History and use of brainstorming

The birth of brainstorming

In 1941 Alex Osborn, an advertising executive, found that conventional business
meetings were inhibiting the creation of new ideas and proposed some rules designed to
help stimulate them. He was looking for rules which would give people the freedom of
mind and action to spark off and reveal new ideas. To "think up" was originally the term
he used to describe the process he developed, and that in turn came to be known as
"brainstorming". He described brainstorming as "a conference technique by which a
group attempts to find a solution for a specific problem by amassing all the ideas
spontaneously by its members". The rules he came up with are the following:

• No criticism of ideas
• Go for large quantities of ideas
• Build on each others ideas
• Encourage wild and exaggerated ideas

He found that when these rules were followed, a lot more ideas were created and that a
greater quantity of original ideas gave rise to a greater quantity of useful ideas. Quantity
produced quality.

Using these new rules, people's natural inhibitions were reduced, inhibitions which
prevented them putting forward ideas which they felt might be considered "wrong" or
"stupid". Osborn also found that generating "silly" ideas could spark off very useful ideas
because they changed the way people thought.

As you will discover, the development of this original technique was revolutionary and
has since changed our world. With increasing refinement of the process, and the
introduction of creative thinking techniques, the world of easy idea generation is yours
for the taking. You need never be stuck for a new idea, whether you are in a group or
working by yourself.

_______________________________________________________________________
_

The wildfire spread of brainstorming

Since its birth in 1941, brainstorming has spread throughout the world. The technique is
known to most educated managers but, sadly, is often applied ineffectually because of
poor training and lack of access to quality training material. Nevertheless, it is used by
nearly all of the world's largest companies and across a wide range of departments.
Charities, government organizations and commercial companies all shout its praises. And
this is without them knowing the advanced techniques available to them! Using the
simple rules developed over 50 years ago, people are discovering new solutions to their
problems and creating new opportunities to advance their companies and their own
careers. It is one of the most exciting things ever to be the inventor of a world-changing
product and to become the creator of the world you want to live in. Brainstorming
promises you this and more.

Every single day there is a brainstorming session being run somewhere in the world. New
ideas are flooding out of these sessions and society is changing because of it. Join in with
the progress and make your ideas heard. With Advanced Brainstorming you don't even
need a group of people to do it.

What is brainstorming used for?

Brainstorming has been used to develop the following (and this is an open-ended list!):

• Advertising campaigns
• Marketing strategy and methods
• Research and Development procedures
• Research techniques
• Patents
• Physical products
• Written documents and articles
• Services
• Processes
• Engineering components
• Government policies
• Consumer research
• Factories
• Management methods
• Company structure and policy
• Investment decisions
• New industries
• Better insurance policies
• New and better ... whatever you want!

Reference

“The birth of brainstorming”, 1997-2006 Infinite Innovations Ltd. All rights reserved.
www.brainstorming.co.uk
Brainstorming
Brainstorming sudah lama dikenal sebagai teknik untuk mendapatkan ide-ide kreatif
sebanyak mungkin dalam kelompok. Bagi yang belum mengenal brainstorming, teknik
ini didasarkan atas empat syarat. Kelompok yang mengikuti brainstorming harus:

• Menghasilkan ide-ide sebanyak mungkin

• Menghasilkan ide-ide yang segila mungkin
• Membangun ide dari ide-ide sebelumnya
• Menghindari penilaian atas ide-ide yang dihasilkan

Kelihatannya cara seperti ini memang bisa menghasilkan ide lebih banyak dibanding
harus menghasilkan ide sendirian. Dalam buku yang terkenal, Applied Imagination
karangan Alex Osborn, teknik brainstorming dikatakan mampu membuat individu
menghasilkan ide dua kali lebih banyak dibanding bila bekerja sendirian.

Apakah itu benar?

Beberapa percobaan dilakukan untuk menguji kesimpulan Osborn tersebut. Tahun 1958,
setahun setelah buku Osborn tersebut diterbitkan, sebuah penelitian membuktikan bahwa
kesimpulan Osborn ternyata salah! Percobaan lain yang dilakukan tahun 1987 oleh
Michael Diehl dan Wolfgang Stroebe dari Tubingen University di Jerman menghasilkan
kesimpulan serupa.

