Introduction

Conclusion

Application

Introduction

The psychology of creativity is a branch of psychology that studies the process of scientific discoveries, inventions, and the creation of works of art, a field of research on psychological creative activity people in science, literature, music, visual and stage arts, in invention and rationalization. One of the methods of creative search is "brainstorming".

Its creator - Alex Osborne (USA) used it for the first time back in 1938, calling it "brainstorming". The problem that Osborne wanted to solve is this: a creative task involves many possible solutions. In search of a successful solution, a person does not act as arbitrarily as it might seem: as a rule, the search begins with the most familiar, generally accepted direction. An ancient instinct says: act by analogy, act like everyone else. And this is good, because in ordinary, "uncreative" situations, it eliminates the need to think again. For example, when you need to buy a given magazine, you take the money out of your pocket and buy the magazine without being creative. The complexity of the creative situation is that its solution often lies far beyond the usual ideas. At the same time, each person has some "filters" in his head (social, professional, etc.) that do not allow unexpected, original ideas. A person discards decisions that seem too bold to him - fearing criticism, ridicule from colleagues and superiors, etc. If these filters are removed, then it is possible, if not to improve the quality of ideas, then at least to increase their number. Osborne's main idea is simple: to separate the process of generating ideas from their criticism.

The use of the method has shown indisputable effectiveness in the creative solution of many complex research and not only research problems. It is used in the development management decisions different class.

The purpose of this work: a comprehensive study and characteristics of the features of finding solutions using the brainstorming method.

clarify the concept and essence of the "brainstorming" method;

review the types of brainstorming;

consider the essence, principles and stages of the brainstorming technique.

The work consists of an introduction, two chapters of the main part, a conclusion, a list of sources and applications used.

Chapter I. The concept and essence of the brainstorming method

Brainstorming, brainstorming (from the English. Brainstorming - brainstorming) - a procedure for group creative thinking, more precisely, it is a one-time exchange of opinions of a group of people in the same room.

Brainstorming is one of the most effective forms of group discussions and is widely known and widely used. Designed for the collective generation of a large number of ideas to solve a particular problem. The method of "brainstorming" is built on a specific combination of research methodology and organization, separate use of the efforts of dreamer and intuitionist researchers with analysts, systems engineers, skeptics, and practitioners.

Brainstorming generates many ideas that are evaluated in a final discussion. It is considered normal if within 1.5 hours (two academic hours) the group produces up to a hundred ideas. Then, from the total number of ideas expressed, the most successful ones are selected that can be used in practice.

The main goal of "brainstorming" is to search for the widest possible range of ideas and solutions to the problem under study, going beyond the boundaries of those ideas that exist among narrow specialists or people with rich past experience and a certain official position.

The essence of the brainstorming method is that a group of qualified experts is selected, but assessments and conclusions are made during the meeting. People of various specialties, practical experience, scientific temperament, individual qualities, as a rule, own various methods of research. Combining these methods can be very helpful in solving complex research problems. This is the essence of brainstorming. His other quality is a combination of logic and intuition, scientific fantasy and scrupulous calculation.

The main principle of this method is the uncontrolled generation and spontaneous interweaving of ideas by participants in a group discussion of a problem.

For brainstorming, two groups are usually created:

participants offering new options for solving the problem;

members of the commission processing the proposed solutions.

A team of several specialists and a moderator participate in a brainstorming session.

Before the brainstorming session itself, the facilitator makes a clear statement of the problem to be solved. During the brainstorming, participants express their ideas aimed at solving the task, both logical and absurd. If people of different ranks or ranks take part in the brainstorming, then it is recommended to listen to ideas in ascending order of rank, which makes it possible to eliminate the psychological factor of "agreement with superiors."

In the process of brainstorming, as a rule, at first the solutions are not very original, but after some time, typical, template solutions are exhausted, and the participants begin to have unusual ideas. The facilitator writes down or otherwise records all the ideas that come up during the brainstorming session. Then, when all ideas are expressed, they are analyzed, developed and selected. As a result, the most efficient and often non-trivial solution of the problem is found. The idea with which the majority of experts will agree is considered correct.

This method is specially designed to get the maximum number of offers. Its effectiveness is amazing: 6 people can come up with 150 ideas in half an hour. A design team working by conventional methods would never have come to the conclusion that the problem they are considering has such a variety of aspects.

For the successful application of this method, a number of conditions must be met:

the meeting should be attended by 7 to 12 people;

the optimal duration of the meeting is from 15 to 30 minutes;

the number of offers is more important than their quality;

any participant can adopt and develop the ideas of another;

criticism in any form is prohibited;

logic, experience, arguments "against" only get in the way;

the hierarchical level of participants should not differ too much, otherwise psychological barriers may arise that interfere with communication and association building.

This is the brainstorming technique. A group of individuals is assembled, selected to generate alternatives. The main selection principle is the diversity of professions, qualifications, experience (this principle allows you to expand the fund of a priori information that the group has). It is reported that all ideas that have arisen both individually and by association when listening to the proposals of other participants are welcome, including those that only partially improve other people's ideas (it is recommended to write each idea on a separate card). Each in turn reads out his idea, the rest listen and write down on the cards new thoughts that arose under the influence of what they heard. All cards are then collected, sorted and analyzed, usually by another group of experts. At the same time, any criticism is strictly prohibited - this is the most important condition for brainstorming: the very possibility of criticism inhibits the imagination. This technique works on the basis that the ideas of everyone present are equally good, and no one's idea can be better than others. The number of alternatives can subsequently be significantly increased by combining the generated ideas. Among the ideas received as a result of brainstorming, there may be many stupid and unworkable ideas, but stupid ideas are then easily excluded by subsequent criticism.

Thus, the method of "brainstorming" can be considered as a tool for updating the creative potential of a team of specialists. This update is achieved through the following:

firstly, the participants in the session of collective idea generation train their brains in relation to the ability to put forward new ideas to solve the tasks;

secondly, the session participant gets the opportunity for a new and unexpected "vision" of the problem through the eyes of his colleagues;

thirdly, the subsequent study of the totality of the ideas expressed allows us to treat ideas in a new way, with greater confidence, which, although previously expressed by colleagues, did not attract sufficient attention in the routine environment of the current affairs of the organization;

fourthly, the habit of negative and critical evaluation of new and insufficiently substantiated ideas acquired in the process of numerous meetings and discussions in the process of collective generation of ideas is supplemented by the skills of creative thinking.

The process of putting forward new ideas during brainstorming proceeds in a certain sense as an avalanche: an idea expressed by one of the members of the group generates either a creative or a critical reaction. However, due to the no-criticism rule, negative reactions also give rise to positive ones, i.e. productive, results. The presence of this effect is confirmed not only qualitative analysis but also statistically. Thus, research on the effectiveness of "brainstorming" conducted at US universities showed that groupthink gives 70% more valuable new ideas than the sum of individual independent proposals.

The expediency of using the "brainstorming" method is determined by the assessment of the complexity and originality of the research problem and the availability of specialists who can effectively participate in the "brainstorming" processes.

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Chapter II. Brainstorming: rules, conditions and stages

2.1 Rules for brainstorming

There are certain rules, the observance of which will allow more productive brainstorming. The basic rules for brainstorming are:

Rule 1: Any criticism of the ideas expressed during the brainstorming is prohibited. The principle of brainstorming is to prioritize the quantity of ideas expressed over their quality. The ideas expressed by the participants, even the most crazy, can serve as a starting point for the development of the thought process of other participants. This is the advantage of collective thinking over individual. Any, even the smallest, assessment of the idea expressed can affect the entire process of brainstorming. It will be successful if each participant directs their efforts in a constructive direction.

