Note from Art: this one is intended to jump-start your thinking. Expect more from me on this important topic.

Idea generation is core to everything we do in our organizations.

We generate ideas to solve problems, serve customers, compete with adversaries, structure our businesses and motivate, inspire and lead our employees. It’s quite possible that idea generation is the most important activity going on inside any organization.

It’s too bad that we’ve been going about it all wrong.

At least, that’s the essence of the article, “How Aha! Really Happens,” in the Winter 2010, Strategy & Business magazine, where the authors indicate that our over-reliance on brainstorming and two-sided brain thinking are just plain wrong.

Mind the Gap:

Think about any typical problem-solving situation. We identify and assess the situation, brainstorm ideas and then develop our action plans. It’s this middle phase, or, the gap between analysis and action, where the authors focus their research and ideas.

If you’ve been in more than a few problem solving or strategy sessions, you’ve likely noted the clumsy manner groups tend to move from analysis to ideation.

Most groups eventually run out of gas on the analysis phase and affect a transition to that most common of all ideation tools: brainstorming. Through some unknown set of mental instructions, we’re supposed to turn off our analytical thinking and turn on the creative thinking. It’s at this point where the authors of Aha! highlight the research that indicates two-sided thinking and traditional brainstorming processes are all wrong. “In other words, our most accepted approach to problem solving is grounded in an incorrect premise about the source of creativity in the brain.”

Crap! So much for the last twenty plus years of brainstorming!

Intelligent Memory Versus the Two-Sided Brain (What a great name for a horror movie!)

The neuroscience of it all says that we develop our ideas based on something called, Intelligent Memory…a combination of analysis and intuition backed by learning and recall. The steps involved in Intelligent Memory, include:

1. Drawing upon examples from history (ours and others).

2. Clearing the brain of expectations of a solution.

3. Experiencing the flash or, the Aha! moment.

4. Achieving resolution…when the Aha! moment provides the catalyst for action.

High Level Take-Aways on What Intelligent Memory Means for Ideation?

  • The Aha! moment is a flash that occurs based on steps one and two above, and most likely at a point in time when our brains are relaxed and allowed to wander. This begs a whole host of potential ideas for getting beyond the structured process of brainstorming.
  • The more examples we have of people, groups, armies or societies solving problems similar to ours, the better prepared we are to create new combinations and generate fresh ideas. The authors use the example of Napoleon, who at the tender age of 24 won his first battle without any previous military experience. He was a student of military history and he combined his knowledge of how others before him had handled past battles, to create his winning strategy.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

There’s a lot going on in this article, from the latest findings in neuroscience regarding Intelligent Memory to the history of strategy in war to some fascinating examples of Intelligent Memory at work in the founding with the founding of Google and in use at GE.

Given the importance of creating effective learning and idea-generating cultures in our organizations, the topic merits significant consideration. The authors do a great job teeing up the logic and examples of Intelligent Memory at work. However, they’re mostly leaving it up to us to figure out how to apply the findings.  Anybody have any good ideas?!

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Art develops and delivers powerful and pragmatic workshops and programs on leadership, professional development and building high performance teams. Contact Art to discuss your needs for a program or keynote. And whether you are an experienced leader seeking to revitalize and develop as a professional, or a new leader looking for guidance, check out Art’s book with Rich Petro, Practical Lessons in Leadership.