Ide-ide yang dihasilkan brainstorming ternyata tidak mampu mengalahkan jumlah ide-ide
yang dihasilkan oleh ide-ide yang dikumpulkan masing-masing anggota kelompok
setelah mereka diminta bekerja sendirian.

Mengapa bisa demikian? Ada beberapa kemungkinan di sini. Kemungkinan pertama

adalah apa yang disebut sebagai free rider phenomenon. Di sini, beberapa anggota
kelompok lebih memilih untuk menyimpan pendapatnya dan membiarkan anggota lain
berpartisipasi. Bisa jadi mereka merasa sesi brainstorming tersebut tidak akan
menghasilkan sesuatu yang berguna untuk diri mereka sendiri. Alasan kedua adalah apa
yang disebut dengan evaluation apprehension. Menurut teori ini, para peserta
kemungkinan tidak berani menghasilkan ide-ide yang benar-benar gila karena kuatir akan
ditertawakan di belakang. Diehl dan Stroebe mengakui adanya pengaruh kedua
kemungkinan tersebut, walau tidak signifikan. Menurut mereka, yang paling berperan
adalah fenomena ketiga yang disebut dengan blocking.

Apa itu blocking? Pada sesi brainstorming, para peserta akan bergantian mengemukakan
idenya. Pada saat ada orang lain yang berbicara, sementara ada ide yang tiba-tiba muncul
di otak Anda, Anda harus menunggu giliran. Dan karena kapasitas memori jangka pendek
(short-term memory) manusia tidak mampu menghasilkan ide baru sementara masih
harus mengingat ide sebelumnya yang belum dikeluarkan, Anda akan menghabiskan
waktu tanpa mampu menghasilkan ide lebih lanjut. Terkadang, bila giliran untuk
berbicara terlalu lama, bisa jadi Anda malah sudah melupakan ide yang hendak Anda
sumbangkan. Fenomena ini juga didukung oleh fakta bahwa semakin banyak anggota
kelompok yang ikut, semakin sedikit ide yang dihasilkan, bila dibandingkan dengan
jumlah ide yang bisa dihasilkan bila masing-masing anggota kelompok bekerja sendirian.

Kalau demikian, bukankah brainstorming tidak berguna? Bukankah lebih baik bila kita
bekerja sendirian dulu dan lalu ide-ide tersebut tinggal dikumpulkan dan digabung?
Tentu saja tidak. Kelebihan brainstorming yang tidak dimiliki oleh kerja sendirian adalah
kemampuannya menggabungkan ide dari beberapa individu. Karena itu yang harus
dipikirkan adalah bagaimana memanfaatkan kelebihan tersebut sambil mengurangi
kelemahannya.

Teknik sederhana berikut layak untuk dicoba. Sebelum sesi brainstorming dimulai,
masing-masing peserta diberi secarik kertas dan diminta bekerja sendirian terlebih dahulu
selama 20-30 menit. Minta mereka mendaftarkan sebanyak mungkin ide yang bisa
dihasilkan. Setelah itu barulah mereka diminta bergabung dalam kelompok sambil
membawa daftar tersebut. Untuk membuat sesi brainstorming menjadi hidup, jangan
meminta mereka membaca daftar tersebut secara kaku. Tetap biarkan diskusi mengalir
bebas, dan bila diskusi kebetulan menyinggung salah satu item pada daftar mereka,
barulah item tersebut dikeluarkan. Minta kelompok terus menerus membangun ide yang
satu dari ide lainnya. Pada akhir sesi, diharapkan semua item pada daftar peserta sudah
dibahas. Dengan cara tersebut, brainstorming akan menghasilkan manfaat maksimal.

Reference

”Brainstorming”, http://www.itpin.com/blog/2006/07/03/brainstorming/

The Perfect Brainstorm

by Alan Rosenspan

The "rules" of brainstorming

"But I thought there are no rules - isn’t that the point?"

Not at all. Brainstorming began with an advertising executive named Alex Osborne, who
was presumably stuck for an idea and decided to ask a few of his colleagues for input.

The first reactions were probably, "Brain what?" and "That sounds like fun, Alex, but
some of us have actual work to do."

Osborne set out five core principles, which all brainstorming is built on to this day.

1. Gather together a group of people into a room with plenty of easels and
whiteboards.
 2. Capture all ideas that come to mind, even if they sound crazy. -- especially if
they sound crazy.

