The Fallacy of "Brainstorming"

October 25, 2012 9:33 AM

There was a study (or maybe it was just an article) that drew a lot of attention some time ago for challenging long-held tenets in the corporate world about brainstorming (e.g. "no idea's too dumb to offer", etc etc). Can anyone point me to it?

I'm sure there've been any number of minor articles and blog pieces on the topic, but this one was pretty authoritative, and was widely passed around when it first emerged.

posted by Quisp Lover to grab bag (4 answers total)

I bet you're thinking of this New Yorker article from earlier this year.
posted by theodolite at 9:36 AM on October 25, 2012 [3 favorites]

Thanks. Now if only I didn't have to wait three whole minutes for that....
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:45 AM on October 25, 2012

Ah hell, but Jonah Lehrer wrote it, and Keith Sawyer is quoted in it... Caveat emptor.
posted by limeonaire at 7:03 PM on October 25, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wow, great point re: Lehrer, limeonaire, thanks. I hadn't checked the byline.

But I've been googling to figure out what the Keith Sawyer issue is, and come up empty. Can you help?
posted by Quisp Lover at 3:56 PM on October 27, 2012