Rule 2: Free flight of thoughts and encouragement of the most "crazy" ideas. The purpose of brainstorming as a collective creative process is to search for non-standard, non-traditional ideas. Otherwise, this process can turn into a regular meeting, where most often it is standard ideas and solutions that are proposed and discussed that are not always effective and efficient.

For the emergence of creative ideas, a certain mood is required, when thoughts freely rush through our head. This state is characterized by the inclusion in the work of our subconscious. For the appearance of such a mood of brainstorming participants, a special warm-up should be carried out with tasks for analysis and synthesis, associative connections, etc.

When expressing their ideas, participants need to remember that it does not matter at all whether they are applicable in practice or not, one way or another, many of them may help to find effective solution.

Rule 3: Put forward as many ideas as possible. As already mentioned, for brainstorming, the number of ideas expressed is more important than their quality. While participants must (and can) generate ideas for a small limited amount of time, they must learn to use ideas already expressed by other participants to think quickly and propose new ones.

In the practice of such groups, it can be noted that the purpose of brainstorming is to put forward more than 100 ideas in 20 minutes. The most productive (successful) brainstorming session is one in which 200-250 ideas are proposed in 20 minutes.

Rule 4: Mandatory fixation of all ideas. When conducting a brainstorming session, every idea should be recorded, even if it is repeated. All group members should see all captured ideas, so you should prepare for this in advance.

Usually ideas are written with markers on large sheets of paper. It is better to hang them up in advance, before the start of the brainstorming session, and place them on the walls so that they are clearly visible to each participant.

Rule 5: Incubation of ideas. After all the ideas are expressed and recorded, it takes time to think about and evaluate them. Why is this stage needed? The fact is that the incubation period allows a person to recover from the fatigue associated with solving a problem. A break in a difficult problem also makes it possible to forget inappropriate approaches to it.

Functional fixedness may interfere with the solution of the problem, and it is possible that during incubation period a person forgets the old and unsuccessful ways of solving it. Experience shows that during the period of incubation, a person continues to work on the task unconsciously. In addition, during a break in the process of solving a problem, material may be reorganized.

2.2 Conditions for brainstorming

There are no strict rules and restrictions for brainstorming, but the experience of many years of practice allows us to develop certain conditions its application. Terms and techniques for brainstorming include:

Categories of participants. There are no strict restrictions, but it is better to include workers with relatively little work experience in the group - they do not yet have developed stereotypes. When solving specific problems, it is necessary to invite specialists (but they will be invited, not participants).

It is recommended to form mixed groups (of men and women). As a rule, the presence of representatives of different sex enlivens the atmosphere of work. In addition, when brainstorming, it is desirable that the number of active and moderate members of the group be approximately equal. It is also necessary that the difference in age and official position between members of the group be minimal. The presence of superiors also constrains and limits the flow of brainstorming. It is not recommended to invite a skeptical leader to a brainstorming session, even if he participates in the role of an observer. It is advisable from time to time to introduce new people into the group, new people bring in new views, ideas that stimulate thinking.

Number of participants: the optimal composition of the group is from 6 to 12 people. The optimal number of participants is 7. It is not recommended to split the group members into smaller ones (2 or more).

The number of people in a group also depends on the number of active and moderate members in it. If there are more active, then the number of people in the group should be less, more than moderate - on the contrary.

Setting, venue. For brainstorming, it is advisable to use an auditorium or a separate room away from extraneous noise. It is recommended to hang a poster on the wall with the basic rules for brainstorming. It is desirable to have a board that participants can use to display their ideas. Tables and chairs are recommended to be arranged in the form of the letter P, O, a circle or a semi-ellipse. This facilitates the contact of participants and increases sociability. If the group is small (5-6 people), a round table is most convenient. It is advisable to have a tape recorder: a person may not have time to delve into the idea and miss it.

duration and time. As a rule, the duration of the brainstorming and the time ranges from 40-60 minutes. This is the most efficient time frame. When solving simple problems or when there is a time limit, the most appropriate length of discussion is 10-15 minutes.

Most right time for brainstorming - in the morning (from 10 to 12 hours), but it can also be done in the afternoon (from 14 to 18 hours).

Types of problems solved by brainstorming. The brainstorming method allows you to solve any problem that can be solved by a method that has several options solutions. Brainstorming problems that have only one answer or a limited number of possible solutions are not suitable for this method. It is also necessary to avoid solving too general, abstract problems. It is recommended to avoid completely solving the problem in one session. If the initial formulation is too broad and general, it should be subdivided into a number of subproblems. Problems for discussion are recommended to be formulated simply and clearly.

Brainstorming can be successfully used to collect information, not ideas, i.e. for clarification of sources or formation of questions of the questionnaire.

Sounding out the problem. The brainstorming topic is revealed to the participants in advance, a few days before the discussion. In this case, the facilitator (chairman) presents a summary of the topic or problem (up to 5 minutes, half a sheet), distributes it to the participants in advance. Familiarization of brainstorming participants with a topic or problem directly during the brainstorming session. There is also a mixed way of presenting a topic or problem for brainstorming. That is, partial rather than complete information on the problem is reported in advance.

show or illustrate the way a problem or situation develops. If possible, it is better graphically.

summarize the available points of view, show their advantages and disadvantages. Re-emphasize the need for a solution.

The role of the manager (leader). In the practical use of the "brainstorming" method, the personality and activities of the leader are of great importance. After all, the work of both the first and second groups should be properly organized and regulated in the process of their implementation. This role is played by the leader.

The main functions of the leader are to inform all participants about the rules of brainstorming, to (leader) control over their observance, as well as to generally control the discussion so that it remains within or within the boundaries of the topic or problem being discussed. Various options are possible: the leader can be the same for the first and second groups, or the leaders can be differentiated. But in both cases, the leader should be a person with great creative activity, goodwill, a deep understanding of the problem being solved, the ability to organize and support the intellectual process.

It is important that the leader himself participate in the generation of ideas. An effective leader is constantly throwing out "wild" and reckless ideas and suggestions to demonstrate that they are encouraged. It should simultaneously act as a stimulator or catalyst in case of a slowdown in the rate of generating ideas. A good leader, as a rule, should have a list of possible solutions to a problem in advance. The role of the leader is also to select participants for the brainstorming session at least 2 days before it takes place. Sometimes it happens that it is difficult for a group of participants to get rid of traditional approaches, stereotypes in problem solving. In this case, we recommend using a little trick: the leader stops the brainstorming and introduces restrictions: for 2-3 minutes, offer only impractical, most unusual ideas. It often happens that participants continue to generate interesting ideas and after the meeting. In this case, the task of the leader is to assemble the group in a few days and fix these ideas.

Evaluation of ideas. To evaluate ideas, you need to select criteria. The evaluation criteria can be relevance, practical implementation, solvability on their own, novelty, etc. Evaluation of ideas can be done by the same or different compositional group. If the evaluation is carried out by the same group of participants, then, as a rule, it is carried out after a few days.

2.3 Steps for brainstorming

Having learned the rules of brainstorming, you can now pay attention to the individual stages of successfully brainstorming and evaluating ideas after they have been “incubated”. Properly organized brainstorming includes several mandatory steps. Stages differ in organization and rules for their implementation.

Stage 1. Statement of the problem. There is a selection of participants in the assault, the definition of a leader and the distribution of other roles of participants, depending on the problem posed and the chosen method of conducting the assault. The leader should familiarize the group members with the rules for brainstorming. It is best to write these rules on a poster and hang it on the wall at every group meeting in a way that is clearly visible to all participants.

Stage 2. For successful brainstorming, participants need to tune in to a creative way. The leader conducts a warm-up with the participants, solving various problems for associative thinking, analysis and synthesis, etc. It is best for employees who are members of a permanent team to constantly develop their creative abilities. Then it is recommended to conduct a brainstorming rehearsal. The group needs to choose a problem (preferably of a domestic nature), in which each of the participants is to some extent competent, and conduct a brief brainstorming (warm-up) in order to restructure thinking for the creative process.

Stage 3. Group members should prepare for the brainstorming by hanging large sheets of paper on the walls, on which the incoming ideas will be recorded. At the same time, it must be remembered that with the rapid pace of putting forward ideas, it may be difficult to fix them on paper. In this case, 2-3 people can fix ideas in turn. You can also accept the following conditions: participants fix their ideas on a small sheet of paper and express them in turn at the request of the facilitator.

The problem has already been formulated, but its definition is too general and needs to be clarified. In this case, the original wording should be placed as a heading on a large piece of paper.

the group does not know what problem it will be working on, but in this case it is necessary to try to formulate a general direction of search. In this case, the best way to start a general heading might be: "How can we." and then finish the phrase (to transform something, improve, etc.). After the final choice of the topic, its definition in the form of a heading is also placed on a large sheet of paper.

Stage 5. Ideation process. Idea generation is the main stage on which the success of the entire brainstorming largely depends. Therefore, it is very important to follow the rules for this stage:

) The main thing is the number of ideas. Don't make any restrictions.

) A complete ban on criticism and any (including positive) assessment of the ideas expressed, since the assessment distracts from the main task and knocks down the creative mood.

) Unusual and even absurd ideas are welcome.

There are many different techniques based on the principles of brainstorming, but different types of brainstorming typically use two approaches to the ideation process:

an approach. Participants can express ideas in turn, in a certain order. Usually the leader invites the next member of the group to speak. If one of the participants does not know what to offer, then he says: "I skip" and the right to speak passes to the next participant. The leader (or a member of the group specially allocated for this) fixes the expressed ideas on large sheets of paper. Participants are encouraged to record their ideas on small pieces of paper so as not to forget them while he waits for his turn to speak. In this case, ideas come in order and are easy to fix. In addition, all members of the group are involved in the process.

an approach. The second approach is unsystematic, since each member of the group can express their ideas at any time. AT this case ideas are expressed freely and naturally, but there is great difficulty in fixing ideas. In this case, you can increase the number of people who will capture ideas (usually 2-3 people). The disadvantage of this approach is that it does not stimulate the direction of thought and does not guarantee the involvement of all participants in the process of putting forward ideas.

Stage 6. Once all the ideas are fixed, it takes time to think about and evaluate them. Group members are encouraged to leave for at least a week after brainstorming to reflect on all the ideas. It is best to hang up the idea sheet in a prominent place where the group members can see it at all times. In addition, to the discussion of the ideas expressed during the brainstorming, other employees of the enterprise add their ideas to the hanging sheets (brainstorming on the board). Then, after some time (more often than a week), the group members conduct a new brainstorming session on the list of ideas compiled at the previous meeting.

Step 7. It initiates the evaluation process. This usually happens at the next group meeting. The best way to organize the evaluation of ideas from the list is to group them by topic before some proposals are rejected as unrealistic. Once you have a list of ideas grouped by topic, you should review each one to identify the best ideas that can be quickly and easily implemented. Further actions of the group depend on the subject of brainstorming. If its purpose was to identify the problem to be worked on, then the group should choose a main topic and then focus on the ideas related to it in order to identify the most suitable ones for consideration. In another case, if as a result of brainstorming the group received a set of possible solutions to the problem, then the next step will be to analyze them to identify one or two of the most suitable options. Methods for analyzing and evaluating ideas can be very different. The success of this stage directly depends on how “equally” the participants understand the criteria for selecting and evaluating ideas.

2.4 Methods based on the principle (technology) of brainstorming

The method of "brainstorming" as a method of researching problems and finding solutions to them has many varieties.

One of them is method of brainstorming fixed ideas. Its essence lies in the fact that all participants in the creative process fix their ideas on solving a problem on special cards. Then the cards are mixed and distributed randomly to all participants. Each of them must give a public assessment of the idea that came to him. A controversy may arise around this, which allows you to hone the idea or discard it as unrealistic. In the process of controversy, new ideas may also arise.

Brainwriting. This technique is based on the brainstorming technique, but the group members express their sentences not out loud, but in writing. They write their ideas on pieces of paper and then exchange them with each other. The idea of ​​a neighbor becomes a stimulus for a new idea, which is included in the resulting sheet. The group again exchanges sheets, and this continues for a certain time (no more than 15 minutes). The rules of brainstorming also apply to note-taking: strive for more ideas, don't criticize suggestions before class is over, and encourage "free association." So, for example, the managers of a perfume company decided to use the writing method in search of ideas for business development. Each participant in the meeting wrote down his idea on a piece of paper and exchanged with a neighbor. One manager thought about producing a new brand of soap and laundry detergent, while another listed a proposal to develop new line for the production of shampoo and hair balm. Well, the third one, when this leaflet with these 2 ideas came to him, combined them and offered to create a unique product: soap, shampoo and conditioner in one bottle.

Brainstorming on chalkboard. In the working premises, you can hang a special board on the wall, attack on the board so that employees place sheets on it with notes of those creative ideas that come to them during the working day. Hang this board in a conspicuous place. In the center of it should be written - in large bright (multi-colored) letters - the problem that needs to be resolved. Anyone who has an interesting thought that can help solve this problem can pin a piece of paper with the idea fixed on it.

Brainstorming in Japanese. This technique, developed by the Japanese Kobayashi and Kawakita, is based on the awareness of the need for a common approach for all group members to identify and solve problems. This technique is called "Rice Hail".

) Definition of the problem. The team leader lists all concepts related to the topic (eg sales, costs, distribution services, competition). Each of the participants writes down on the cards the factors associated with the problem under consideration - one fact per card. Facts should be relevant and directly related to the topic under study. The host collects and redistributes the cards so that no one gets the old ones. Group members choose those cards that are associated with the statement offered to their attention. These cards form a set. The facilitator reads out the contents of one of the cards. The group gives the set a name that reflects, in the general opinion, the essence of all the facts presented in the set. The name must meet the following requirements: its meaning must be derived from a set of facts, it must not be too general, it must not be a simple enumeration of facts from a set. By giving a name to the set, the group summarizes all the facts at their disposal and then extracts the crux of the problem from them. Group members combine the rest of the facts into sets - each under his own name. Then all sets are added into one, to which the group gives a name that reflects the essence of the final set. This final complex set will be as close as possible to the essence of the problem and its definition. Perhaps you should rearrange keywords so that there is a clear and precise definition of the problem.

When a common understanding of the task appears in the group, the positions of the participants converge; all present agree on the definition of the problem; in the process of joint discussion, group members begin to feel a "feeling of the elbow".

) Solution. Each participant writes down their solutions to solve the problem on separate cards - one option on each card, the number of options is not limited. The leader of the group collects and redistributes the cards so that no one gets the old ones. Participants select cards associated with this solution. When all offers are selected, they are grouped. The facilitator reads one of the options. The set is given a name. In the course of further discussion, the remaining proposals are also combined into sets of solutions to the problem, and from them the final set is already compiled. This set should contain the essence of all proposed solutions. The title of the final set should express the essence of all sentences. The facilitator asks the group a question: "What unites all the proposed ideas?" The search for an answer will generate many thoughts, and the facilitator will be able to select and group the most interesting ones.

