Electronic Brainstorming And Group Size

R. Brent Gallupe; Alan R. Dennis; William H. Cooper; Joseph S. Valacich; Lana M. Bastianutti; Jay F. Nunamaker

doi:10.5465/256377

Group Size Effects in Electronic Brainstorming

Encyclopedia of E-Collaboration ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-000-4.ch051 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 330-336

Author(s):

Alan R. Dennis ◽

Michael L. Williams

Keyword(s):

Group Size ◽

Size Effects ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Idea Generation ◽

Communication Process ◽

Future Research ◽

Research And Practice ◽

Electronic Brainstorming

The goal of this article is to analyze the effect of group size on idea generation in both verbal and electronic brainstorming (EBS) groups. Group size effects were analyzed by a meta-analysis of 21 previously published articles. Section one reviews how group size impacts the communication process in group idea generation. Section two and three present the methods and results of our meta-analysis. Section four is a discussion of the results and implications for future research and practice.

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Effective Brainstorming

The Oxford Handbook of Group Creativity and Innovation ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190648077.013.17 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 285-305 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Paul B. Paulus ◽

Jared B. Kenworthy

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Group Size ◽

Future Research ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Research Directions ◽

Considerable Evidence ◽

Electronic Brainstorming ◽

Semantic Categories ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Future Research Directions

This chapter reviews the extensive literature on brainstorming to determine potential best practices. It presents the major theoretical perspectives and highlights their relationship to the various factors that influence the effectiveness of brainstorming. It examines the utility of verbal brainstorming, electronic brainstorming, and brainwriting for generation of creative ideas. It evaluates the effects of instructions, breaks, facilitators, training, tapping semantic categories, turnover, and group size. It also notes the gaps that exist in the literature and future research directions. It is clear that there is now considerable evidence to guide effective brainstorming and produce performances in groups that exceed those of comparable sets of solitary brainstormers.

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Patterns in Electronic Brainstorming

Online and Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-935-9.ch010 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 101-116

Author(s):

Alan R. Dennis ◽

Alain Pinsonneault ◽

Kelly McNamara Hilmer ◽

Henri Barki ◽

Brent Galupe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Group Size ◽

Time Effect ◽

Nominal Group ◽

Social Loafing ◽

Electronic Brainstorming ◽

Time Period ◽

Two Factors ◽

Group Brainstorming ◽

Electronic Groups ◽

First Time

Research has shown that some groups using electronic brainstorming generate more unique ideas than groups using nominal group brainstorming, while others do not. This study examined two factors through which group size may affect brainstorming performance: synergy and social loafing. Groups brainstormed using three techniques to manipulate synergy and two group sizes to manipulate social loafing. We found no social loafing effects. We found a time effect: nominal brainstorming groups that received no synergy from the ideas of others produced more ideas than electronic groups in the first time period and fewer ideas in the last time period. We conclude that synergy from the ideas of others is only important when groups brainstorm for longer time period. We also conclude that electronic brainstorming groups should be given at least 30 minutes to work on tasks, or else they will be unlikely to develop synergy.

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A Meta-Analysis of Group Size Effects in Electronic Brainstorming

Advances in E-Collaboration - Emerging e-Collaboration Concepts and Applications ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-393-7.ch013 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 250-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alan R. Dennis ◽

Michael L. Williams

Keyword(s):

Group Size ◽

Size Effects ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Academic Research ◽

Nominal Group ◽

Relative Benefit ◽

Electronic Brainstorming ◽

Nominal Groups ◽

Group Brainstorming

Electronic brainstorming (EBS) has been a focus of academic research since the 1980s. The results suggest that in most—but not all—cases, groups using EBS produce more ideas than groups using verbal brainstorming. In contrast, the results comparing groups using EBS to groups using nominal group brainstorming have been mixed: sometimes EBS group produce more ideas, while in other cases, nominal groups produce more. This article examines the effects of group size on EBS, verbal brainstorming, and nominal group brainstorming. We found that group size is a significant factor in predicting the performance of EBS relative to verbal brainstorming, and nominal group brainstorming. As group size increases, the relative benefit of EBS increases. EBS groups outperform verbal groups when group size reaches four people. EBS groups outperform nominal groups when group size reaches 10 people.

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