Disadvantages of Brainstorming
Are there any disadvantages of brainstorming? With all the talk and the success you hear about in the top companies that use this process, the ability to get great ideas rolling out solving problems and creating new and innovative ways to improve things. It just seems that there is so much positive in this and to think of the disadvantages, well, it is something that you just don’t think about when you hear brainstorming discussed.
But there can be some disadvantages of brainstorming and I will list a few of them here for you.
- There may be some repetition going on. There may be some that will keep repeating their ideas until someone finally gives him the attention he is looking for.
- The protocol that is needed in processing and ordering of all the ideas, can become a very time-consuming and difficult process. Depending on how many ideas you have, and the order and categories they need to be placed in.
- There may be some who like to steal the floor, they are the ones that you have to politely say “be quiet and let someone else speak”. You noticed, I mentioned “politely”. This can be hard to do without embarrassing anyone or causing someone to feel intimated or offended.
- There will be some who are faster than the rest, again dominating the floor. Their needs to be someone facilitating the meeting keeping a neutral tone where everyone can feel free to participate. Those who are a bit shyer or timid may be constantly interrupted with the outgoing person who is enjoying the spotlight.
- There are quite a few people who are not skilled at controlling non-verbal reactions, with gestures, facial expressions and posturing. But you don’t really know if you want to put a reign on that as it may inhibit their creativity and make others self conscious of there own reactions.
- There may difficulty for those that are introverts or a more discreet and private personality, to express their crazy or off the wall ideas.
As you can see, there are some disadvantages of brainstorming, but not that they can’t be handled or avoided with some proper planning before hand.