Multi-stage (cascade) brain attack.In this case, all participants in the meetings (meetings) are divided into two groups: "idea generation group" and "evaluation group". It is desirable that the "idea generation group" consists of people of equal rank. This group includes widely erudite brainstorming employees who are prone to fantasy, but clearly represent the essence of the task before them. Of great importance is the approximate equality of the members of the group in terms of temperaments. The optimal number of members of the "idea generation group", aimed at solving a problem of medium complexity, is 10 people. The "assessment group" includes people with a critical mindset. Here, the presence of superiors with certain powers is mandatory. This is necessary so that a positive assessment of an idea has a real basis for its implementation. Both groups must have leaders whose role is unusually great. This is the conductor of the "synthetic brain". A lot depends on his erudition, tact, ability to "get" the members of the group. It should be noted that the problem of selecting both groups is very important and complex.

Let us formulate the main stages of a multi-stage brain attack.

Stage 1 "Reconnaissance". The first brainstorming session is held, in which the first ideas are put forward by the "idea generation group". Considered as a stage of generating ideas.

Stage 2 "Contradictation". At this stage, the participants continue to come up with ideas, but one restriction is imposed on the statements about the problem: the same problem must be solved without resorting to the proposals already made. Ideas opposite to those previously expressed are approved and supported. As a result of the implementation of this approach, two opposite lists of proposals for solving the problem are compiled. In sum, they contain a maximum of proposals and counterproposals. The greatest effect is obtained when the brainstorming participants in the first and second stages will be different people: emphasizing the need to "leave touch" previously received proposals that are presented as dead ends, the facilitator does not prohibit their use.

Stage 3 "Synthesis". At this stage, the "assessment group" joins the discussion. It combines in one system the proposals made during the first and second discussions, and develops solutions.

Stage 4 "Forecast". On the basis of a "synthetic" list of ideas, it is proposed to predict the possibilities and difficulties arising from the solution.

Stage 5 "Generalization". The meaning of this stage is to generalize the received ideas, reducing their diversity to a small number of principles.

Stage 6 "Destruction". This stage is carried out in order to test the results obtained "for strength". Its task is to "smash" sentences from various positions: logical, factual, social. Criticism is allowed only in relation to the formulated ideas, but not to each other. To increase the efficiency of this stage, it is necessary to form a group of different qualities in intellectual and professional terms; ensure the administrative and legal independence of its members from the organizers of the development; do not name the authors of the ideas.

After all stages are completed, the final decision is made. However, it should be noted that the technique does not replace the talent, knowledge, or experience of people, it only increases their thoughts. The atmosphere of emotional elation, which is created during collective thinking, contributes to the discovery of the deep creative reserves of the human personality.

Exists reverse brainstorming method, within which criticism of the expressed ideas is allowed, which, however, must be constructive.

Often, after 3-5 minutes of brainstorming, the pace of presentation of ideas by its participants slows down, and it begins to fade. What to do in this case? The manager is advised to have a questionnaire on hand to generate ideas. If brainstorming is carried out one-on-one with a problem, then the questionnaire will provide indispensable assistance. The Appendix presents A. Osborne's questionnaire for generating ideas.

Thus, brainstorming is a great way to use the team's creative thinking. The brainstorming method is effective way solving many problems: quite efficient and reliable; this is the maximum of ideas in a short period of time; it is the absence of any criticism; it is the development, combination and modification of both one's own and others' ideas.

The advantage of the method is the high efficiency of obtaining the required solution. However, in conditions of limited time and space, brainstorming is inappropriate. Its main drawback is the complexity of organizing an examination, since it is sometimes impossible to bring together the required specialists, create an uninvited atmosphere and eliminate the influence of the As an option - the individual application of the brainstorming method using mental maps, this technology saves time, both your own and other people's, it is more accessible and practical.

Conclusion

Brainstorming (brainstorming) is a widely used method of producing new ideas to solve scientific and practical problems. Its goal is to organize collective mental activity to find non-traditional ways to solve them.

Brainstorming is a means of getting as many ideas from a group of people as possible in a short amount of time. It is considered normal if a group produces up to a hundred ideas within 1.5 hours.

The idea of ​​the brainstorming method was proposed by Alex Osborne in the middle of the 20th century. The main idea is to isolate the formation of an idea from its criticism.

To conduct brainstorming, two groups are usually created: participants offering new options for solving a problem; members of the commission processing the proposed solutions.

There are individual and collective brain attacks.

The technique of brainstorming is to get together a group of at least two people, but no more than 12. One of the group members is appointed leader. Before starting work, the leader explains to the members of the creative group: what is the problem facing the group, and how the work will go.

The essence of the method is based on the psychological effect: if everyone in the group is asked to individually express ideas and proposals for solving the task, independently of others, then in total we will get fewer ideas than if we invite this group to collectively express ideas on the same task.

The correct brainstorming technique includes its own rules, principles, and conditions, as well as three indispensable stages: problem statement; generation of ideas; grouping, selection and evaluation of ideas, their justification and public defense. As a result, the most efficient and often non-trivial solution of the problem is found.

The success of brainstorming is highly dependent on the psychological atmosphere and the activity of the discussion, so the role of the leader in brainstorming is very important. It is he who can "break the impasse" and breathe fresh energy into the process.

Thus, brainstorming technologies are of great importance, because. are useful not only for collective problem solving at a business meeting, developing the creative potential of its participants, increasing the cost of company resources, but also for developing the semantic, communicative and emotional competence of managers and specialists, they form effective speaking and listening skills.

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Application

LIST OF QUESTIONS TO STIMULATE THE GENERATION OF IDEAS

PO A.F. OSBORN

What new application of a technical object can you suggest?

Are new uses possible?

How to modify known uses?

Is it possible to solve an inventive problem by adaptation, simplification, reduction?

What does this technical object remind you of?

Does the analogy new idea?

Are there similar problem situations in the past that can be exploited?

What can be copied?

What technical object should be ahead of?

What modifications of the technical object are possible?

Is it possible to modify by rotation, bending, twisting, turning?

What changes in purpose, function, color, movement, smell, shape, shape are possible?

Other possible changes?

What can be increased in a technical object?

What can be added?

Is it possible to increase the time of service, impact?

Increase frequency? sizes? strength?

Improve quality?

Add a new ingredient?

Duplicate?

Is it possible to animate working bodies, positions or other elements?

Is it possible to exaggerate, hyperbolize elements or the entire object?

What can be reduced in a technical object?

What can be replaced?

Is it possible to condense, compress, thicken, condense, apply the method of miniaturization, shorten, narrow, separate, crush, multiply?

What can be replaced in a technical object?

What and how much can be replaced and with what?

Another ingredient?

Other material?

Another process?

Another source of energy?

Other location?

Different color/sound, lighting?

What can be converted in a technical object?

What components can be interchanged?

Change model?

Change the layout, layout, layout?

Change the sequence of operations?

Transpose cause and effect?

Change speed or pace?

Change mode?

What can be reversed in a technical object?

Transpose positive and negative?

Is it possible to swap oppositely placed elements?

Turn them back to front?

Flip upside down?

Swap places?

Swap roles?

Flip clamps?

What new combinations of elements of a technical object are possible?

Is it possible to create a mixture, an alloy, a new assortment, a set?

Combine sections, nodes, blocks, aggregates?

Combine goals?

Combine attractive features?

Combine ideas?

INTRODUCTION

When developing corporate systems knowledge management, the bottleneck is not the program aspect, as many people think, but the task of extracting, formulating, structuring and presenting information, i.e. data and knowledge. Group methods actively help in extracting necessary information and knowledge.

