Who do you typically brainstorm with? The same group of people, time after time? Do you ever detect a certain “sameness” in the ideas generated?

Are you surprised???

The quality and creative yield of ideas in any brainstorming session will only be as good as the people who make up the group. In today’s highly competitive, innovation-driven marketplace, truly breakthrough thinking almost always depends upon high quality collaboration.

In his book, Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration, author Keith Sawyer explains, “When we collaborate, creativity unfolds across people; the sparks fly faster, and the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Collaboration drives creativity because innovation always emerges from a series of sparks—never a single flash of insight. This is the essence of group creativity.”

Group Creativity and Flow

The most productive brainstorming sessions occur when the group becomes so absorbed in their activity that they slip into a state of creative flow. Flow is that peak performance state athletes refer to as “The Zone.” It occurs when a group becomes single-mindedly focused in its creative problem solving activity, all sense of time, place, and self-consciousness (ego) disappear. Everyone feels highly alert and on top of their game. It is under these conditions that a unified sense of effortless collaboration emerges; the group begins to function as a single, collective mind that intuitively knows the best ways to build upon, amplify, or refine one another’s ideas.

Clearly, selecting the most appropriate and effective group for your specific challenge is the key to an enjoyable, super-productive idea generation session.

Creating a “Dream Team’ vs. Inviting the “Usual Suspects”

If you were a basketball coach with your eye set on the championship, you would want to assemble an all-star, powerhouse team of accomplished players. You wouldn’t settle for a mixed bag of amateurs that just happened to be nearby and were easy to recruit. To assemble this “Dream Team,” you would scout for the most talented athletes who possessed the specific skills, talent and experience your team would need to win.

Likewise, when faced with a tough business challenge, shouldn’t you carefully evaluate who in your organization or network possesses the best knowledge, skills and experience to successfully tackle the challenge? Shouldn’t your goal be to assemble the smartest, most capable, most creative problem-solving all-stars you can find?

Surprisingly, few brainstorm leaders invest adequate time or effort in this important step. They forego any due diligence scouting and more often than not simply extend invitations to the “usual suspects” (those who work in the same department or division, or work on the same product, service, account, etc.). Most don’t even consider the value of inviting “outsiders,” since they already know and feel comfortable with the usual suspects. After all, “the team” understands your product, service, goods, or process; and they understand the underlying issues, situation, and challenges, right? Aren’t these people the best qualified to help you develop innovative solutions to your problem?

Not necessarily.

Conformity/uniformity in thinking (groupthink), a lack of objectivity or perspective, internal politics or infighting, personal agendas, and a general aversion to risk-taking or radical new ideas are all common pitfalls experienced when the same group of people come together repeatedly to generate ideas. When participants work under the same conditions and circumstances, confront the same challenges day in and day out, repeatedly run into the same limitations or obstacles, and share the same assumptions about what is or is not possible, options can appear scarce—boxing in the group’s thinking abilities.

The power of diversity

Who you invite to your brainstorming session can have a dramatic impact on your productivity and the session’s ultimate success. When you deliberately recruit a diverse group of participants—an all-star team from different backgrounds, cultures, genders, age, talents, skills, knowledge, expertise and perspectives—you exponentially increase your group’s ability to deliver innovative solutions.

In Group Genius, Keith Sawyer also writes, “…when solving complex, non-routine problems, groups are more effective when they’re composed of people who have a variety of skills, knowledge, and perspective.” He goes on to say, “The reason groups are so effective at generating innovation is that they bring together far more concepts and bodies of knowledge than any one person can. Group genius can happen only if the brains in the team don’t contain all the same stuff.”

