No one does brainstorming as well – or as often – as the folks at IDEO. Engineers at the California-based industrial design firm that created 3Com’s Palm V and the stand-up toothpaste tube attend an average of 24 brainstorm sessions each year. A few participate in as many as 80 brainstorms annually.

IDEO’s brainstorms are scheduled, face-to-face meetings that generate ideas, usually about designing products. A typical session lasts between 1-2 hours and is attended by the design team as well as other IDEO engineers with relevant skills. For instance, one brainstorming session to design better ski goggles invited engineers who knew about foam, clear plastics, and manufacturing processes. Clients are also included in some sessions.

Since its founding in 1978, IDEO has developed a clear set of brainstorming rules: defer judgment, build on the ideas of others, one conversation at a time, stay focused on the topic, and encourage wild ideas. These rules are prominently displayed throughout the meeting room and violators are given friendly reminders. IDEO’s brainstorming participants might shoot for 150 ideas in less than an hour. Their creative sparks are aided by studying similar products as well as unrelated items brought to the session.

Newcomers at IDEO quickly discover that brainstorming requires special interpersonal skills, not just rules and props. "The skills for successful brainstorming develop in an individual over time," explains an IDEO engineer. "I consider myself a good brainstormer but only a fair facilitator. A year ago, I was a good brainstormer and a poor facilitator."

1. Describe the typical structure and process of an IDEO brainstorm.
2. What skills are required to work in a brainstorming session?

Sources: A. Hargadon and R. I. Sutton, "Building an Innovation Factory," Harvard Business Review, 78 (May-June 2000), pp. 157-66; R. Garner, "Innovation for Fun and Profit," Upside Magazine, March 2000; P. Sinton, "Teamwork the Name of the Game for IDEO," San Francisco Chronicle, February 23, 2000; E. Brown, "A Day at Innovation U.," Fortune, April 12, 1999, pp. 163-65; R. I. Sutton and A. Hargadon, "Brainstorming Groups in Context: Effectiveness in a Product Design Firm," Administrative Science Quarterly 41 (December 1996), pp. 685-718.