Groups vs. Individuals — Which are better at brainstorming?
What is brainstorming?
Brainstorming leads to the generation of new ideas and the solving of problems. It’s often done in groups but can also be achieved by individuals. Alex Osborn, frequently referred to as the person who ‘invented’ brainstorming, came up with an approach in his 1953 book Applied Imagination. In his book, he noted a few rules such as; avoid criticising ideas, aim to conjure up a large amount of ideas, promote ‘crazy’ ideas and build on other ideas that have been put forward. Osborn found that when these rules were followed that not only did the quantity of ideas increase, but also the quality. (Brainstorming, n.d.)
What are stop rules?
Nijstad et al. (1999) stated that stop rules were reasons that people decided to end their brainstorming session. These could be due to boredom, inability to come up with new ideas or because they feel satisfied with what they’ve done. So, what reasons do groups and individuals give for ending their brainstorming session and which are more persistent in pushing past these boundaries?
The enjoyment rule
The enjoyment rule is the viewpoint that people end a brainstorming session due to boredom. In this case, groups are for more likely to be persistent and carry on with their session that individuals are.
The satisfaction rule
This is the perspective that people end their brainstorming sessions due to being satisfied with their performance. Individuals are often less satisfied with their work than a group. One explanation for this could be that the quantity of ideas produced by a group exceeds that of an individual, therefore groups will feel content with their ideas before an individual would.
The expectancy rule
This is the idea that people stop brainstorming due to their inability to generate any new ideas and that they will be unable to produce any useful, new ideas from then on. In this case, groups are much more persistent than individuals due to the fact that in a group brainstorming session, ideas usually flow and build upon other ideas that have been put forward. Whereas, individuals that are trying to brainstorm are working alone and may find it harder to think of new ideas.
Conclusion
The findings by Nijstad et al. (1999) show that groups are more likely to be persistent during the enjoyment rule and the expectancy rule. But, they are more likely to feel satisfied with their ideas before an individual which may be due to the quantity of ideas generated. Overall it appears that group brainstorming sessions are much more effective than individual sessions. However, there are some findings which contradict this — Taylor, Berry and Block (1958 , p23) concluded that “group participation when using brainstorming inhibits creative thinking.”
Bibliography:
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Nijstad, B., Stroebe, W., Vianen, A. and Lodewijkx, H. (2004). Persistence in Brainstorming: Exploring Stop Rules in Same-Sex Groups. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, [online] 7(3), pp.195–206. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hein_Lodewijkx/publication/254898883_Persistence_in_Brainstorming_Exploring_Stop_Rules_in_Same-Sex_Groups/links/577f7d3708ae69ab8823e614.pdf?origin=publication_list [Accessed 17 Oct. 2018].
TAYLOR, D.W., P.C. BERRY and C.H. BLOCK, 1958. Does Group Participation When Using Brainstorming Facilitate or Inhibit Creative Thinking? Administrative Science Quarterly, 3(1), 23–47
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