3. The more ideas, the better. Your initial goal is quantity not quality.

4. Do not apply critical thinking. There’s no such thing as a bad idea -- the
evaluation process comes later.

5. All ideas belong to the group, so people should be encouraged to build on

each other’s ideas.

These rules are probably very familiar to you — however, chances are you are even more
familiar with the reality of most brainstorms.

The reality of brainstorming

To begin with, it’s pretty hard these days to get people together in a room for any reason,
much less coming up with ideas. We’re all much too busy.

But assuming you can get on everyone’s schedule, here are some typical problems with
traditional brainstorming:

• Production blocking. "I better shut up for a minute and give someone else a turn.
What was my idea again? I forget…"
• Free riding. "Heck — Susan and Steve are coming up with all the great ideas.
They don’t need my thinking. Now what did I need to buy on my way home
tonight?…"
• Evaluation apprehension. "I know there’s no such thing as a bad idea, but did you
see the Boss roll his eyes on that one? Maybe I better keep quiet."
• Performance matching. "Why am I doing all the work, and Kenny is just sitting
there? He hasn’t come up with a good idea yet. This isn’t fair."
• Pressure. "Did she actually say we’re not leaving until we solve this problem? I’m
not missing my train. Besides, this isn’t even about my department…"

Each of these problems can cause your brainstorm to fail. And the combination of all of
them have led many managers to believe that the whole idea of a brainstorm is inherently
flawed.

Are brainstorms really productive?

Sociologists who have studied the process have a definitive answer.

Not usually.

They’ve discovered that people brainstorming individually produce more and higher-
quality ideas than the same number of people brainstorming together.

And one analysis showed brainstorming groups are only about half as effective as an
equal number of individuals working alone.

As David Ogilvy said, "Search the parks and search the cities. You’ll find no statues of
committees."

However, it's been my experience that brainstorming can be very productive if it's led by
the right individual in the right way. In the next section, I'll share 9 secrets for more
effective brainstorming, based on my experience.

My 9 Secrets to More Effective Brainstorming

1. Invite the Right People. You may have assembled a bright and creative group of
people -- but they may have little experience with the actual problem or issue to be
solved. This often results in "pie in the sky" ideas that can never realistically be
implemented.

When I conduct brainstorms about advertising or direct marketing issues, I always try to
include people who actually speak to prospects or customers, such as telemarketers and
salespeople.

2. Feed ‘em and reap. The presence of Snicker’s bars or bags of M&M’s serve a number
of important purposes. They stimulate people; they improve the energy of the group; plus
they make sure that people will always be eager to attend your brainstorms —
particularly in the afternoon.

3. Don’t invite the boss. Brainstorms work best when every attendee is about the same
level. If you have to worry about what your boss is going to think about your next idea —
you might not be so quick to venture that far-out idea.

4. Clearly define the problem. Brainstorms are most effective when they are trying to
solve a specific problem — not just to "come up with an idea." The problem should be
written out and prominently displayed before anyone starts their thinking.

5. Pave Paradise (Put up a Parking Lot.) Every brainstorm creates ancillary ideas that
may not be relevant to the problem at hand. But they may be the best ideas.

Don't ignore them. Capture them on Post-it notes and put them in a "Parking Lot" on the
other side of the room.
 6. Don’t evaluate the ideas at the same meeting. Your creativity hat is a lot different
from your critical thinking hat.

Of course, you’ll need to prioritize the ideas, and winnow out the weaker ones, but don’t
do it at the brainstorm. It's sure to slow the flow.

7. Manage group dynamics. There’s no faster way to kill the creativity of a group of
people than by having one person dominate the brainstorm. You need to make sure
everyone feels comfortable contributing.

That’s why many companies use an outside resource — a person who doesn’t work for
the company — to lead the brainstorm.

8. Share information Not everyone attending the brainstorm has the same facts or
background. I’ve found that an excellent way to begin a brainstorm is to have every
member give a brief overview of what they know that’s relevant to the problem at hand.

9. Follow-up is essential. Some of the best ideas come up after the brainstorm. You need
to share the notes as soon as possible, while they’re fresh in people's minds, and then
have a process for them to keep thinking.

Schedule a follow-up meeting with a smaller group of people who attended the original
brainstorm. So they can evaluate ideas, build on them, and decide next steps. This can
often be even more productive than the original brainstorm.

How will the Web change brainstorming?

With all the limitations of group brainstorming, many companies have migrated to a new
form of brainstorming that takes advantage of the Web.

