How to make team brainstorms more productive

Vol 46: Issue 4 | December 2023

We have all been in a meeting or brainstorming session where the communication breaks down. On one side, the ‘cheerleaders’ are enthusiastically endorsing ideas, and on the other the ‘naysayers’ seem to be shutting down every suggestion.

Such a scenario is a reminder that creating a proper environment for generating and discussing ideas is essential to unlock innovation and business growth. 

Dr David Burkus, author of Best Team Ever: The Surprising Science of High-Performing Teams, is regarded as one of the world’s top business thought leaders. He says team development cannot be ignored if ideas are to flourish, advising that three fundamental elements are required to foster a strong team culture and a robust team dynamic: psychological safety, pro-social purpose and common understanding.

“Common understanding is particularly crucial when dealing with diverse personalities within a team,” says Burkus. “It refers to team members sharing a common perspective on various aspects, such as their roles, responsibilities, assigned tasks, work preferences, differences [including personalities], behaviours, backgrounds and experiences. Think of it as a blend of role clarity and personal empathy.”

He suggests that, over time, as team members come to understand not only each other’s differences but also how those differences influence their behaviour, the team naturally adjusts its approach.

“This involves shifting assignments and finding ways to support each other in a manner that maximises individuals’ strengths and preferences, leading to work that people excel at and genuinely enjoy.”

This shift is not solely about accommodating personality differences, but also accommodating work preferences. “It hinges on the presence of genuine empathy within the team dynamic,” says Burkus.

A safe space for all

Drawing on his leadership experience in financial services and recruitment in New Zealand, Consult Recruitment CEO David Page observes that the most productive teams for generating ideas typically have a common purpose or a vision “that gets everyone moving in the same direction”. 

“So, you need your team to be aligned, you need to have a clear strategy, but also you need to have a culture around trusting and empowering people to get on with it,” he says.

Page agrees that leaders must create a safe environment in which people are happy to share their views or bring nuance to ideas or concepts that can ultimately improve business performance.

“Often a left-field idea, while not being relevant on the surface, might trigger another thought that evolves into another thought, which then transcends into something that’s relevant and actionable.”

Any discussion of brainstorming inevitably brings up the widely accepted notion that “no idea is a bad idea”. Burkus is not necessarily an advocate of this principle. He says challenging ideas during their generation phase, engaging in a robust discussion about their merits and having individuals defend their ideas can be beneficial.

“When ideas face scrutiny, individuals tend to think more deeply about them,” he says. “However, it’s essential to emphasise that this approach only works effectively in teams with a high degree of psychological safety. If your team lacks this safety net, you should prioritise building it first. 

“Once that foundation is established, teach team members how to engage in constructive debates focused on the task at hand, rather than making it personal. By doing so, you can likely generate better ideas, even without adhering strictly to the notion that ‘no idea is a bad idea’.”

Devil in the detail

Although naysayers often get a bad rap, Burkus believes they can be “incredibly valuable” when it comes to generating ideas and ensuring the soundness of business plans.The caveat, he says, is that they should be assigned a designated role — “whether you call it a ‘devil’s advocate’, a ‘red team’ or something else entirely”. 

That said, while the people who are inclined to challenge ideas may put their hands up for this role, team leaders should consider changing up their challengers regularly. Says Burkus: “When it’s always the same person playing the unofficial role of the naysayer, people often perceive that individual as excessively negative.”

Page has no doubt that getting a balance of personalities around the table — including those who are grounded and practical, and those who are aspirational and entrepreneurial — can improve the generation of ideas. He adds that more negative voices in the room can potentially call out unrealistic ideas that could hurt the business. 

“If someone who has no sense of reality suggests you should go from selling cars to selling balloons, then perhaps that doesn’t work,” he says. “Sometimes you need a person to say, ‘hey, it’s great to do blue-sky thinking, but that’s just not practical’. It’s important to have tangible actions and accountable owners to move things forward.”

The power of language

Language can also be a key element of team dynamics — and contribute to the success or failure of efforts to generate great ideas and strategies. Page employs a game version of the ‘yes, and …’ brainstorming technique (see breakout) to flush out and improve left-field ideas.

As participants sit around a table, one person floats an idea. The next person has to say ‘no, but …’ and the action is repeated as they progress around the group. This exercise can often lead to infighting and poorly formed ideas. Then participants are asked to repeat the exercise, this time using the response, ‘yes, and …’ 

“This process can really build out the idea and create something quite wonderful, especially when I want to get everyone in a team in a growth mindset,” says Page. 