The main advantage of group methods is the possibility of simultaneous “absorption” of knowledge from several enterprise specialists or experts, whose interaction introduces an element of fundamental novelty into this process: individual or personal knowledge, different views and positions significantly enrich the general field of knowledge. However, it should be noted that these methods are much more time-consuming and expensive than individual ones, due to the complexity of their organization.

Active group methods are usually used as a kind of spicy condiment at the stage of knowledge extraction, they cannot in themselves serve as a source of more or less complete knowledge. They are used as an addition to traditional individual methods (observations, interviews, etc.), in order to activate the thinking and behavior of enterprise specialists.

The exchange of views on controversial issues has a long tradition in the history of mankind (recall ancient Greece, India). Have reached our days literary monuments related to the discussion contentious issues(for example, "The Art of Arguing" by Protagoras, the works of the sophists) and served as the fundamental basis of dialectics - the science of conducting a conversation, arguing, developing a theory. The very word discussion (from lat. discussio - research) contains an indication that this is a method of scientific knowledge, and not just disputes (for comparison: polemic, from the Greek polemikos - militant, hostile)

One of the most well-known and widely used methods for finding ideas through the creative collaboration of a group of specialists is the brainstorming method. Being a single brain, the group tries to storm the difficulty that prevents solving the problem under consideration.

The purpose of the work is to consider the method of brainstorming in the analysis of the work of a food enterprise.

The essence of brainstorming

"Brainstorming", or "brainstorming" - one of the most common methods of liberation and activation of thinking. Other methods (method of focal objects, synectics, method of control questions) are used much less frequently due to their lower efficiency.

To have the maximum effect, brainstorming must follow certain rules, otherwise brainstorming turns into a regular meeting. Brainstorming is very effective in solving organizational and managerial problems, such as finding a new use for a product, coming up with an appropriate response to a competitor's action, improving advertising, etc.

Brainstorming is a method of increasing the number of sentences. The purpose of this method is to generate as many ideas as possible, even "crazy" ideas, some of which may be surprisingly useful.

It is difficult to create something new relying on one's own strength. It is much easier (both in marketing and in any work in general) to look for a solution with the whole team or a team of like-minded people.

If a group of people are locked early in the morning in some room, then the only thing they can invent is new curses about their work in general and the task in particular. Or even worse: some of them will be struck by a thought that is no good at all, and the rest will enthusiastically seize on it and defend it with the sole purpose of saving themselves the need to think. If you hope to awaken the creativity of your colleagues, it is better to use a structured collective method. This means that you must convince the group to take part in activities known as brainstorming and brainstorming. When using this method, people very often resist attempts to involve them in the discussion. But there is no need to panic. Don't give up without a fight. Ask colleagues what they will lose by spending half an hour discussing your idea. By applying one of the methods of generating ideas suggested below, they will see for themselves how much more productive team creativity is and will take part in a group discussion.

The brainstorming method was developed in 1953 by Osborne, an American advertising consultant. The main principle of this method is the uncontrolled generation and spontaneous interweaving of ideas by participants in a group discussion of a problem. For the successful application of this method, a number of conditions must be met:

The meeting should be attended by 7 to 12 people;

The optimal duration of the meeting is from 15 to 30 minutes;

The number of offers is more important than their quality;

Any participant can adopt and develop the ideas of another;

Criticism in any form is prohibited;

Logic, experience, arguments "against" only get in the way;

The hierarchical level of participants should not differ too much, otherwise psychological barriers may arise that interfere with communication and association building.

Brainstorming is one of the most effective forms of group discussion. This method is intended for the collective generation of a large number of ideas to solve a particular problem. Research has revealed the fact that the number and quality of alternatives put forward increase significantly when the initial generation of ideas is clearly separated from their evaluation and final formulation. It is this principle that underlies the brainstorming method, which is also known as brainstorming (brainstorming), collective idea generation, idea conference, opinion exchange method.

All participants in the solution of the problem are preliminarily divided into two groups - "generators of ideas" ("dreamers") and "critics". The fact is that some people are more inclined to generate ideas, others - to their critical analysis. In ordinary discussions, "dreamers" and "critics" find themselves together and interfere with each other. Therefore, during brainstorming, the stages of generating and analyzing ideas are strictly separated. The task of "idea generators" is to put forward as many suggestions as possible about the problem being solved. Among the ideas received, there may be many stupid, fantastic and even absurd, but "stupid ideas are easily excluded by subsequent criticism, because competent criticism is easier to receive than competent creativity." The task of the "critics" is to systematize and critically analyze the proposals received, followed by the selection of the most valuable ideas among them, used to solve the problem. It is possible that individual participants in the discussion can work in both groups.

The main rules for brainstorming include the following provisions: a complete ban on any criticism and comments about the participants and their speeches; the need to get rid of the idea that the problem under discussion has only one solution; the need to express as many different ideas as possible; consideration of all ideas, even the most incredible and absurd, regardless of their authorship; brevity and clarity of experts' statements, optional detailed justification; the right of each of the participants to speak many times; giving the floor, first of all, to those persons who had ideas under the influence of the previous speech; prohibition on reading in a row a list of proposals that can be prepared in advance.

There are six main stages of brainstorming. On the preparatory stage brainstorming groups are formed. As experience shows, the optimal size of the group of "generators of ideas" is 10-15 people. A group of "critics" can number up to 20-25 people. The most stringent requirements are imposed on the personnel of the first group. The main selection principles for this group are broad erudition, flexibility of thinking, imagination, a tendency to fantasize, as well as a variety of professions, qualifications and experience of participants. It is not recommended to invite people who think categorically, as well as outside observers and employees with strong differences in official position. At the same time, it is desirable to include in this group active-minded amateurs who are able to offer a fresh, original solution. The group of "critics", as a rule, is formed from narrow specialists with an analytical mindset and a sober assessment of the real possibilities of implementing the proposed ideas.

At the stage of setting the problem, brainstorming participants should familiarize themselves with the problem being solved and tune in to active mental activity. To do this, the organizers of brainstorming provide them with a comprehensive description of the problem situation, including: a statement of the essence of the problem; analysis of the causes of the problem and the possible consequences of the development of the problem situation; analysis of experience in solving similar and related problems; classification of possible approaches and ways of solving the problem; the formulation of the main constraints and objectives of the decision.

At the idea generation stage, brainstorming organizers must create an atmosphere of benevolence and support that frees participants from excessive constraint. The environment in which the discussion takes place should be conducive to the open and free expression of various ideas, opinions and suggestions. The facilitator should once again make it clear to the participants that any ideas are welcome, that many ideas are needed, and that brainstorming participants should try to combine or refine the ideas put forward by others.

At first, each member of the group works independently, thinking about the problem posed. The facilitator then asks the participants to speak. However, he can use forced polling to arouse their activity faster. After that, the process of generating ideas develops, as a rule, spontaneously and like an avalanche. The facilitator plays a passive role in this process, passing the floor to those who wish to speak and coordinating the work of the group. The next speaker reads out his ideas, the rest listen and write down on separate cards new ideas that arose under the influence of what they heard. In addition, all ideas can be recorded by the secretary on a special board or screen. After a burst of activity in the discussion process, there may be some lull. This does not mean that all ideas are over - just thinking is going on. The facilitator can again activate the participants by inviting them to read the notes on the board or pre-prepared questions on the topic of discussion on special cards. Moreover, these cards with questions can be issued both before starting work, and directly during the brainstorming session. After a short delay, there is usually a rise in creative activity again. The flow of new ideas grows like a snowball. The ideas of each of the participants generate in the minds of the others a specific reaction, which, due to the prohibition of criticism, is formed as a new, missing idea. Moreover, ideas that are directly related to previously expressed thoughts or have arisen as a result of their combination have the greatest value. The effectiveness of brainstorming is amazing. Studies show that collective thinking under the conditions of the prohibition of criticism produces 70% more valuable ideas than a simple sum of ideas received individually. In one hour of work, the group can put forward up to 150 new ideas. This is due to the basic concept of brainstorming - to give new ideas a way out of the subconscious. At the stage of systematization of ideas, the following actions are performed: a general list of all expressed ideas is compiled; each idea is formulated in generally accepted terms; recurring and complementary ideas are identified, which are then combined into one complex idea; signs are formed, according to which various ideas can be combined into groups; ideas are grouped; there is a systematization of ideas in groups. At the same time, in each group, ideas are written from more general to more specific, complementing or developing general ideas.

