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The act of brainstorming is defined as "a process of mulling over ideas by one or more people in order to devise or find a solution to a problem". Just from this definition, it is clear that brainstorming, and the successful use of brainstorming, is vital to business success.
The concept of ideation, or idea generation, is something of a commodity in business. With the explosion of new technologies over the last few decades, how can a new business make an impact? Or, in a similar vein, how does an established business continue to grow and develop in order to meet the needs of its customers? Idea generation in business is largely dependent on brainstorming.
Brainstorming can be used for a variety of purposes. There are many uses for brainstorming, such as developing new products or marketing campaigns, but it can also be utilized for internal processes, establishing company structures, and writing articles. It depends on the type of business and its approach to collaboration.
Many other methods could also be used to resolve these sorts of issues - so why bother brainstorming? The following are three key reasons:
Getting the perspective of others
People are more likely to give their opinion of a product line, a service offering, a company's structure or even internal processes if you ask them! As a manager, you may have a completely different perspective from the people engaged in a particular process or service. In case you aren't involved in management, you should be aware that managers aren't capable of understanding everything involved in the day-to-day operations. It is necessary for businesses to conduct brainstorming and collect the viewpoints of others in order to come up with ideas and innovations that are well respected within the field.
Encourages the thinking process
Employees at all levels are encouraged to think critically about current issues or future goals with the participation of wider stakeholders in brainstorming - which is likely to make a positive impact on their future endeavours within the company.
Establishes relationships within the team
By brainstorming, employees can share the pressure of innovation and can work together respectfully and responsibly to create ideas and viable solutions to problems instead of one person feeling the pressure. It also promotes inter-office communication if these employees come from different departments within a business, thus increasing understanding across all departments.
Using brainstorming to grow your business can help in three main ways. However, how can you create a brainstorming environment?
One of the beauties of brainstorming sessions is that there are no rules or regulations. However, there are a few things you can do in your workplace to foster brainstorming and idea generation:
Don't judge ideas immediately – Create an environment that encourages people to share their ideas and visions in a comfortable and supportive environment - include all ideas, record all ideas, and assess all ideas later. Creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment will encourage people to share their ideas.
Be open to crazy ideas – As with the previous point, don't be afraid to encourage a few "crazy" ideas from your staff and stakeholders. You can always adjust these 'crazy' ideas later, if necessary, but remember that many of the world's greatest inventions and creations began as bizarre ideas. Keep an open mind when it comes to exploring everything.
Consider ideas as building blocks – Everyone does not have the idea for the world's best, cheapest, most useful, and most marketable product when brainstorming. Let your brainstorms build on one another's ideas - a person's idea might spark a new idea from another. If possible, allow ideas to develop organically wherever possible. Integrating and combining ideas can be very beneficial.
Do not Derail – When holding a brainstorming session around a particular issue, such as a specific event, make sure your discussions stay focused on that issue and do not veer off into uncharted territory like product ideas.
Create a Display – Brainstorming meetings are enhanced by visuals - provide a whiteboard and colourful stationery. In this way, people will be able to connect images with their ideas and build on others' ideas.
A well-organized brainstorming session can be implemented with the help of these ideas.