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'Brainstorming Doesn't Work' (fastcompany.com)
People aren't necessarily more creative in groups than alone, or vice versa, according to numerous studies. An anonymous reader shares an article: In fact, creativity needs both conditions; our performance peaks when we alternate -- first working alone, then coming together to share our ideas, then going off by ourselves again to mull over what we heard. It's a process. This is because our brains' creative engines are fueled both by quiet mind-wandering, allowing novel and unexpected connections to form, and by encountering new information, which often comes from other people. The typical brainstorm over-delivers on the latter and under-delivers on the former, which means that for lots of people, brainstorming is an utter nightmare. Introverts just feel alienated, and extroverts aren't pushed to reflect more deeply on the ideas they've batted around amongst themselves.
My department did that once as part of a team building exercise. A good half of the IT team members' individual contributions were stronger than the group they were put with. I've since learned the value of giving people token decision making ability (bike shed color) instead of letting important decisions be the product of everyone's input.
Team is a German acronym for "Toll, Ein Anderer Macht's!" (Great, someone else is doing it).
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.