At the stage of criticism of ideas, a group of "critics" begins to work. At this stage, each idea is subjected to comprehensive criticism, due to which there is a “destruction” (destructuring) of unpromising and unrealistic ideas. The main principle is to consider each idea only from the point of view of obstacles to its implementation, i.e. the participants in the discussion must put forward arguments that refute the idea under discussion. But in the process of "destroying" the idea, it is important to preserve its "rational kernel" (if it exists) and obtain, on its basis, a counter-idea containing a real proposal for solving the problem. The output of this step is a list of criticisms of each idea or group of ideas, as well as a list of counter ideas.

Finally, during the alternatives development phase, all the ideas, countermeasures, and criticisms received are evaluated in order to compile a final list of practically acceptable alternatives aimed at solving the problem. To this end, a list of indicators is being developed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of each idea. For example, ideas can be judged on indicators such as promptness, human resources, technology, financial costs, benefits, ethical and legal aspects. Only those ideas that satisfy all the established restrictions are included in the final list. These ideas play the role of alternative choices and are presented to the decision maker (head of the organization) for deeper analysis and decision making.

The brainstorming method has many varieties and modifications. In particular, one of its variants is the so-called 635 method. This method is characterized by a fixed number of participants and a certain procedure for interaction between them at the idea generation stage. The group consists of 6 people. Each of them is given a special collection of ideas. All participants write down 3 main ideas on their form and pass it around to the next participant, who studies the received form and supplements it with three new ideas, etc. After 5 iterations, all forms are filled in and as a result contain 108 ideas that are transferred to the “critics”. The practice of using the "method 635" shows that the ideas presented in writing are more reasonable and clear than those expressed orally, although they are often less original.

Despite the fact that this method is a group procedure, however, it can be applied individually. Sometimes ideas fly so fast that a tape recorder is recommended. In the next two or three days, the brainstorming ideas can be printed out for careful analysis. A network of predetermined criteria is then established and the most promising standards are selected.

Research shows that significantly more good ideas come from brainstorming (both individual and group) than more conventional approaches to generating them.

Thus, the advantage of the "brain attack" method is the high efficiency of obtaining the required solution. Its main drawback is the complexity of organizing an examination, since it is sometimes impossible to bring together the required specialists, create an uninvited atmosphere and eliminate the influence of the

Brainstorming is a method that is incredibly popular today. With it, you can find alternative ways to solve complex problems. In addition, it allows the individual to reveal his inner potential. This method is most often used in large teams at meetings when you need to come to a specific decision.

Brainstorming is a method that implies that all participants in the process will show pronounced activity. The situation when employees of one enterprise express their individual opinion in turn allows everyone not to stand aside and be heard. In the conditions of modern reality, when the boss often does not have the opportunity to devote time to each employee, this method is just a godsend.

History and description

The method of brainstorming (brainstorming) first appeared in 1930, and it was described much later - in 1953. The author of this concept is the American researcher Alex Osborne. At one time, this scientist defended free speech and recommended his method mainly for the correct planning of any entrepreneurial activity. Brainstorming is still used by leading businessmen to organize and conduct business. Its usefulness is noted: labor productivity is growing, profits are increasing, new ideas appear as if by themselves.

The essence of the brainstorming method is as follows: managers and employees gather in the meeting room. The general task to be solved during the meeting is voiced. Each of the participants has the opportunity to openly express their point of view, challenge the partner's concept, discuss the results, and make additional assumptions. From the outside, it seems that colleagues deliberately oppose different concepts to each other in order to reach a new understanding of the essence of things.

direct brain attack

This is the most common option that allows you to quickly solve an urgent problem. Direct brainstorming implies that during the process the most significant and relevant issues related to the implementation of certain projects, the development of activities, etc. will be discussed. Not many modern leaders they guess that it is possible to hold ordinary meetings, planning meetings and various gatherings using a creative approach. One has only to add a little variety to the boring course of professional everyday life, as employees begin to generate stunning ideas themselves. The leader can only wonder where all this potential has been hiding so far. The use of this method allows you to improve relationships in an established team, overcome various psychological barriers and barriers.

Reverse brainstorming

It is used in the case when a certain concept turned out to be unprofitable for some reason, reached a dead end, and it is urgently required to develop a new one. This implies that the participants in the process will actively challenge each other's thoughts. Disputes and polemics are allowed here. Reverse brainstorming is useful when there are unresolvable contradictions in the enterprise that require radical intervention.

Employees can express whatever they really think, their freedom is not limited by anything. It is hardly possible to find something as effective and efficient as the method of reverse brainstorming. Description of the problem, focused attention to details of several people at once will allow timely and with the best side approach the issue.

individual brainstorming

It can be applied in the case when a person urgently needs to reach a specific result, but for some reason a professional crisis has befallen him. Brainstorming is a method that a creative person can use in moments of temporary loss of productivity. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it effectively acts even on one person who is alone with his own thoughts. You can have internal dialogues with yourself and come up with bold, unexpected solutions. The result of such actions will soon pleasantly surprise you. All that is required is to allow yourself to think in a limited time frame (say, a few minutes), with a specific, well-defined task in front of you. Unfortunately, many people from childhood get used to thinking in common stereotypes. Brainstorming methods allow you to overcome the stereotyped perception of the world and reach a higher level of worldview.

Carrying out technology

This concept includes three main periods. They must be carried out consistently and with great care.

1.Formulation of ideas. At this stage, the goal is formulated, the necessary information is collected. Participants in the process should be aware of what kind of information they are offered for consideration. All voiced ideas, as a rule, are fixed on paper so as not to miss anything important.

2. Formation working group. Participants are divided into idea generators and experts. The first are people with a developed creative orientation, fantasy. They offer non-standard ways as a solution to the problem. Experts discover the value of each idea put forward, agree with it or not, motivating their choice.

3. Analysis and selection of proposals. Criticism and active discussion of proposals are appropriate here. First, the generators of ideas speak out, after that the floor is given to the experts. Proposals are selected based on inference and creativity. Any non-standard approach is welcome and therefore considered with particular interest.

The leader must control the process, observe the progress of the discussion of the problem. In the event of controversial issues, he necessarily brings clarity, clarifies the details, directs the further development of thought.

Additional terms

Despite the emerging desire of young and promising leaders to immediately start using this psychological tool, a competent approach is required here. You can not use it too often, otherwise it will lose the element of novelty and will be perceived by employees as something ordinary and everyday. One of the main conditions for conducting is the surprise of use. Participants should not specially prepare for the meeting, think over the moves used.

The leader needs to know the general direction of the conversation, but he will not be able to determine in which direction the discussion will go in any case. Topic brainstorming techniques are great because they allow you to openly express your point of view. At the same time, people may not be attached to the consequences of what was said.

