Lecture Notes: Dr. Tony McCaffrey on Brainstorming vs. Brainswarming

Introduction to Brainstorming

• Origin & Popularity: Rose to popularity in the early 1950s.
• Promise: Aimed to produce more ideas by sharing ideas without judgment.
• Issue: No studies show that brainstorming produces more ideas than individual work followed by group sharing.

Problems with Traditional Brainstorming

• Inefficiency: Sharing one idea at a time by talking is inefficient.
• Extrovert Dominance: Extroverts dominate introverts, hindering idea generation.
• Facilitator Limitations: Even skilled facilitators can't fully prevent dominance issues.

Introduction to Brainswarming

• Concept: Pioneered by Dr. McCaffrey and colleagues.
• Foundation: Challenges the need for verbal communication in problem-solving.
• Ant Analogy: Similar to ants leaving pheromone trails, humans leave signals (ideas) for others to build upon.

How Brainswarming Works

• Problem-Solving Graph: Representation where the goal grows downward and resources grow upward.
• Interaction: When goals and resources connect, solutions emerge.

Example: Pacific Power & Light

• Problem: Ice on power lines in Cascade Mountains.
• Traditional Approach: Dangerous and time-consuming methods were used.
• Brainswarming Approach:
  • Graph Setup: Goal placed at the top, resources at the bottom.
  • Process: Participants write ideas on post-it notes and draw connections without speaking.
  • Outcome: Solutions included using helicopter downdraft, de-icing agents, and heat from electricity.
  • Actual Solution: Using helicopter downdraft was the implemented solution.

Effectiveness of Brainswarming

• Pilot Work Results: Brainswarming generates up to 115 ideas in 15 minutes.
• Comparison: More effective than traditional brainstorming (100 ideas per hour).
• Methodology: Focuses on writing and structured graphs, enhancing group work efficiency.