Paul Sloane has written a fantastic piece called How to Ruin a Brainstorming Session. If you take a closer look, you’ll realize that many of the elements that are fatal for brainstorming are also fatal for a knowledge management program.

Here are some of the practices Paul Sloane believes are deadly:

1. You have no clear objectives.
2. The group involved is too homogeneous.
3. Your boss is autocratic and doesn’t trust the creativity of his or her team.
4. You allow early criticism to smother creativity.
5. You settle for just a few ideas.
6. Your process lacks closure or follow through.

How many of these “worst practices” are present in your KM program?  What are you going to do about it?

[Photo Credit:  Jacob Botter]

*******************

For an interesting view of the brainstorming process, see the following charts from Rick | Crinid: