How Ideation Is Like Rowing

The Problem 

Brainstorming has had more than its fair share of criticism in pop-business articles and books lately. The most common arguments seem to be that certain studies have shown that groups of people generate fewer ideas, and fewer unique ideas, than individuals working alone. Another common argument is that the golden rule of brainstorming—"every idea is a good idea"—leads to shallow ideas lacking in detail and often feasibility. While I do not doubt the results of these studies, I do not think that the conditions of the research match the conditions in a professionally facilitated ideation session. To illustrate this, I will use rowing as a metaphor (but most team sports would work as well). 

The Explanation

Take ten people from the general population. They can even be athletes—just not rowers. Put one person in a 1X (a single), a boat with one rower using two oars (let’s make this person a male, for pronounal simplicity), and put the other nine in an 8+ (eight rowers with one oar each and a coxswain to direct and steer). Put both boats on the water and ask them to race 500 meters, which is a standard dash distance. What do you think the results will be?

If we were placing bets, my money would be on the guy in the 1X. Here’s why: it has fewer moving parts, he does not have to synchronize his movements with seven other people, and he can steer with the oars. The rowers in the 8+, however, have a far more difficult job. They will have to rely on the newly-minted coxswain to figure out the rudder system and get the hang of maneuvering a 60-foot boat with twelve-foot long alternating levers sticking out from the sides, each one controlled by a different person.

Even if these were not completely novice rowers, there is precedent for smaller boats with more skilled rowers beating larger, supposedly faster boats. At the Olympics this year the winner of the Men’s 4X (4 men with 2 oars each) posted faster times than Australia’s 8+, demonstrating that even at this elite level, skillful rowing can outperform higher overall power. In our scenario and in regatta results, larger boats are not losing for lack of power or effort. They are losing because they are not making efficient use of their power and effort.

With that in mind, let us now provide our two boats with coaches and give them a month to train. At the end of the month, with our two boats locked into starting blocks and “all hands down” (rowing terms for Go Time) my money’s all-in on the 8+.

The Point

Brainstorming and ideation are not grueling, technically challenging, physical feats, but they are exercises in group effort. In the scenario above, the 1X boat wins the first race because that rower is dealing with considerably fewer variables. There are no teammates unintentionally cancelling out his effort with their own due to a lack of skill and strategic alignment. In the second race, assuming that we have hired skilled coaches, the 8+ should win easily (“easily” being a rowing term indicating a win by three or more boat-lengths). This is because the coach has helped the rowers in the larger boat by teaching them technique, a physical vocabulary and a structure that they can translate into increased efficiency and boat speed.

Just as rowing is a surprisingly unnatural motion that benefits from coaching, brainstorming and ideation are learned behaviors that require the right techniques to be most effective. During a session, the facilitator serves as the coach. The facilitator provides the techniques, structure, and vocabulary (this time the verbal and textual kind) necessary to align the team on the objectives and channel their efforts in a way that is synergistic. In this way the collective time and effort of the whole group is maximized to get the best results. 

At Ideas To Go, we equip our clients and Creative Consumers® associates with a powerful creative mindset called Forness® thinking that both aids in creating an environment that encourages risk-taking, and gives the participants a mechanism to deal with questions, concerns, and their own negative reactions. We also recognize that some people work better on their own than in groups. Just as there are all sorts of events in rowing from the 1X all the way up to the 8+, the techniques used in our process take advantage of a variety of mindsets, skills, and work styles. 

So, to recap: Brainstorming is similar to any group activity that involves humans—when directed by someone knowledgeable about the process, it goes better. Yes, individuals can accomplish plenty, but with training and a skilled person at the helm, a group effort can accomplish truly amazing things.