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Re: barometer parable

The last occasion that 'BrainStorming' came up in my presence was
when a couple of Mech Engineers were describing the design process
for a new 'gadget' or system that the researchers needed to 'try out'
anew pharmaceutical process or such.

Clearly, in cases such as these, the engineers are going to be in the
'triage' mode since it is THEY who will be required to successfully
implement the final design. They must be respectful of the
researchers because even these 'Ivory Tower' types do sometimes have
a useful idea. They DO of course 'make fun' of the researchers more
outlandish suggestions. They have the UTMOST respect for the machine
shop crew and electronic technicians because they know that even
engineers can often learn from the 'hands on builders'. They also
don't want to piss off the shop folks because they shop crew can make
ANYbodies life miserable, and EVRYbody will at sometime need a favor
or two from the shop.


It was very interesting to watch these engineers serve as mentor for
a group of our students. The project design did, of course, with a
brainstorming session. Clearly the engineers were in charge but they
did listen and critique the students ideas. Of course triage is
necessary (except perhaps in academic areas where no final product or
system is expected to result) but the free flow of uncriticised ideas
is the way ALL brainstorming BEGINS.



At 12:08 PM -0400 on 6/8/02, Michael Edmiston wrote
Hugh Haskell said, "I have been in brainstorming sessions where no one was
allowed to criticize any of the ideas proposed, no matter how ridiculous..."

Thanks Hugh, I thought maybe this was a northwest Ohio phenomenon. You have
confirmed it is wider spread. All the "brainstorming sessions" I've been to
in the last several years have come with these explicit instructions. I
think all the administrators must have gone to the same workshop or read the
same management magazine.

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