BRAINSTORMING
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 335 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented, Human sciences |
A mental exploration technique seeking new ideas through unconstrained conceptual associations.
Brainstorming tends to break rigid reference frames and, using coincidence, open the way to serendipity and discovery. It is a collective technique, used by groups interested in considering a situation and aiming at producing as many as possible new and creative ideas. It avoids critical stances as inhibitory to creativity. On the contrary, it encourages free-wheeling imagination, unfettered by inhibiting, authoritative or logical constraints. Its nature is systemic, since it helps to discover and explore hidden interrelations in complex situations.
The technique, quite popular during the fifties, is now nearly forgotten. It should possibly be reconsidered in more systemic terms, as it can be very useful in decision making on a wider understanding basis. See for example J. WARFIELD (1994b).