7 ways to enhance diversity in your groups

1. Invite a mix of generations. Boomers, Gen-X, Millennials… They each bring a different generational perspective, values and skill sets, cultural reference points, beliefs, attitudes and archetypes.
2. Invite a range of expertise, professional backgrounds, and specialties. Great ideas can come from anyone. People from any discipline, even one not directly related to the challenge at hand, may offer incredible insights and value. Chances are someone has already solved a problem similar to yours in a different company, industry or country.
3. Balance gender and social orientation. Just as different generations can provide a variety of perspectives, so can individuals with diverse personal backgrounds.
4. Invite people from different countries of origin. Thanks to today’s global economy, we are increasingly working side-by-side with individuals from across the country and across the globe. Capitalize on their diverse world viewpoints and cultural understandings. Cultural fusion is a powerful element of innovation.
5. Invite right- and left-brain thinkers. Yes, in the same group! Creative types and linear thinkers, artists and bean counters. You may not think they’ll mix well. But in fact, the Yin and Yang of linear/analytical and non-linear/creative thinkers can be an important element in the creative process.
6. Invite introverts and extroverts. Maybe add a dash of Myer’s-Briggs personality types. Look for individuals with different ways of perceiving and interpreting: feeling, intuiting, judging, etc. This will add a richer dimension to your group’s problem solving abilities.
7. Throw in one or two “wild cards.” An unexpected participant can stir things up and add a new dynamic into the mix. You can invite customers, clients, suppliers, kids, etc.—anyone who can provide fresh, new perspectives on your challenge.

It’s often said that “variety is the spice of life.” It just might also be the “secret sauce” in successful brainstorms. Take the time to assemble your brainstorming dream team. Rather than settle for “same old, same old,” try embracing the unexpected!

It works for the most innovative companies in the world. And it will work for you, too!

2012 will almost certainly be “The Year of Ideas.”

With a major national election on the horizon, cataclysmic changes in business, finance, society, culture—in both the online and offline arenas, big ideas will be in great demand.

The truth is, we live in a world of continuous change, where the “status quo” is, in fact, a state of flux. Organizations and individuals must continuously reinvent themselves in order to remain relevant.

Even your Facebook page format changes on a regular basis!

If you and your team are going to be masterful innovators, you are going to have to make use of the most widely practiced technique for idea generation—group brainstorming. The problem is, the vast majority of brainstorms are random, haphazard, poorly planned and ineffectively facilitated. And the results are usually just as disappointing.

Here are a dozen simple tips to help you squeeze maximum effectiveness from every brainstorm session—and experience the kinds of results that will keep you and your group at the top of your game.