It’s called Electronic Brainstorming, and the way it works is that you set up a
brainstorming website that poses a problem you’d like to have solved. (You can also do
this as an e-mail that gets forwarded.)

Participants simply type in their ideas, whenever they come to mind, or whenever they
have free time, so there’s less pressure.

All ideas are contributed anonymously, so they don’t have to worry about being
criticized.

And people can easily build on each other’s ideas, because the website keeps track of all
the ideas and displays them.

The only thing to make sure of is that you need to remind people about your deadline,
and make sure that they are contributing to the bank of ideas.
So is there a "perfect brainstorm?" Probably not. But is it really worth it to book that
conference room, or off-site meeting, send out all those memos, beg, plead and even
bribe people into coming?

Yes, it is -- because anything you can do to get people thinking about your product or
your problem is probably going to pay off. And it just might pay off big.

George Bernard Shaw said, "Most people never think at all. I've made an international
reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week."

Imagine how much more famous he could have been -- if he also had other people
thinking for him.

Reference

“The Perfect Brainstorm”, http://www.alanrosenspan.com/recent_pubs/

perfect_brainstorm.html

6-3-5 Brainwriting
6-3-5 Brainwriting (also known as the 6-3-5 Method, or Method 635) is a group
creativity technique used in marketing, advertising, design, writing and product
development originally developed by Professor Bernd Rohrbach in 1968[1].

Based on the concept of Brainstorming, the aim of 6-3-5 Brainwriting is to generate 108
new ideas in half an hour. In a similar way to brainstorming, it is not the quality of ideas
that matters but the quantity.

The technique involves 6 participants who sit in a group and are supervised by a
moderator. Each participant thinks up 3 ideas every 5 minutes. Participants are
encouraged to draw on others' ideas for inspiration, thus stimulating the creative process.
After 6 rounds in 30 minutes the group has thought up a total of 108 ideas.

References

1. ^ Rohrbach, Bernd: "Kreativ nach Regeln – Methode 635, eine neue Technik zum
Lösen von Problemen". Creative by rules - Method 635, a new technique for
solving problems first published in the German sales magazine
"Absatzwirtschaft", Volume 12, 1969. p73-75 and Volume 19, 1 October 1969.

“6-3-5 Brainwriting”, From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Questorming
Outline of the Method
Copyright © 1985 Jon Roland. All rights reserved

Questorming is a variant of brainstorming, the technique developed at MIT in the 1950s

for getting a group of participants to come up with more creative solutions to problems.
In brainstorming, a moderator first presents a problem to a group, who then propose as
many different kinds of solutions as they can, but without evaluating any of them until
the moderator halts further proposals and begins the evaluation phase. During the
proposal phase they are encouraged to be as imaginative as they can, and not to restrict
themselves to what they or others might consider "good" solutions, but to propose
anything that might be remotely relevant. During the evaluation phase, the proposals are
consolidated, perhaps reformulated, evaluated, and by process of elimination, reduced
finally to one by votes of the group. The technique emphasizes the importance of
suspending criticism, both of one's own ideas and of the ideas of the others, to foster
creativity and original solutions. It recognizes that "bad" ideas may often be more
productive of "good" ideas than "good" ideas are. The method also involves the
application of various standard constraints on the solution adopted, such as that it can be
carried out by the members of the group without requiring any resources not available to
them.

Questorming takes a somewhat different approach. Its aim is not so much to get a group
to come up with "solutions" to a "problem" as to come up with well-stated and well-
selected questions or problem formulations. In one sense it addresses the process leading
up to what is done in more conventional brainstorming: formulating the problem to be
solved by the group. In another sense it is brainstorming in which the problem for the
group is to find the answer to the metaquestion, "What are the best questions we need to
ask right now?". Questorming is based on the recognition that if people can ask the right
questions, the answers are often easy. It also does not allow the moderator to control the
outcome by the way he or she initially formulates the problem for the group.

This does not mean that the moderator does not need to impose some constraints on the
subject matter of the discussion. This may be done in various ways. One way is to briefly
describe the situation as he or she sees it, including the members of the group and their
concerns, and invite them to then ask and try to answer the metaquestion with reference
to that situation. The answers they then propose may actually involve a rejection of the
situation as described by the moderator, but it serves as a point of departure to keep the
discussion focused.

