Virtual Brainstorming Is an Innovation Advantage for Hybrid and Remote Teams

Videoconferences are ill-suited for traditional brainstorming. Try this method instead.

Fear of losing their innovative edge pushes many leaders to reject hybrid and virtual work arrangements. Yet extensive research shows that hybrid and remote teams can gain an innovation advantage and out-compete in-person teams by adopting best practices for innovation, such as virtual brainstorming. What explains this discrepancy between leadership beliefs and scientific evidence?

Having consulted with more than a dozen companies on a strategic return back to the office, I discovered the root of the problem. The vast majority of leaders tried to pursue innovation during the lockdowns by adapting their office-based approach of synchronous brainstorming to videoconference meetings. However, they found that videoconferences aren’t well-suited for traditional brainstorming, and thus felt the need to go back to the office.

…

Want to continue?

By logging in you agree to receive communication from Quality Digest. Privacy Policy.

Create a FREE account

Forgot My Password

Comments

Nice!

I have used this technique, or variants of it, for many years now, and it works very well. Like many people who were around in the 80s and 90s, I learned the traditional Osborn Rules, "just throw the ideas out...no comments, no criticism" open brainstorming technique. About 10 years or so ago, I found some literature that demonstrated that teams could actually come up with more ideas, more diverse ideas, and higher quality ideas if they modified that to allow for some (non-adversarial) evaluation and debate around the ideas during the session.

One thing I have missed in the virtual environment, though, is Affinity Diagrams. For a while there was a product called BoardThing that looked like it would actually work...people could move the ideas around on a virtual whiteboard, and you could (theoretically) conduct a true Affinity process. It was pretty glitchy, though, and the number of people in a session seemed to be limited. If anyone knows of any new product that might allow for virtual Affinity Diagramming, I'd love to hear about it.

Refs:

[1] Lehrer, J. (2012). Groupthink: the brainstorming myth. New Yorker, 30 January 2012.

[1] Nemeth, C., Personnaz, B., Personnaz, A., & Goncalo, J. (2004). The liberating role of conflict in group creativity: A study in two countries. European Journal of Social Psychology (34), 365-374. DOI: 10.1002/ejsp.210