BRAINSTORMING GROUPS IN CONTEXT - EFFECTIVENESS IN A PRODUCT DESIGN FIRM

Experimental research indicates that people in face-to-face brainstorm ing meetings are less efficient at generating ideas than when working alone, This so-called productivity loss has led many brainstorming res earchers to conclude that there is overwhelming evidence for the ineff ectiveness of these sessions, We question this conclusion because it i s based on efficient idea generation as the primary effectiveness outc ome and on studies that do not examine how or why organizations use br ainstorming. We report a qualitative study of a product design firm th at uses brainstorming sessions. These sessions had six important conse quences for this firm, its design engineers, and its clients that are not evident in the brainstorming literature, or are reported but not l abeled as effectiveness outcomes: (1) supporting the organizational me mory of design solutions; (2) providing skill variety for designers; ( 3) supporting an attitude of wisdom (acting with knowledge while doubt ing what one knows); (4) creating a status auction (a competition for status based on technical skill); (5) impressing clients; and (6) prov iding income for the firm, This study suggests that when brainstorming sessions are viewed in organizational context and the ''effectiveness at what'' and ''effectiveness for whom'' questions are asked, efficie ncy at idea generation may deserve no special status as an effectivene ss outcome. We propose a broader perspective for assessing brainstormi ng effectiveness in organizations.