Brainstorming

Fundamentals

The four rules of brainstorming are (1) to generate as many ideas as possible, (2) to avoid criticizing the ideas, (3) to attempt to combine and improve on previously articulated ideas, and (4) to encourage the generation of unusual or “wild” ideas. Collectively, the rules may be viewed as a set of goals to strive for when generating ideas. Each rule embodies a separate principle, yet their overall character is also important in the sense that it implicates an underlying logic in which the generation of variation in ideas is maximized (Rules 1, 3, and 4) and separated temporally from the selection and retention of ideas (Rule 2).

The first rule, to generate many ideas, presumes that the likelihood that any single idea will be regarded as creative is low. Osborn’s remedy for this was to encourage people to develop a large sample of ideas from which to choose in the hopes of getting at least one that would be regarded as sufficiently creative. The idea that a large sample of ideas is more likely to yield at least one creative idea compared to a small sample is consonant with research that relies on evolutionary theory as a basis for understanding creativity.

The second rule, to avoid criticism, is intended to ensure the separation of idea generation from idea selection. It also signals a safe environment for generating novelty. Osborn observed that idea [Page 86]generation efforts can derail when groups start to argue the merits of each individual idea, and he asserted that creativity would be better served if people refrained from evaluating the merits of individual ideas until after a large sample of ideas had been generated. There are at least two reasons why this rule makes sense from a contemporary perspective. First, the criticism of ideas may affect the types of ideas people generate. In particular, individuals might be reluctant to offer their less obviously practical ideas if they are concerned about criticism. Yet because novelty is a key property of creativity, such ideas may often end up being among the most desirable. Second, criticism may affect the number of ideas people generate. The degree to which this is a problem may have to do with individuals’ own reactions to anticipated criticism, but there is reason to think that many people may offer fewer ideas when they expect criticism, and some people’s idea production might be severely affected.

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