3 ms·

The article only touches briefly on the flaws of brainstorming and group work, but there was a recent article in the New Yorker by Jonah Lehrer that delved deep

The article only touches briefly on the flaws of brainstorming and group work, but there was a recent article in the New Yorker by Jonah Lehrer that delved deeper into this issue and some of the research behind it. (unfortunately only available to subscribers http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_...) Surprisingly there is decent amount of research indicating that brainstorming is actually less productive than everyone thinks, however the article diverges slightly and explores the history of a few places like Building 20 at MIT where many people from different backgrounds were forced to mix due to the adhoc nature of the offices, etc. Of course I think he referenced another HN favorite, Richard Hamming's classic "You and your research." It seems that balancing "quiet brilliance" and "keeping your door open" is probably something worth keeping in mind.

arguesalot 15y ago
I wonder why people find this surprising. Groupthink involves substantial compromises so you end up with least-common-denominator solutions. Epics throughout history often talk about the accomplishments of Great (Wo)Men, but not of Great Groups. The idea that groupthink is more valuable is just a hypothesis. The Nytimes had a similar story recently: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?comments http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of...
- spacemanaki 15y ago
  Brainstorming is shoved down our throats from middle school on (in the US, at least) and continues into the workplace. We've probably all sat through painful brainstorming sessions in the process of software development, and in some cases the supposed wisdom of the group is formalized in processes like scrum. So I found it somewhat surprising that this continues despite research indicating it might not be productive.

arguesalot 15y ago

I wonder why people find this surprising. Groupthink involves substantial compromises so you end up with least-common-denominator solutions. Epics throughout history often talk about the accomplishments of Great (Wo)Men, but not of Great Groups. The idea that groupthink is more valuable is just a hypothesis. The Nytimes had a similar story recently: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?comments http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of...

spacemanaki 15y ago
Brainstorming is shoved down our throats from middle school on (in the US, at least) and continues into the workplace. We've probably all sat through painful brainstorming sessions in the process of software development, and in some cases the supposed wisdom of the group is formalized in processes like scrum. So I found it somewhat surprising that this continues despite research indicating it might not be productive.