1. Plan Ahead – Take some time to plan your brainstorms before you walk into the room. Nothing can have a greater impact on brainstorm success than simply considering what will actually happen during the session. How will you set up your challenge? What types of techniques will you use to engage your participants and keep energy high? How will you manage any potential conflicts? By planning ahead, you free yourself to be a masterful leader during the session… rather than the person at the head of the table frantically trying to make things work.
2. Invite Diversity – Tired of hearing the same old ideas? Then stop inviting the same old group to your brainstorms! Invite a stranger, or two. Seek out new and different participants who can bring a different, often surprising perspective to your challenge. And don’t worry if they aren’t experts in your topic. You have plenty of those already. Welcome the unexpected… and see how the quality and freshness of your ideas skyrockets!
3. Change the Scenery – Just as diversity in participants can stimulate new thinking, so can meeting in different locations. The same, familiar conference room or office can, over time, become mind-numbing. Move your team into a new space in 2012. How about outdoors? In a museum? At the mall? Use your imagination… and your team will find it easier to use theirs!
4. Go Crazy! – “Playing it safe” is no longer safe. In pretty much every industry and organizational environment, people today are looking for things that are new, unexpected, different and even shocking. Inspire your team to go for more wild and edgy ideas in 2012. Encourage them to think outside their comfort zone. The results will be exhilarating.
5. Become a Two (or More) Trick Pony – How many idea generation techniques do you know and use? If you answered, “None,” then you are just like the vast majority of brainstorm facilitators. Make a point of familiarizing yourself with at least two new ideation techniques in 2012. Don’t know where to find them? Just type “brainstorming techniques” into your favorite search engine and see what pops up. There are dozens, if not hundreds of proven techniques for stimulating the mind to think in new and different ways. Try some! They work!
6. Get More Stimulation – Creative idea generation is an associative process. In other words, it happens when we make new connections to existing information and experiences. The more information and experiences we have to work with, the more (and more exciting) connections we can make! Make it a regular practice to seek out new sources of inspiration (stimuli) to stock your team’s creative pond. Provocative imagery, art, music, advertising – anything that interests or excites you. Encourage the team to do the same and share. The quality and quantity of your new ideas will improve dramatically.
7. Channel Your Inner Steve Jobs – What made Apple’s late founder and creative catalyst such a powerful visionary was his unwavering commitment to innovation. You can do the same. Simply decide that you will never accept “good enough.” Practice thinking forward rather than thinking practical (safe). Strive for solutions that are not only viable, but that set you and your team apart from the herd. In short, unleash your inner creative genius!
8. Question Everything - We all tend to think of ourselves as “know-it-alls,” and walk around every day with firm beliefs about what’s right and what’s wrong, or what is and is not possible. But true innovators continually question their own pre-conceived beliefs, and those of others. This is the basis of the most creative question you can ask: “What if?” This year try questioning more of your assumptions before generating ideas. What do you know to be true about the challenge? In what circumstances might it not be true? And if it’s not absolutely true, what are the possibilities? You just might be surprised at how much you didn’t really know all along!
9. Trust Yourself More – After you’ve challenged all those pre-existing beliefs, trust your intuition. Make a commitment to yourself and your team to stop self-editing. If you think it, say it. Then see where it goes. Sometimes the craziest and most embarrassing thought leads to a game changing idea. So give yourself permission to think the unthinkable and say the unspeakable.
10. Cover All the Angles – The world’s greatest thinkers are those who can attack a challenge from many different angles. This is yet another example of “What if?” Develop the habit of intentionally exploring different viewpoints or perspectives. How would our customer approach this problem? How would our competition? How would Einstein? How would someone from another planet? How can we do this simply? How can we do it inexpensively? How would we do it if we had all the money in the world? You will be amazed at how different a challenge looks and feels when you look at it from a different vantage point.
11. Kick Out the Boss! – You read right. With all due respect for the bosses out there, no one can kill a brainstorm faster or more effectively than you. It’s not necessarily your fault (although it may be!) But some people just aren’t comfortable expressing wild ideas in front of authority figures—especially those who sign the check. So figure out a way to minimize the boss’s intimidating impact on the group. If they insist on participating, respectfully ask them to join the session later, after the team has generated a first round of ideas. Or better yet, suggest that ideas be shared with them after the session. They can always have veto power. But it does no one any good if potentially great ideas are never shared in the first place.
12. Choose Wisely – Generating ideas is one thing. Selecting them is another altogether. Develop a sound, objective process for evaluating and choosing your best ideas. What criteria will define a winning solution? Where can you combine or eliminate ideas that are similar in their approach. Remember, a great brainstorm can generate a lot of ideas. Be prepared to manage the selection process as effectively as you do the idea generation phase.

Successful brainstorms do not happen by chance. They are planned and executed by individuals who put in the time and effort to ensure things run smoothly. Make a resolution to be a masterful brainstormer in 2012.

It just might be your most innovative year ever!

The vast majority of people who regularly lead or participate in brainstorms report that the results they achieve in their idea generation sessions are all-too-often, disappointing. A lack of fresh ideas, minimal participation, dominating personalities and inadequate follow-through are among the most common complaints.

This is the first in a series of articles that will provide a basic understanding of the key principles necessary for brainstorming success. By simply considering and applying these concepts, you and your team can experience much more productive and enjoyable brainstorms.

Never before in history have ideas been so important, nor so plentiful. Ideas are everywhere these days! Big ideas, game changing ideas, groundbreaking ideas. All intended to fuel the ever-increasing consumer demand for innovation. Creative problem solving has become a daily activity for millions of eager and ambitious business people around the world.