The method is seen as a way of fostering a growth mindset and forcing each participant to listen to others, even if the initial idea does not resonate with them. 

From ideas to outcomes

Myriad other strategies exist to spark innovative thinking. Some experts suggest brainstorming for questions, not answers, because fresh questions often prompt new and transformative insights.

Others believe it is helpful to apply parameters to ensure that ideas become reality, including setting definitive timeframes for action or stipulating the budgetary constraints to ensure that ideas and projects are achievable and don’t unnecessarily strain resources.

Page offers three practical tips for organisations seeking to improve ideas generation:

1. Empower the introverts. Some talented employees lose their voice in team meetings and are reluctant to speak up. With such personalities, Page likes to give them pre-session encouragement such as: “Hey, I know you’ve got some ideas on this topic, and I know you’ll probably wait for everyone else to talk. So, how about early in the meeting I ask you a couple of questions to get your views out there.” Page says giving participants some warning often helps them feel more comfortable to contribute. “Once they’ve actually said something in a meeting, they’re away. In financial services, there’s a lot of introverted people who perhaps have amazing ideas but don’t have the ability to interject into the conversation or into the meeting."
2. Encourage reverse mentoring. Bringing new ideas into a business and integrating them into strategy can be invaluable. To that end, Page endorses reverse mentoring, whereby a graduate or younger employee raises ideas and shares perspectives with the CEO through regular meetings or catch-ups. “This allows the CEO to actively seek out a different point of view, versus getting groupthink that just reinforces what the business has always done.”
3. Get out into the fresh air. The day-to-day grind of the office can wear down staff and stymie innovation. Page says it can help to schedule a meeting in a park or at the beach — anywhere but the office — to create a different vibe and body language with a group. “If you want blue-sky thinking, get out under the sky and see what they’ve got.”

Burkus concludes that while brainstorming — or divergent thinking — is an excellent way to practice the initial creative element underlying innovation, it is important to also recognise the significance of convergent thinking, which involves testing and refining ideas.

“Creative problem-solving is a structured process, with brainstorming serving as one of its tools,” he says. “One common misconception is the belief that brainstorming encompasses the entire process, which is not the case.”

Four steps to generate (& implement) new ideas

Business thought leader and author Dr David Burkus says there is a misconception that brainstorming is the “sole solution” to creative problem-solving. Rather, he believes, it is just part of the process.

1. Start a research and exploration phase. Burkus says this step involves the business challenge and its variables being thoroughly examined to define what success would look like. “This phase involves its own set of stakeholders, distinct from those in the brainstorming meeting.”
2. Organise a wider brainstorming meeting. This step typically involves a larger group of participants than the exploration period and encourages the free flow of ideas.
3. Review, refine and decide. A smaller group should now identify the strongest ideas and discuss them in more depth. Fine-tune them if necessary, check they work within the project parameters and then decide which one(s) to take forward.
4. Assign tasks and responsibilities. This step sees a small group being responsible for assigning tasks and responsibilities within larger organisations to ensure ideas progress to implementation. “This division helps prevent burnout and allows for different breaks in the process,” says Burkus. He adds that it’s crucial to include a decision-making meeting in the framework. “Often, during brainstorming sessions, people tend to advocate for their preferred ideas, leading to premature consensus. It’s more beneficial to take a break, allow emotions to subside and then make a well-considered decision.”

Setting team parameters

Being clear about discussion or project parameters can help teams generate more targeted ideas and choose between competing options. The following questions can be effective:

• Let’s start by defining our challenge and objectives. What are we trying to achieve?
• What is the budget or resource allocation for this project?
• Are there any legal or compliance requirements we need to consider?
• What’s our timeline?

The ‘yes, and …’ technique

First touted in the 1970s by improvisation coach, actor and author Phil Johnson, the ‘yes, and …’ concept has now become popular in corporate circles.

It’s a technique that creativity and innovation expert James Taylor highly recommends when someone suggests an idea in a brainstorming session.

“It requires a willingness to listen [and] a willingness to be open to new ideas,” explains Taylor. The format is simple. If someone puts forward an idea, even if it may appear flawed, another person in the group has to say ‘yes’ to the idea and then add something that builds on the concept. In essence, even if the second person opposes the idea, they are obliged to think deeply about it and advance and improve it.

Read this article and all the other articles from the latest issue of the Journal e-magazine.

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