My best brainstorming is done
within small groups
(less than 5 people).
I find with larger groups,
there’s less contribution.
Participants slide by,
wait for others to suggest ideas,
are hesitant to contribute.
In a small group,
every participant knows
she or he was asked to be there
because the organizer feels
she or he can contribute
to solving the problem.
There are higher expectations
and more accountability.
As Yorgen Edholm,
chief executive of Accellion,
shares
“Sometimes when companies have a problem,
there is a temptation
to throw more people at it.
But that kind of linear mind-set
can kill
a high-tech company very quickly.
In that kind of situation,
my impulse is to take some people
off the project
and unleash the best ones.”
More people is not necessarily better.
Consider reducing the size of the group.