So did that last brainstorming session you were in that was meant to generate a hundred ideas deliver? If not, here’s why:

The reasons brainstorming fails are instructive for other forms of group work, too. People in groups tend to sit back and let others do the work; they instinctively mimic others opinions and lose sight of their own; and, often succumb to peer pressure. The Emory University neuroscientist Gregory Berns found that when we take a stance different from the group’s, we activate the amygdala, a small organ in the brain associated with the fear of rejection. Professor Berns calls this ‘the pain of independence’.

This article talks more widely about open plan offices and the private environment that many need to be productive and creative http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&. It’s well researched and worth a read.

Oh, and don’t think I am 100% against brainstorms either. Their success or failure is entirely dependent on how the workshop is designed. Follow the tags on brainstorming below to find more on this.