I find that I’ve become increasingly irritated with the narrow interpretations and self-serving definitions of what is, or is not, innovation. One of the most common scapegoats for innovation is brainstorming. No other activity is more frequently miscast, and often blamed, for failed innovation. It’s strange that the most natural activity in an innovation process is singled out as the most complex, difficult, and dangerous. That fact alone highlights how poorly understood the entire innovation process is. I’m here to neither praise nor bury brainstorming, but to clarify when it’s appropriate.

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