As with brainstorming, criticism of proposed questions is suspended for a period of time

until a sufficient number and variety of questions has been achieved, after which the
evaluation phase is begun. The objective in questorming is not necessarily to come up
with one best question, but a list of questions ordered from best to worst, or perhaps a
tree structure in which related questions and subquestions are organized and ordered by
quality.

The technique also involves guiding the discussion with a standard list of generic
questions which are considered givens that do not need to be proposed themselves. One
example of such a standard list is provided at the end of this document. The moderator
should direct variants of such standard questions to the group or its members to keep the
discussion moving and focused.

The technique does not forbid all discussion of answers or solutions to the questions
proposed. Mention may be made of the kinds of answers or solutions a question might
have as a way to provoke ideas for more questions or to indicate ways to evaluate the
questions, but the moderator is supposed to discourage the group from getting sidetracked
by a discussion of answers or solutions that are not themselves questions or problem
formulations. This is most easily done if it is agreed that such answers will be addressed
in a later session devoted to more conventional brainstorming.

Part of what is sought in questorming is a determination of whether the concerns and

perceptions of the members of the group can support concerted action toward a common
goal which meets the perhaps divergent goals of each of the members of the group. This
involves identifying a point of agreement among the members and building upon it until a
basis for group action is established. If no such consensus can be achieved, then the
membership of the group may need to be altered or the group dissolved.

Although some groups, because of their backgrounds, may be able to assume certain
common concerns and perceptions, it is often useful to go back to basics and re-establish
the principles which unite them. This effort can often uncover and resolve divergencies
that will later interfere with concerted action by the group. On the other hand, it may also
sometimes be best not to examine first principles too closely, lest disclosure of
divergencies result in dissolution of the group or impair its ability to function. That is a
judgment call by the moderator.

One of the jobs of the moderator is to make sure all proposed questions are kept before
the members of the group, and direct their attention to them as required. This may
involve posting them on a board, or providing each member with a scrolling display or
with a display large enough to allow all questions to be kept in view at once. He must
also keep the questions down to a manageable number. If the number becomes too large,
it may be necessary to break down the task into smaller tasks, each with its own set of
questions, to be dealt with during separate sessions.

The moderator may also need to introduce some levity in case one or more of the
members begins to become too emotional about the subject matter or the process.
Members should be instructed that even though they may have strong feelings, there is
likely to be a better outcome of the session if everyone treats it as an intellectual game.
This technique is part of the field of pynthantics, taken from the Greek pynthan
(π υ ν θ α ν ), meaning "to pose a question, and perhaps get an answer". It is the
science and art of posing questions.

Standard Questions
• What are the best questions we need to ask right now?
• Is there a better way to state that question?
• What are the standards by which we decide that one question is better than
another?
• How can we best organize the questions in descending order of quality?
• Who or what should ask the question?
• To whom or what should the question be directed?
• How should the question be asked?
• When or under what conditions should the question be asked?
• Where should the question be asked?
• Why should the question be asked?
• Should the question be asked?
• What are likely to be the consequences of asking the question?
• What purposes might the question serve other than getting an answer?
• What might be the purposes of someone who asked that question in a given
situation?
• How could the question be misunderstood?
• Is the question meaningful?
• Is the question answerable in principle?
• What is the operation by which answers might be produced and selected?
• Is the question-answering operation reproducible by others?
• How can we tell whether the question has been answered?
• By when are we going to need to have an answer?
• By when are we going to need to have the question?
• What are the concerns and goals of the members of the group?
• What are the perceptions and abilities of the members of the group?
• What are the kinds of resources associated with this question and the group?
Space? Time? Energy? Materials? Information? Agents? Skills? Initial state?
Operating conditions?
• What are the tools and resources available to the group? How can they be
obtained?
• What kinds of costs are associated with asking this question and answering it?
• What are likely to be the costs of asking the question?
• What are likely to be the costs of trying to answer the question?
• Is the question answerable by the group given its resources? If not, what do we
do?
• Who or what can answer the question in a timely manner and at a reasonable
cost?
• Should two or more of the questions be combined into one? If so, how?
• Should the question be split into two or more questions? If so, how?
 • Have we come up with more questions than we can handle during this session?
• Which questions may have to be answered before others can be answered or even
asked?
• What are the questions or kinds of questions we may need to ask later?
• How well is this questorming session working? Are we criticizing too soon? Too
late? Are we getting sidetracked into a discussion of answers?
• Do we need to change the composition of the group? Add members? Expel
someone?
• Are we lacking information critical to proceeding further? If so, how can we get
it?
• Have we covered all the major possibilities? Are we overlooking anything?
•