The problem is, most don’t have a clue what a “good idea” actually is.

All Ideas Are Not Created Equal

Think about it. Just what constitutes a good idea? That it is a breakthrough concept and fundamentally changes the way people do things? Like the Kindle did? Maybe you’ve forgotten the original Sony Bookman, a monumental failure. Obviously a digital book reader was a great idea in 2007 – not so much in 1991.

That it utilizes technologies in powerful new ways? Was the atomic bomb a good idea? That one is still being debated.

Because it’s cheaper? The Yugo is considered one of the most disastrous car introductions in history.

Because it takes something familiar and “improves” on it? Like New Coke in the 80s or Crystal Pepsi in the 90s? Neither lasted a year.

Apparently new, better, improved, technologically advanced and all the other holy grails product developers and marketers seek are not what defines a good idea, at least not all the time.

So what are the characteristics of a good idea? Are they specific to the task at hand? Or are there consistent qualities that apply to just about any idea? More important, can they be defined before idea generation begins, to help guide us to the biggest, best idea possible? Or are they only evident after an idea has been conceived, implemented and tested – suggesting that generating good ideas is pretty much a matter of chance?

There are certainly common characteristics shared among all worthwhile ideas. But in most cases there will be more specific qualities that must be present for an idea to be considered highly effective for solving a particular challenge.

The Common Elements of Good Ideas

Different/Better – For a good idea to be good, it must be at least somewhat different from something else – whatever the new idea is attempting to replace. And it must offer some degree of improvement. Otherwise, it’s just an okay idea or a bad idea. It doesn’t necessarily have to be new (as in never before done – as in “innovative”), just different from what has been done before for the specific challenge.

Delivers Value – “Value” is an interesting word in that it requires two connected elements. First, the idea must do something better – faster, cheaper, easier, more elegantly, more powerfully, more effectively, more efficiently. But that improvement must also be something somebody actually wants. All of the examples given earlier (and pretty much every other legendary product or marketing blunder) failed because nobody really wanted the improvement provided, or at least not at the expense of something else more important. Value is, by definition, something “valued.” And it is an essential component of a good idea.

Doable – A flying car or a home teleportation chamber would be nifty. But unfortunately both defy the currently accepted laws of physics. For an idea to be good, it has to be possible. It might seem obvious, but if you sit through enough brainstorm sessions, you will hear lots of impossible suggestions.

Acceptable Cost-Benefit – If the idea costs more to implement than it can deliver in terms of value, it is impractical. This applies not just to financial cost, but time, resources, energy, etc. If no one is willing to pay the price for whatever benefit the idea delivers, it’s not a good idea.

Specific Criteria for Good Ideas

Of course, every challenge has its unique aspects and requirements. So in addition to the common elements of good ideas discussed above, it is important to determine what specific characteristics an idea must have in order to be considered “good” – and to do so BEFORE you begin generating ideas.

This is rarely the case in practice. In typical group brainstorms, for example, unless the session leader has been trained in advanced brainstorming methodologies, it is unlikely that he or she will have considered the objective selection criteria for ideas generated.

By taking the time to do this before ideation begins, and sharing those criteria with the group, everyone is on the same page. The team knows what their ideas will be measured against, and can consider this when generating them. Adding this one, simple step to the brainstorming process can result in dramatically better results, both in terms of quality and quantity of good ideas.

If you’re like most people, you’re coming up with ideas all the time. Some for challenges or opportunities in business, some for use in your personal life. Take a few moments to consider – ideally before you start thinking – just what a winning idea will look like.

You’ll find it a lot easier to recognize one when it finally shows up.

Every day, in conference rooms around the world, tens of thousands of brainstorms take place. Workgroups come together (often with trepidation) to generate fresh ideas, solve problems, explore opportunities and identify new ways to achieve success. In fact, in a world where advancing technology allows more and more tasks to be accomplished by fewer and fewer people, the brainstorm is one of the few remaining collaborative business processes.