Brainstorming method: reviews

Participants of this concept note that with its use any meetings are more interesting and productive. The method is reminiscent of the simultaneous inclusion of several "light bulbs" that light up in the heads of different people at once. Brainstorming allows you to take into account not only the judgments of specialized specialists, but also related industries. In other words, it covers many spectrums, helps to consider the same situation from different angles. In addition, after the introduction of the method, relations in the team become more open and trusting.

Involvement in the process

Usually at meetings and planning meetings there is a “one-man theater”. One boss is speaking, and subordinates are forced to listen to long monotonous lectures and agree with him. This is incredibly tiring and unnerving for the latter. The personality of employees is suppressed, is squeezed into a narrow framework official duties. Sometimes employees, for one reason or another, prefer not to voice the ideas that arise in their heads, do not strive for self-expression.

As a result, the motivation to work “with a twinkle” is lost, putting the soul into the process. The brainstorming method allows you to remove psychological clamps and barriers, makes it possible to manifest the individuality of employees. Being psychologically involved in the process, a person increases his productivity.

Creativity

Agree, this concept cannot be called everyday and often used. Most of all, it is resorted to when the issue requires some kind of ambiguous solution. The method has received wide distribution in creative teams, where there is a need to move away from everyday life and immerse yourself in a solution. As a rule, a positive result does not take long to wait.

There are a large number of such concepts that imply different meanings. This is where brainstorming comes in handy.

Grade 11

The technology for introducing the concept of Alex Osborne can be used to organize classes for graduates. At the senior level, students are often offered tasks that contribute to the awakening of non-standard ideas. This is a very useful acquisition, since individual characteristics of the individual are taken into account, existing abilities are developed, and the necessary skills are strengthened. The more freedom will be provided for the implementation of the thoughts that arise in the head, the more courageous the undertakings of young researchers can become. The method provides that students themselves will strive to achieve the goal. Feedback from the participants is purely positive, as teenagers appreciate the attentive attitude towards them.

Instead of a conclusion

Brainstorming is a method that has gained popularity relatively recently. All more executives choose to use a non-standard approach in solving everyday moments.

Delphi type method

Script Type Method

round table method

Group Decision Method Phases

Introductory - familiarization of participants with the problem being solved; establishing the order of conduct and discussion.

Nodal - the free expression of ideas and opinions, without fear of consequences.

Final - generalization and summing up. The final one is decision making.

Method of preparing and agreeing ideas about a problem or object in writing

Includes a description of development trends, the relationship between the characteristics of the solution, a list of possible states and hazards.

Provides an opportunity to assess the most probable course of events and possible consequences decisions.

Scenario Models:

Descriptive (fixing properties and parameters);

Exploratory (use of methods of quantitative assessments);

Normative (systematization of problems by importance, time and resources).

Scenario development is a combination of predictive methods such as brainstorming, deduction, extrapolation, analogy, analysis, and synthesis. The main idea of ​​the scenario is the assumption that events will continue to develop as before, that the trends that have emerged in the past will basically continue.

The purpose of the scenario is to study the conditions and find the moment when the enterprise under study begins to experience a crisis and begins to collapse under the influence of internal causes, even if no extraneous external influences follow.

Iterative procedure for brainstorming

It is based on a consistent individual survey of experts and iterative reduction of opinions to a single one.

It is held in several rounds.

The results of processing questionnaires-tasks of the previous round are returned to the experts.

The effectiveness of the method depends on the coordinator-organizer of the experts' work.

Developed in the USA in the 1950s.

It was named after the city of Delphi, which arose near the temple of Apollo (built in 880 BC), whose priests formed an expert council for predicting future events.

The group creative thinking procedure, more precisely, is a means of obtaining a large number of ideas from a group of individuals in a short period of time. It is considered normal if within 1.5 hours (two academic hours) the group produces up to a hundred ideas.

The concept of brainstorming has become widespread since the early 1950s as "a method of systematically training creative thinking" aimed at "discovering new ideas and reaching agreement among a group of people based on intuitive thinking."

Methods of this type are also known as:

brainstorming,

ideas conferences,

Collective idea generation (CGI).

Depending on the accepted rules and the rigidity of their implementation, there are:

Direct brain attack

exchange method,

Methods such as commissions, courts (when one group makes as many proposals as possible, and the second tries to criticize them as much as possible),

Brainstorming in the form of a business game.

phases of brainstorming.

1. Preparation

The first phase involves choosing a problem and working through it through individual reactive techniques.

For example:

a) the problem is “how to succeed on modern market?»;

b) elaboration of the problem with the help of the questions proposed in the previous section;

c) the choice of the main way to solve the problem put forward;

d) testing all paths appearing in the field of consciousness. Such preparatory work allows the manager to assess the essence of the problem and draw a conclusion about the main directions of group work.

2. Formation of a creative group

Brainstorming will be most successful if the following conditions are met:

The group should consist of about ten people;

The social status of the participants should be approximately equal;

There should be only a few people in the group who are knowledgeable about the problem at hand to allow full play to the imagination of the participants. Persons with special knowledge are undesirable. Their desire to comprehend the ideas expressed in accordance with the existing experience can shackle the imagination;

The discussion of the problem should take place in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. Participants must be in a state of "relaxation".

The leader must preside. He should refrain from putting pressure on participants;

The secretaries-observers are appointed in the group, who record the statements and behavior of the speakers.

3. Brainstorming procedure

There are three stages here:

1. Introduction

Lasts up to 15 minutes. The facilitator speaks about the essence of the method, explains the rules for the participants' actions. Announces a problem, such as "How to succeed in today's market?" Problems are written on the board. The facilitator explains the reason for putting forward the chosen topic, then asks the participants to suggest their own wordings, which are also written on the board.

2. Idea generation

Participants in the discussion express their ideas in free form, which are recorded on the board. For this, appointed secretaries or assistants are involved. As soon as there is a delay in coming up with new ideas, the facilitator asks the participants to reflect on the problem, look at the board. After a pause, a new flash of ideas usually begins. If this does not occur, the leader will give out forms with questions, the answers to which generate such an outbreak.

3. Questions

4. Conclusion

There can be two options here:

"Classic" version. The facilitator thanks the participants for the work done and informs that the ideas expressed will be brought to the attention of specialists who can evaluate them from the point of view of their application in practice. If brainstorming participants have new ideas, they can submit them in writing to the discussion leader. As you can see, this is not the best procedure for completing a brainstorm. In this regard, other options for the final part of the classes are also practiced.

Lightweight option. Evaluation of ideas is carried out by the brainstorming participants themselves. Various approaches are used here:

1. The participants in the discussion develop criteria for evaluating ideas. These criteria are written on the board, arranged in order of importance.

2. The ideas put forward are grouped according to the appropriate grounds, which are determined by the content of the ideas.

3. The most promising group of ideas is determined. Each idea in this group is evaluated according to the evaluation criteria.

4. Testing ideas with the opposite method: “How will this idea, if implemented, fail?”

5. The most "wild" ideas are determined, which they try to remake into practically possible ones.

6. Each participant, as it were, again does a "brain attack" for himself personally, creating something new on the basis of already fixed ideas.

7. The group selects the most valuable ideas, arranges them in order of importance and proposes them for implementation in practice.

8. Spread valuable ideas on how to succeed in the market by industry:

Planning and forecasting;

Marketing;

operational management production;

Personnel Management.

What is the brainstorming method? When resolving any kind of problem situations, the question arises of finding and choosing the best option, since there are usually several ways out. The optimal option is considered to be the one that allows to ensure a high degree of achievement of the goal within the available limits.

In conditions when it is required to evaluate the possibilities of all alternative options in a limited period, the so-called operational decision-making methods are used. Such methods are especially effective when, due to lack of information for an accurate expert assessment, it is necessary to determine the best average probability of achieving the goal. The same methods are relevant for solving a number of interrelated problems, when the choice of an alternative must be joint for the entire group of situations.

