Brainstorming is sort of the original group activity to encourage creativity. It is a way to gather people and to generate as many creative ideas as possible. The group is encouraged to be nonjudgmental of themselves and others as they throw out ideas. The group is open to all ideas, nothing is too wild or impractical to be presented. It should be a free flow of ideas without criticism. The more ideas generated the better and each idea is equal during the initial process.
Another way for groups to generate creative solutions is the nominal group techniques which is process of problem solving. The problem is presented, then each member of the group offers a solution to the problem with a short explanation as to why it would work. Duplicate solutions are eliminated and the group ranks the solutions numerically.
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"Teamwork And Brainstorming".
Brainwriting was made popular in Germany as a modified form of brainstorming. Each group member writes out ideas and generates them on paper. They are then shared in the group Another version of this is to meet online and come up with as many ideas as possible this variation is preferred to as nominal brainwriting.
Overall the issues with groups and creativity are the same. Some voice are heard more than others, people tend to self-censor, as well as place an idea on hold as they wait their turn and not really listen to what is being said by others. Often the same ideas are generated by most members. Also research supports the idea that groups are not more creative than individuals. Plus groups are more difficult to manage and often require a facilitator for best results. Lastly, groups are subject to premature evaluation of an idea or writing something off too quickly and this hinders the creativity of others, who then pull back from offering ideas.
