION
This variation was suggested by William Gordon
while he was working for the Arthur D. Little
organization. Gordon noted that participants in
brainstorming sessions often look for ideal or
obvious solutions and once these have been found
suspend their really creative thinking. To obviate this
problem he suggested a procedure that initially
avoids presentation of the problem to be solved.
Instead the leader guides the group in focusing on
the underlying concept or principle of the problem.
Only gradually does the leader reveal more and
more information as different ideas are developed.
The steps involve the following:
(1) Introduce the problem in an abstract form and ask participants
to suggest ideas for solving the problem in this abstract form.
(2) In the course of the ideation process the leader introduces key
pieces of information associated with the problem. As a result of
this information the problem is progressively refined to a less
abstract level.
(3) The leader eventually reveals the original problem to the
group.
(4) Using previously generated ideas as stimuli, the group
generates ideas with regard to the specific needs of the original
problem.
Example
Suppose the real problem is to do with implementing change in the
workplace:
(1) The problem is first introduced in an abstract form e.g. how to
get something off the ground. Suggestions might include attaching
it to a balloon.
(2) After ideas have been exhausted at this level the leader might
suggest that the problem involves getting a new project off the
ground. Suggestions at this stage might include extensive
consultation with everyone involved in the project.
(3) When the problem is eventually revealed, the suggestions at
stages 1 and 2 might be usefully modified to produce novel insights
into the real problem.
The GordonLittle variation is an interesting one, but one of its
drawbacks of course is that it doesnt readily allow for problem
definition unless, of course, the method itself is used to define
the problem. Using it in the latter way will unfortunately preclude
its use for generating ideas for the same problem.
5.2 (e) TRIGGER METHOD
The trigger method is often used in conjunction with
classical brainstorming (see Bujake, 1969).The
procedure adopted is as follows:
(1) Read out a statement of the problem to the
group.
(2) Ask each member of the group to record ideas in
silence (allow five minutes for this).
(3) One member of the group is then asked to read
out his or her ideas to the rest of the group.
(4) The ideas read out are then discussed by the rest
of the group for about ten minutes with the
objective of developing variations on the ideas or
even new ideas.
(5) The procedure continues until all ideas have been
discussed.
5.3 PROBLEMS WITH BRAINSTORMING

There are problems with brainstorming. It is still hopelessly

misunderstood and badly executed by managers who assume that any
discussion of ideas is automatically brainstorming (Rickards, 1985:
55).The term is frequently used incorrectly, and success depends on the
experience and skills of the group leader. Moreover, brainstorming is a
thought-skimming technique and not always enough to help staff
grappling with stuckness on an issue, or with strategic decisions (Rogers,
1993).

According to Hicks (1991), brainstorming as a CPS tool has its limitations.

While it is useful for acquiring large numbers of ideas, it is better-suited
to conceptually simple problems, as opposed to the more complex
development of those ideas. Brainstorming also relies on random
association and therefore does not always produce original solutions.
Brainstorming is not a suitable technique for a number of situations,
including those with a high technical content, people motivation and
problems requiring the consideration of written material.
5.3 (a) BRAINWRITING
Brainwriting is used by individuals or a group to put
ideas in writing. Each person writes their ideas down on
index cards, self-adhesive notes or slips of paper. Large
groups find it helpful because everyone gets to express
their ideas completely and quickly. Individuals can write
their ideas down in a private, quiet place and share
them later. To use it by oneself is easy:
(1) Get a stack of index cards, self-adhesive notes or
slips of paper.
(2) Pick or be asked a question that requires a new, fresh
answer.
(3) Sit down, relax and write down every idea on a
separate card and initial it. One uses the rules of
brainstorming and the skills needed to make them work.
5.3 (b) BRAINLINING
Peter Lloyd on the Compuserve creativity forum has been active in
promoting brainstorming over the Internet hence the term brainlining.
The word combines the words brainstorming and online, which
describes fairly well what is meant by brainlining. The word also refers to
live, real-time, online sessions directed by him, incorporating special
techniques, and focused on generating ideas for solving specific
problems.
With the growth of online services, the process of exchanging and
building upon the ideas of groups of people has occurred spontaneously.
Online forums, for example, can be thought of as ongoing brainstorming
sessions to the extent that they allow for the free flow of ideas.
On Compuserves creativity forum, several scheduled online sessions
have been staged in which people trained to brainstorm online have
worked on generating ideas to solve specific problems. These brainlining
sessions make use of games designed for the peculiar dynamics of online
idea generation. Brainlining games stimulate the flow of ideas, encourage
humor, and make the process fun.
Brainlining is extremely efficient. It allows all participants to enter ideas
simultaneously. All ideas are visible, everybody can see every idea, and all
ideas are recorded and available to all participants after the session has
ended.
Brainlining also introduces the leadership of a trained moderator who
conducts each session and introduces special stimulants during the
session the kind used in top-level live brainstorming sessions, but
designed specifically for brainlining.
The most important feature of brainlining is cross-pollination. Online
services such as Compuserves creativity forum provide a vast cross-
disciplinary congregation, worldwide in scope, which provides the
most diverse, intelligent and unique global think-tank imaginable.
Brainlining sessions increase in effectiveness to the degree that they
enlist people of divergent interests and expertise.
General rules
(1) The Moderator is in charge; one has to follow the Moderators
directions.
(2) Only the Moderator types in ALL CAPITALS and only when giving
directions
(3) The games are played with intensity, mutual support and fun.
(A) Alphabet soup game
(1) The Moderator states the problem and announces a letter
of the alphabet.
(2) All Brainliners make Suggestions using the given letter.
(3) Play continues until the Moderator gives a new letter or
stops the game.

Example (hypothetical illustration)

Moderator: HOW DO WE GET MORE PEOPLE TO BRAINLINE?
THE LETTER IS M.
Jazz: Do it to music.
Classic: Offer more free time on the Net.
Pop: Stress the magic of it.
Rock: Show them it is a way of meeting people.
Jazz: Magnify their need to join.
(B) Rock the boat game
(1) Moderator announces the problem and makes a
Suggestion.
(2) Any Brainliner makes an Opposing Suggestion.
(3) All Brainliners pitch in with Opposing Suggestions
and continue until the Moderator calls a stop to the
game.
Example
Moderator: HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE ARE NEVER
LATE FOR APPOINTMENTS?
Make sure we dont go to meetings.
Jazz: Make sure we always go to meetings early.
Rock: Make sure meetings dont start before we arrive.
Classic: Ask for meetings to be held up until we can
attend.
(C) Hot potato game
(1) Moderator announces the problem, makes a Suggestion, and
names a Brainliner.
(2) The Brainliner named builds on the Moderators Suggestion,
names another Brainliner, and continues to build and name.
(3) Moderator and all named Brainliners continue to build and
name other members until the Moderator calls a stop to the game.
Example
Moderator: HOW DO WE MAKE MONEY ON THE STOCK MARKET?
ANALYSE MARKET TREND. JAZZ
Jazz: Predict future trends. Rock.
Rock: Only for shares which have upward trends at current time.
Moderator.
Moderator: Get information from experts. Classic.
Classic: Find out who are the experts. Pop.
Pop: Approach a financial consultant. Jazz.