This study examined the effects of training and sequence of nominal and interactive groups on idea generation. Participants in groups of three or four were either trained in idea generation skills or were simply engaged in an equivalent amount of practice. They subsequently were asked to brainstorm in either an alone-to-group or a group-to-alone sequence. Training had a significant positive effect on the total number of ideas generated and average originality of ideas generated. The participants in the alone-to-group sequence generated a larger number of ideas than those in the group-to-alone sequence. These results indicate that training can increase both the quality and quantity of ideas generated in groups and that solitary idea generation prior to group brainstorming can be beneficial. These findings may be helpful to practitioners in enhancing the creativity of individuals in group work.
Baldwin, T.T., & Ford, J.K. (1988). Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel Psychology, 41, 63-105.
2.
Basadur, M., Runco, M.A., & Vega, L.A. (2000). Understanding how creative thinking skills, attitudes and behaviors work together: A causal process model. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 34, 77-100.
3.
Brown, V., & Paulus, P.B. (2002). Making group brainstorming more effective: Recommendations from an associative memory perspective. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11, 208-212.
4.
Brown, V., Tumeo, M., Larey, T.S., & Paulus, P.B. (1998) Modeling cognitive interactions during group brainstorming . Small Group Research, 29, 495-526.
5.
Clapham, M.M. (1997) Ideational skills training: A key element in creativity training programs. Creativity Research Journal, 10, 33-44.
6.
Dennis, A.R., & Williams, M.L. (2003). Electronic brainstorming: Theory, research and future directions. In P. B. Paulus & B. A. Nijstad (Eds.), Group creativity: Innovation through collaboration (pp. 160-178). New York: Oxford University Press.
7.
Diehl, M., & Stroebe, W. (1987). Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: Towards the solution of a riddle. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 497-509.
8.
Dugosh, K.L., & Paulus, P.B. (2005). Cognitive and social comparison processes in brainstorming . Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 313-320.
9.
Dugosh, K.L., Paulus, P.B., Roland, E.J., & Yang, H.C. (2000). Cognitive stimulation in brainstorming. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 722-735.
10.
Dunnett, M.D., Campbell, J., & Jastaad, K. (1963). The effect of group participation on brainstorming effectiveness for two industrial samples. Journal of Applied Psychology, 47, 30-37.
11.
Firestien, R.L. (1990). Effects of creative problem solving on communication behaviors in small groups. Small Group Research, 21, 507-521.
12.
Fontenot, N.A. (1993). Effects of training in creativity and creative problem finding upon business people. Journal of Social Psychology , 133, 11-22.
13.
Goldenberg, J., Mazursky, D., & Solomon, S. (1999). Creative sparks. Science, 285, 1495-1496.
14.
Hequet, M. (1995). Doing more with less. Training , 32, 76-82.
15.
Kabanoff, B., & Bottger, P. (1991). Effectiveness of creativity training and its relation to selected personality factors. Journal of Organizational behavior, 12, 235-248.
16.
Kelly, J.R., & Karau, S.J. (1993). Entrainment of creativity in small groups. Small Group Research, 24, 179-198.
17.
Kelly, J.R., & McGrath, J.E. (1985). Effects of time limits and task types on task performance and interaction of four-person groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 395-407.
18.
Kramer, M.W., Fleming, G.P., & Mannis, S.M. (2001). Improving face-to-face brainstorming through modeling and facilitation. Small Group Research, 32, 533-557.
19.
Larey, T.S., & Paulus, P.B. (1999). Group preference and convergent tendencies in small groups: A content analysis of group brainstorming performance. Creativity Research Journal, 12, 175-184.
20.
Mullen, B., Johnson, C., & Salas, E. (1991). Productivity loss in brainstorming groups: A meta-analytic integration. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 12, 3-24.
21.
Nagasundaram, M., & Dennis, A.R. (1993). When a group is not a group: The cognitive foundation of group idea generation. Small Group Research, 24, 463-489.
22.
Nijstad, B.A., Diehl, M., & Stroebe, W. (2003). Cognitive stimulation and interference in idea-generating groups. In P. B. Paulus & B. A. Nijstad (Eds.), Group creativity: Innovation through collaboration (pp. 137-159). New York: Oxford University Press.
23.
Offner, A.K., Kramer, T.J., & Winter, J.P. (1996). The effects of facilitation, recording, and pauses on group brainstorming. Small Group Research, 27, 283-298.
24.
Osborn, A.F. (1957). Applied imagination (1st ed.). New York: Scribner.
25.
Osborn, A.F. (1963). Applied imagination: Principles and procedures of creative problem solving (3rd ed.) New York: Scribner.
26.
Oxley, N.L., Dzindolet, M.T., & Paulus, P.B. (1996). The effects of facilitators on the performance of brainstorming groups. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality , 11, 633-646.
27.
Paulus, P.B., & Brown, V.R. (2003). Enhancing ideational creativity in groups: Lessons from research on brainstorming. In P. B. Paulus & B. A. Nijstad (Eds.), Group creativity: Innovation through collaboration (pp. 110-136). New York: Oxford University Press.
28.
Paulus, P.B., Dugosh, K.L., Dzindolet, M.T., Coskun, H., & Putman, V.L. (2002). Social and cognitive influences in group brainstorming: Predicting production gains and losses. European Social Psychology Review, 12, 299-325.
29.
Paulus, P.B., & Dzindolet, M.T. (1993). Social influence processes in group brainstorming. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 575-586.
30.
Paulus, P.B., Larey, T.S., & Ortega, A.H. (1995). Performance and perception of brainstormers in an organizational setting. Basic and Applied Social Psychology , 18, 3-14.
31.
Paulus, P.B., Nakui, T., Putman, V.L., & Brown, V.R. (2006). Effects of task instructions and brief breaks on brainstorming. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice , 10, 206-219.
32.
Paulus, P.B., & Yang, H. (2000). Idea generation in groups: A basis for creativity in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82, 76-87.
33.
Puccio, G.J., Firestien, R.L., Coyle, C., & Masucci, C. (2006). A review of the effectiveness of CPS training: A focus on workplace issues. Creativity and Innovation Management , 15, 19-30.
34.
Putman, V.L. (2002). Effects of additional rules and dominance on brainstorming and decision making. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 62(12-B), 6026.
35.
Putman, V.L., & Paulus, P.B. (in press). Brainstorming, brainstorming rules and decision making . Journal of Creative Behavior.
36.
Redmond, M.R., Mumford, M.D., & Teach, R.J. (1993). Putting creativity to work: Leader influences on subordinate creativity. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 55, 120-151.
37.
Rietzschel, E.F., Nijstad, B.A., & Stroebe, W. (2007). Relative accessibility of domain knowledge and creativity: The effects of knowledge activation on the quantity and originality of generated ideas. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology , 43, 933-946.
38.
Rotter, G.S., & Portugal, S.M. (1969). Group and individual effects in problem solving. Journal of Applied Psychology, 53, 338-341.
39.
Scott, G., Leritz, L.E., & Mumford, M.D. (2004). The effectiveness of creativity training: A quantitative review. Creativity Research Journal, 16, 361-388.
40.
Stein, M.I. (1975). Stimulating creativity: Vol. 4. Group procedures . San Diego, CA: Academic Press .
41.
Taylor, I.A., Berry, P.C., & Block, C.H. (1958). Does group participation when using brainstorming facilitate or inhibit creative thinking? Administrative Science Quarterly, 3, 23-47.
42.
Voss, B. (1991, July). What's the big idea? (Creativity training) . Sales and Marketing Management, 143, 36-41.