Some question the effectiveness of brainstorming, and for good reason. Most sessions aren’t planned or facilitated very well, and all-too-often deliver disappointing results in terms of the breadth and depth of ideas actually generated, as well as a less-than-pleasant experience for participants.

However numerous studies show that when brainstorms are conducted well, the opposite is the case – the process is consistently productive and gratifying. So apparently the problem isn’t brainstorming, it’s brainstorming as typically practiced.

So just what does the typical brainstorm look like? Here are several of the most common types of brainstorming experiences, each of which is a reflection of the personal style of the individual leading the session, the participating group and the prevailing business culture in which the brainstorm takes place.

Pressure Cooker
Don’t you realize that generating ideas is serious business? The Pressure Cooker brainstorm is intense, overly focused and not the least bit fun. In fact, just a few moments of spontaneous laughter or lightness is frowned upon, and the offenders are reprimanded for “not taking the task seriously.” The team has work to do; this is no time for play! Of course, the most effective brainstorms always contain a degree of lightness and joyful exploration and wonder. They are a creative process, after all. An overly serious environment reduces spontaneity and can literally inhibit or even shut down creative thinking. Try approaching even the most serious challenges with a sense of childlike curiosity. Think of brainstorms as “play with purpose.”

Margaritaville
The antithesis of the Pressure Cooker, in these excessively laid back, “no worries” brainstorms, everyone wastes away…their time, that is. No structure, no clear goals or objectives, no leadership skills, all contribute to an enjoyable, but otherwise worthless experience. The conversations veer repeatedly off topic, the fun and lightness referred to earlier escalate to the level of silliness, and little, if anything, gets accomplished. Many people fall into the Margaritaville trap because they believe that brainstorms, as a creative activity, should be loose and unstructured. But nothing could be further from the truth. It is a well-known fact among creative professionals that creativity without structure leads to chaos. The most effective brainstorms always provide an organized process to help keep people’s creative thinking focused and productive.

Friday the 13th
These high-stakes brainstorms inspire fear in even the most courageous of participants. There is danger lurking at every turn, and you never know who’s going to get their heads chopped off next—simply for sharing an idea that the resident “Idea Assassin” feels is unworthy of consideration. And not only are potentially great ideas systematically killed off…so is everyone’s enthusiasm and willingness to participate. These brainstorms typically start off uncomfortable and end up in utter discouragement. In contrast, high-powered brainstorming sessions are always “judgment-free zones,” where everyone feels safe to share even their most off-the-wall ideas.

Déjà Vu
Been there, done that. These brainstorming sessions feel eerily the same—as the last one, and the one before that and the one before that. Same people, same group dynamics, same areas of exploration, and worst of all, same tired, old ideas. When you remain in safe, familiar, territory and never venture out from the status quo, how can you NOT generate the same results? And when you have no fresh, new thinking, there is no innovation. Successful teams regularly inject their brainstorms with a healthy dose of diversity in personalities, background and points of view, plus new types of ideation techniques to engage minds in new and different ways.

Wrestlemania
Let’s get ready to rumble! This brainstorm style is a true battle royale, where two or more participants duke it out to decide whose ideas are best. Funny thing is, it’s always their own ideas they’re fighting for. Most of the time one or two strong, imposing personalities totally dominate these sessions, leaving very little room for others to share.  The conflict rages on throughout the brainstorm, and when the dust settles, everyone is emotionally bruised, battered and exhausted. In contrast, great brainstorms feel effortless. Teams quickly get into “the zone” and stay there. Time flies, and so do the game-changing ideas!

Of course, these are just a few examples. There are as many different styles of brainstorms as there are brainstorm leaders and participants. It is human nature to superimpose our own personalities, interests, beliefs, insecurities, preferences, etc. onto whatever we create, and brainstorms are no exception.

