Osborn's rules
- Defer judgement.
- Welcome wild ideas.
- Go for quantity.
- Combine and improve on others' ideas.
Procedure
Frame a specific question, have a small group with a facilitator and recorder generate ideas for a set time, then evaluate against criteria in a separate step—separating divergence from convergence.
Research findings
Nominal groups (individuals working alone, ideas pooled) usually outproduce interacting groups. Diehl and Stroebe identified production blocking—only one person can speak at a time—as the main cause, with evaluation apprehension and free riding also involved.
Alternatives
- Brainwriting (e.g. 6-3-5) lets people write simultaneously.
- Nominal group technique: silent generation, round-robin sharing, discussion and private ranking (Delbecq and Van de Ven).
- Delphi: anonymous expert rounds with statistical feedback to build consensus, developed at RAND.
References
- Osborn, A. F. (1953). Applied Imagination. Scribner.
- Diehl, M., & Stroebe, W. (1987). Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: Toward the solution of a riddle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(3), 497-509.
- Mullen, B., Johnson, C., & Salas, E. (1991). Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: A meta-analytic integration. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 12(1), 3-23.
- Delbecq, A. L., Van de Ven, A. H., & Gustafson, D. H. (1975). Group Techniques for Program Planning. Scott, Foresman.
- Dalkey, N., & Helmer, O. (1963). An experimental application of the Delphi method to the use of experts. Management Science, 9(3), 458-467.