Groups and teams will bring together several people for a typical brainstorming session. While the intent is noble, the execution is often flawed. We could instead call these brainwash sessions.
Groups will rarely come together and create a truly creative solution for significant complex issues. It may be effective if it is simple and requires little thought or preparation, but when deep thinking is involved, the results will likely be below what is possible.
Creativity is an individual task; when we bring a team together to ideate, we typically find the loudest voices or more vocal and spontaneous people speaking. In these situations, we develop groupthink, where others quickly follow in agreement and consent even if they didn’t initially feel the same. Few are willing to stand out and go against the overwhelming sentiment.
Instead, we should initiate individuals thinking separately, have everyone share their thoughts beforehand, and then bring everyone together to review the ideas and validate concepts.
Creativity should be embraced, originate from individuals, and never be stifled by well-intentioned group sessions.