Reference

“Questorming”, http://pynthan.com/vri/questorm.htm

Brainstorming, professional priority of persuading

Unlike the famous myth detailing the origins of the theory of gravity (the infamous apple
bouncing off Sir Isaac Newton’s noggin) great ideas simply don’t fall from trees.
Advertising guru Alex Osborn of BBDO originated the concept of brainstorming as a
group technique. In essence, he theorized that advertising agency creatives could double
their output by generating a larger number of ideas as a team.
I
Today, brainstorming also refers to creative process, strategy and concept. Clients and
colleagues often think of “brainstorming” as giving imagination free reign in order to
propel creativity to new heights. However the term is defined, steven august papa
believes the goal of brainstorming is to generate winning ideas that persuade readers,
listeners and viewers to choose our client’s products and services.
I
Therefore, before beginning the brainstorming process, it is in our team’s best interest to
enter into a discovery phase of client objectives, research and strategy. By immersing
ourselves in their branding, communications, competition, culture and marketing data, we
can confidently move forward in creating and developing persuasive approaches,
concepts and treatments.

Reference

“Brainstorming, professional priority of persuading”, http://www.stevenaugustpapa.com/id14.html

Alex F. Osborne: Father of the Brainstorm
"It is easier to tone down a wild idea than to think up a new one."- Alex Osborne

That quote pretty much sums up Osborne's ideas on brainstorming and creative thinking.
Brainstorming is method of thinking up solutions, ideas or new concepts. It can be a
difficult process for many reasons: sometimes people are unwilling to suggest a solution
for fear of criticism or the problem may just be a very difficult one, and one that no
existing solutions exist for yet. Osborne's solution, as suggested by the above quote, is to
think up as many ideas as possible regardless of how ridiculous they may seem at first.
Since it is very unlikely to think up the perfect solution right off the bat, he recommends
getting every idea out of your head and then go back to examine them afterwards. An
idea that may have initially sounded off-the-wall may actually turn out to be a plausible
idea with a little modification. Osborne's technique of deferred judgment increases the
individual's synthesis capabilities by releasing the human mind from the analysis mode of
thinking. Brainstorming is considered to be a group method of listing suggested ideas
pertaining to a solution for a specific problem.

Creative thinking requires tools such as the brainstorm and the affinity diagram.
Brainstorming is simply listing all ideas put forth by a group in response to a given
problem or question. In 1939, a team led by advertising executive Alex Osborn coined
the term "brainstorm." According to Osborn, " Brainstorm means using thebrain to storm
a creative problem and to do so "in commando fashion, each stormer audaciously
attacking the same objective." Creativity is encouraged by not allowing ideas to be
evaluated or discussed until everyone has run dry. Any and all ideas are considered
legitimate and often the most far-fetched are the most fertile. Structured brainstorming
produces numerous creative ideas about any given "central question". Done right, it taps
the human brain's capacity for lateral thinking and free association.

Other rules for brainstorming according to Osborne include creating an environment

where team members are not criticized for their ideas. Ideas can be evaluated after the
brainstorming session but judgments during the process will only alienate team members.
Also, after the idea generating process team members should try to combine and modify
ideas.

The technique of brainstorming takes place in a panel format. The brainstorming panel is
composed of a leader, recorder, and panel members. The leader is responsible for
maintaining a rapid flow of ideas while the recorder lists all the ideas as they are
presented. The size of the panel may vary but a range of 10 to 12 is usually optimum. If
the group were to get to large there is a greater chance of members remaining in the
background or that the members would not have enough time to express their ideas in a
reasonable amount of time.

These practices are essential to any brainstorming process, but many people have
criticized Osborne's methods as incomplete. For instance he does not suggest that team
members prepare for brainstorming sessions. Another downfall of Osborne's teaching is
that he does not offer and tools or exercises for coming up with creative ideas in the first
place. However limited his methods may be they are productive means of acquiring new
and innovative solutions.

Reference

“Alex F. Osborne: Father of the Brainstorm”, http://www.skymark.com/resources/leaders/osborne.asp

http://affandy.ss.blog.plasa.com/2008/06/28/brain-
storming/_______________________________________