Brainstorming

Idea generation is essential  for any good organisation to survive in the knowledge economy.More often than not,you will find that not enough freedom is given to employees to express their ideas, without the fear of being ridiculed or scoffed at.Even when these concerns are not there, the process of idea generation is not conducive to the environment in which an independent mind prospers. People come to meetings with preconceived notions and then utilize all the time of the meeting in pushing their own idea to the fore.We must remember that ideas belong to no one once expressed, and all the members should brainstorm on the pros and cons of the idea.The Six hats thinking methodology propounded by Dr Edward De Bono may prove to be an ideal tool for this.If you want your brainstorming sessions to succeed , you must follow/remember the following rules:

• Let there be no hierarchy, at least for the duration of the session.There are some people like yours truly, who lack the skill of being able to think on their feet.To overcome this limitation. the agenda should be circulated well in time, and some post session time should be a part of the process.
• There are no bad ideas
• There are no bad questions
• Be prepared to kill your own babies.It means that you should be ready to see your ideas get shot down, or be ready to pull the trigger yourself.This is the most difficult part,and only those with a highly flexible mind will be able to overcome this barrier 
• Wisdom may or may not be related to the age/experience of the participants. Remember that most of the great minds till now achieved excellence very early in life.
• Do not let the brainstorming drag beyond the point of diminishing returns.
• Lastly, do not forget to take notes.