The exercise
Think of a challenge you or your team are currently facing.
Read the description below, and use the Brainwriting process to generate some creative solutions. The more you use the techniques, the easier they become to use.
The Brainwriting process
This is a more recent technique that has good evidence that it works to generate creative ideas.
The team sit together. A team can be broken down into smaller subgroups of three or four members for the first part of the session. Each team member has a stack of blank cards or slips of paper in front of them.
As usual, the team start by clarifying exactly what the question / challenge is that they are seeking creative solutions for.
Session 1 (10 minutes) - in the team or sub-groups
- Individually team members start writing an idea on a card. One idea per card, and a few words is usually enough to get the idea across. You then pass your card to the member on your right, and start writing your next idea. You will receive cards from the person on your left. When you do, finish the idea you are working on (and pass it to your right) before reading the new idea (and passing it to your right).
- Keep writing your ideas and passing them on.
- Eventually one of your ideas will come back to you, having been seen by everyone. At this point, place that idea in the centre of the table.
Session 2 (10 minutes) - as individuals
- People continue to think of new ideas and write them on cards, but now just place the cards in front of them in a pile.
- At the end of this second session, you can stick them on the wall for discussion by the team, discuss them and group them into similar sets of ideas, and prioritise them for future action.
Brainwriting
Session 1: 10 minutes in team / sub-groups
Write idea on card - one idea per card. Pass to the right. Repeat.
When you receive from the left, finish your own idea first, and pass to right. Then read incoming idea, and pass to right
When your own idea comes back to you, place it in the centre of the table.
Session 2: 5 minutes individually
Continue to write ideas on cards. Place each one in the centre of the table.
Session 3: 10 minutes in team
The ideas are stuck anonymously on a board
The team discusses them, and new ideas are added if desired.
What is noticeable about both Brainstorming and Brainwriting is that they both work best by mixing team discussion with independent individual thinking time.
Alternating team and individual creativity
"True collaboration often calls for periods of focused independent work interspersed with periods of intense, structured team interaction"1
For brainstorming, the most effective process is:
Step 1 is alone, Step 2 is team-as-a-whole
For brainwriting, the reverse is most effective:
Step 1 is team-based, Step 2 is continuing alone
1. See Thompson 2013 Creative Conspiracy: the new rules of breakthrough collaboration Harvard Business Review Press