In general, the algorithm for searching and making a decision comes down to assessing individual aspects of a situation or a group of situations, considered as a certain system, and analyzing the totality of the identified opportunities. Important milestones operational systems analysis are: problem formulation, synthesis of ideas and screening of ideas. An idea summarizing experience and attitude to the current situation individual person, is considered as an element of creativity in the analysis process.

One of the most widely used operational methods of solution in practice is the method of brainstorming, or, in other words, the method of destructive related evaluation. This happens because brainstorming, or brainstorming, is a unique technique available that allows you to take into account not only the opinions of narrow specialists, but also related or third-party considerations. In addition, this technique is structurally quite simple and applicable to any problems: individual and collective, creative and scientific, applied and theoretical, professional and everyday. This method itself, its derivatives and elements are often used for expert assessment of situations in order to find improved technical and managerial solutions, to build forecasts and scenarios for the development of events.

History and description of the method

The brainstorming method was developed in the 1930s by American Alex F. Osborne, who was looking for new approaches to organizing advertising business. The technique gained fame and recognition in 1953, thanks to the release of Osborne's book "Guided Imagination", in which the method was described in detail.

The starting point for Osborne's idea was the contradictory situation that prevailed in the company where he worked: an acute shortage of creative solutions with sufficient creative and intellectual potential. After studying the problem, he found that the main cause of the crisis lies in the closed nature of the development and decision-making. Indeed, only experienced experts with special knowledge and special terminology become included in the analysis process.

Their conclusions are often stereotyped, but they are unable to notice this on their own, in the absence of third-party critical analysis. The rest of the employees, even those with undoubted creative abilities, skills or experience in related fields, remain mere performers and observers, mainly because they cannot formulate their ideas and proposals in a form acceptable to an expert.

Based on such observations, Osborne comes to the conclusion that, firstly, it is necessary to include non-specialists in the discussion, and secondly, to divide the process of problem analysis into two stages:

1. Suggestion of ideas.
2. Criticism and selection of ideas.

At the same time, the creative activity of the participants in the discussion should not be limited by anything.

Subsequently, on this basis, the following rules for organizing and conducting brainstorming were developed.

Problem formulation (preliminary stage). To find a way to achieve the goal, this goal must be clearly defined, the aspects that hinder its achievement, and intermediate tasks must be identified. At the preliminary stage, the necessary information is collected.

Formation of a working group. The selection of participants in the discussion is carried out purposefully, taking into account aspects of the problem. It is important to take into account the psychological aspects that should contribute to the creation of a favorable microclimate and a creative atmosphere when joint work. Participants tend to be close in age and official position, but at the same time differ in experience, specialization, views, and activity. If the group is constantly working, then its composition must be updated by inviting new people. Depending on abilities, participants are divided into roles:

• idea generators (people with predominant creative imagination, non-specialists);
• experts (people with predominantly analytical thinking and specialists).

The group should be led by a facilitator with relevant experience and abilities. He monitors compliance with the rules of the discussion, controls the time and thematic scope of the discussion.

At the stage of suggesting ideas, the quantity, not the quality, of the expressed considerations is important, therefore any criticism is prohibited. The proposals do not require proof or conformity to any standards; connection with the problem under discussion can be both direct and associative. All ideas need to be recorded, preferably with the help of technical means so that nothing is missed. Experts do not participate in the first stage of the discussion.

At the stage of selection of ideas, the analysis and evaluation of the proposals put forward at the first stage take place. Both stages should be separated by a certain time interval (incubation period). In accordance with the task, it is necessary to determine in advance the evaluation criteria common to all participants. It is best to label them visually. Methods of analysis may be different, argumentation and criticism are welcome. In the process of discussion, ideas are grouped and considered solely from the standpoint of compliance with the criteria and possibilities for implementation.

Forward and reverse brainstorming

Both stages of the discussion do not necessarily apply in combination. Depending on the situation, they can be used separately.

If the discussion is limited solely to the first part, this method is called direct brainstorming, idea conference or collective idea generation. In general, direct brainstorming is carried out according to the above rules, with the exception that the subsequent examination of proposals takes place in a closed or limited mode.

The most effective is considered to be a working group of 5-8 people, conditionally divided into 2 quantitatively equal subgroups: regular participants (core) and invited participants (newcomers). Direct brainstorming is best suited for small professional and creative teams. An analogue of the conference of ideas are constructors - various kinds of meetings and meetings, for example: academic councils, interdepartmental commissions, planning meetings.

The reverse brainstorming method is also used in small teams, most often, if necessary, to identify shortcomings. specific project or technical object. The composition and size of the working group are the same as in direct brainstorming, with the difference that ideas are put forward, systematized and developed in a limited or closed mode, and the subsequent discussion is in the nature of collective expertise.

Reverse brainstorming is a process of destruction (destruction), with it there is no opportunity to make suggestions aimed at improving performance.

But sometimes, as a result of the discussion, a counteridea is born, bringing together all the possible shortcomings of the project and formulating a way to eliminate them. An example is the defense of dissertations, business plans and various scientific projects.

The brainstorming method, originally intended for collective work, can be used by individual experts for individual work. In this case, individual brainstorming becomes a stage of the conference, then it is a professional examination of the proposed ideas or, conversely, a preparatory collection of information for reverse brainstorming. But sometimes an individual brainstorming is a completely independent study based on the processing of information received from independent sources. Most often, the method is used to analyze trends, generate forecasts, and develop strategies.

The main input data for the formation of an individual forecast: interviews, mass surveys and expert opinions. Data collection is carried out by correspondence, personal conversations, telephone calls. Negotiations should be carried out using a specially designed program, according to which the participants are offered several options for solving the problem or a certain number of questions about the object of study. The research technique is based on the assumption that its participants know the formulations and necessary knowledge to answer the questions of the program, so usually the study is conducted among a clearly defined social or age group.

When developing strategies, stability in the group is especially important, since interviews with its participants assume the immutability of their plans and position. The results of various stages of the study are drawn up in the form of a document, depending on their further purpose.

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Individual expert analysis has its advantages, for example: it allows you to minimize the possibility of pressure on the performer, helps the expert to fully focus on a particular problem. But at the same time, independent work is quite long, laborious, requires full dedication and great responsibility. The main disadvantage of the method is its dependence on subjective assessments and perceptions, limited knowledge of an individual, as well as on successful choice respondents.

Delphi method

One of the most famous expert methods based on the brainstorming technique was the Delphi forecasting method, developed at the end of the 20th century by the RAND Corporation. Delphi is a statistical study of individual expert opinions that allows you to assess the likelihood of an event with a high degree of objectivity. The method is successfully used to analyze trends and build scenarios for the development of the situation for periods of 1-3 years.

The technique combines individual and group methods of analysis through several stages of a written survey of independent experts according to a special program. Depending on the objectives of the study, up to 100 or more different specialists may be involved in it.

The research process is carried out in several stages:

1. Formation of a working group conducting an expert survey.
2. Formation of an expert group whose opinion will be processed.
3. Drawing up a survey program.
4. Conducting an examination and debriefing.

Based on the results of the survey, a graph is built, and the final opinion is considered to be the average in an ordered series of values.

Operational research methods based on brainstorming techniques are constantly being improved, and their number is steadily growing. The targeted use of expert analysis is becoming more and more popular in modern conditions, and computer data processing and the emergence of new means of communication allow expanding its capabilities. From all this we can conclude that the Osborne method is the most promising method of system analysis of all currently existing.