Brainstorming battles.

• Author: Rigie, Mitchell
• Position: Business & Finance - Essay

"Suspend judgment even if you know, without a doubt, that an idea is bad--really bad, even horrible; let it live, just for a while."

"There is no such thing as a bad idea." Whether you are in advertising, sales, human resources, or just slaving away in the back cubicle, at some point you probably have been involved in a brainstorming session where someone has uttered those words. In fact, the mantra often is upheld as the number-one "rule" of brainstorming, long embraced and championed by experts. However, is it really true? After all, when you think about it, you usually hear those words when they are being used to justify a less-than-stellar suggestion that just has been made by a colleague. In reality, aren't there at least a few bad ideas lurking in the shadows?

Most of us have at least a vague understanding of the expression's meaning--but many of us just do not buy it. When the debate comes up, there always is one participant, and often many more, who challenge this notion that bad ideas do not exist. We typically hear comments like, "Of course there are bad ideas: if we all decided to jump out of the window right now and defy gravity, wouldn't that be a bad idea?"

Some people really get passionate about it, like it is personally offensive. Then again, we often find that other people are equally passionate about the opposite point of view.

The "no bad idea" mantra is not a new one. Alex Osborn, considered by many to be the father of brainstorming, believed that, in order to be successful, participants must "suspend judgment." Like most savvy brainstorm leaders, he understood the perils of allowing people to start criticizing ideas in the midst of a session, and today almost every well-regarded group idea generation methodology maintains the tradition.

Generally, however, there is widespread contempt for the "no bad ideas" notion. Yet, we have a different take on it--a lot of good can come from bad ideas. So, are there bad ideas, or not? It all depends on how you look at it. There obviously are ideas that appear unfeasible, impractical, irrational, harmful, and potentially devastating. No one of sound mind would propose implementing such an idea, assuming they truly believed it to be bad. The real question is not whether such ideas are bad but, instead, should those ideas be cast aside as soon as they are voiced?

Most brainstorming gums agree that, when searching for new, innovative solutions, it is important to give even ideas that...