By all means, make your brainstorms your own. Research, learn and make use of your favorite ideation techniques. Try different icebreaker activities to get your group aligned and collaborating quickly. Just make sure that whatever you do, you always foster an environment where participants feel safe in sharing, where they can embrace and enjoy their creative spirits, and where the seeds of innovation can take root and grow.

“Birds do it. Bees do it. Even educated fleas do it.” — Cole Porter

Just in case you had any doubts, it seems everybody is doing it – brainstorming, that is. And just how are they doing it? Well, pretty much the same way everywhere.

The SmartStorming partners recently returned from Krakow, Poland, where we conducted our two-day SmartStorming Brainstorm Leadership Workshop at the 2011 Worldwide Partners Creative Summit. And the experience was nothing short of remarkable!

Not only did we meet and work with a group of very smart, talented and engaged professionals, we also learned a thing or two about group dynamics, multiculturalism, problem solving techniques and, of course, brainstorming.

Our workshop participants were marketing agency pros from around the world: Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Poland, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ukraine. While there were many cultural differences, two things were the same: they all brainstormed on a regular basis and they all faced virtually identical challenges when doing so.

The Good

The group clearly viewed brainstorming to be critical business process, and recognized its  importance to their organizations. The direct link between brainstorming and the ability to innovate was clear to them.

brainstorming <-> creative problem solving <-> ideas <-> innovation

And so, all were eager to learn how to experience better results when brainstorming with their teams and clients, and were completely open to new and unfamiliar ideas and problem solving techniques.

The Bad

In her book, The Seeds of Innovation, Elaine Dundon identifies nine problems that are typically encountered with brainstorming as typically practiced.

1. Lack of process
2. Lack of a skilled facilitator
3. Lack of skilled participants
4. Listing of rules
5. No agreement on the problem
6. Lack of stimuli
7. Pressure to be creative on queue
8. Pressure to converge quickly
9. Lack of follow-up

And, perhaps not surprisingly, the majority of these challenges were voiced by the group during our opening discussion about just what causes brainstorms to fail.

The implications of this experience are actually quite compelling, and suggest that regardless of differences in culture, business practices and customs, geography,  personality, etc., what takes place in the room when a group of people get together to generate creative ideas, in the absence of a structured process and effective problem solving techniques, is pretty much the same no matter who you are or where you are. And that “pretty much the same” is all-too-often disappointing.

Perhaps most interesting to us at SmartStorming was that there seemed to be very little difference among the participants in terms of just how much direct training or self-directed learning the participants had on the topic of brainstorming. One might imagine that in some countries a greater emphasis would be placed on learning skills to help facilitate this important process. But this was not the case. As we usually find in the U.S., not one participant had experienced any meaningful training in brainstorming or creative problem solving.

The Promise

The good news is that while brainstorming as typically practiced is clearly broken, it’s not all that difficult to fix.

The level of interest, participation and enthusiasm throughout the two-day workshop was very high. Even the most seasoned creative professionals in the group reported exciting revelations, specifically about how to turn “bad” ideas into game-changers; how to minimize shyness and self-consciousness among participants and facilitate spontaneous sharing; how to use different problem solving techniques and brainstorming activities to accomplish different objectives; etc.

And already we are receiving reports from abroad about the participants’ first highly successful SmartStorming sessions back at their agencies.

Their brainstorming, it would seem, is fixed.

In the 1930s, when Alex Osborn “invented” brainstorming, he knew, even then, that certain skills and guidelines were necessary for the process to be successful. Many of those are directly related to Elaine Dundon’s list of brainstorming challenges. But Osborn’s new way of generating ideas was just so novel and exciting, it apparently took off on its own.

The legacy is a world that, today, depends heavily on brainstorming, but really doesn’t have a clue how to do it.

But with a little effort and investment of time and attention, Alex Osborn’s vision of highly productive ideation sessions quickly becomes a reality. And great ideas are no longer a rarity, they are the norm.