Brainstorming

vir: Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a group creativity technique designed to generate a large number of ideas for the solution to a problem. The method was first popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the late 1930s, an advertising executive and one of the founders of BBDO, in a book called Applied Imagination." Osborn proposed that groups could double their creative output by using the method of brainstorming.
Although brainstorming has become a popular group technique, researchers have generally failed to find evidence of its effectiveness for enhancing either quantity or quality of ideas generated. Because of such problems as distraction, social loafing, evaluation apprehension, and production blocking, brainstorming groups are little more effective than other types of groups, and they are actually less effective than individuals working independently. For this reason, there have been numerous attempts to improve brainstorming or replace it with more effective variations of the basic technique.
Although traditional brainstorming may not increase the productivity of groups, it has other potential benefits, such as enhancing the enjoyment of group work and improving morale. It may also serve as a useful exercise for team building.