Brainstorming rules can lead to success in real-world

Washington: North Carolina State University researchers have found that steps taken to make brainstorming sessions more productive can actually lead to success in real-world business environments.

“We found that, when tackling complex issues, the use of best practices to produce high-quality brainstorming did result in better decision-making,” said Dr. Joe Brazel. “When an audit team had taken steps to ensure high-quality brainstorming, we found them employing fraud detection techniques, such as surprise inventory checks, sales verifications, et cetera. When an audit team wasn’t using the brainstorming best practices, we saw them identify risk and then take no pursuant action,” he added. The aim of the study was to see if there was variation in how these firms conducted their brainstorming sessions, and whether those variations affected the quality of their work. The study found that there are 21 specific best practices that contributed to successful brainstorming efforts, and that the benefits of high quality brainstorming could be attained when at least 10 to 11 of those practices are put into place. The researchers also found that if a team leader comes into the brainstorming process with preconceived notions, that effectively short-circuits the brainstorming effort – and using best practices will not help. ANI