BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 497

BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 497

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Brainstorming

Why it doesn’t work

Brainstorming was one of the new buzzwords of the late twentieth century. It was seen as valuable to get into a room together as a group to come up with new ideas in the worlds of business, education and science. But brainstorming does not work. The ideas that occur in a brainstorming session are rarely very original. Brainstorming seems to make sense as a concept, but the results are generally disappointing and banal. How is this possible?

‘Brainstorming’ as a concept was coined by advertising executive Alex F. Osborn in the 1930s. It was probably a play on ‘barnstorming’, which was the word for the acrobatic flying of pilots in the relatively new field of aviation. The concept was to attack problems by having a group of people suggest any solution which came into their heads, without fear of ridicule, until no more ideas were thought of. Ideas would then be examined and evaluated. Osborn believed this opened the mind to free expression and lateral thinking. Like much of popular psychology, no one ever questioned the validity of the concept, and almost immediately it came to be accepted as a standard system for problem-solving.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

In defence of those who automatically believed in it, it does seem to be a rational concept. Surely, a group of heads is better than one. We all assume that with people spring-boarding creativity off each other, the best solutions would ultimately be found. Well, research has shown that this is not the case. In all group situations, it is the strong personalities that are in charge. This type of leadership means that ideas are directed towards conclusions that are preferred by the leader, or questions are asked that are pointed towards a specific answer. Input is limited from other group members that fear negative evaluation and they only share ideas that they consider reasonable.

At the end of a brainstorming session we are left with lots of ideas to choose from. It seems like a success. Of course, a group can come up with more ideas than one person, but has an original idea that solves the problem been found? Is group participation helping or hurting creative thinking? If the group only contains extroverts, perhaps something can be achieved as each will find their voice, but the creative energy of an introvert is mainly activated when they are alone.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

A passive person will rarely perform well when a group performance is expected of them. It creates anxiety, and causes them to shut down and vote for the popular idea. Having to perform socially reduces the amount of energy used for creative thought for all group members. There is an unconscious blocking of creativity in a group environment brought about by a desire to avoid conflict and reach a kind of equilibrium.

Working as a group also encourages group members to expect their ideas to be enlarged upon by other members of the group. There is less of a tendency to offer complete ideas, and a kind of intellectual laziness sets in. This has been defined in social impact theory as ‘social loafing’, a relaxation of participants because being in a group means they have less responsibility. It has been found that the larger the group, the greater the conformity and the lower the performance. Group-brainstorming participants would be more effective working on their own.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Studies have shown that when we are in groups, we are unconsciously influenced by the ideas around us. We come up with ideas that are merely variations of other ideas that already exist. If we are left alone to come up with solutions, ideas tend to be more unique and not contaminated by the thoughts of others or past errors.

As soon as we are surrounded by other people, we start to absorb their ideas as our own. A group can also become fixated on a solution early in the brainstorming session and not remain open to further ideas. When the ideas are examined at the end of the session, they are usually very similar to the first solution that was suggested.

The way that brainstorming problems can be avoided is to actually do the brainstorming individually before reporting ideas to the group. It allows voices to be heard that might otherwise be ignored in a meeting dominated by the loudest voices. If the source of the idea is anonymous, this can also be useful at the group stage. For example, the ideas can be submitted earlier and then read to the group one by one, without knowing who came up with these ideas. This allows for a balanced presentation of ideas which is not controlled by the extroverts. There is also no possibility of contamination of ideas as they have already been independently generated.

There is nothing wrong with the idea of brainstorming and attacking problems using all the resources of a group. It is just that we have to be aware of group dynamics and how these can diminish the creative effectiveness of a meeting. Getting people to do their own brainstorming first, and then bringing it to a meeting is probably the tweak to its configuration that will make it a truly functional way of solving problems. Brainstorming can work; it just depends at what stage in the process the brains are brought together.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

27. According to the author, brainstorming

A. seems logical but it is not effective.

B. is sometimes productive, but only in business.

C. usually results in no ideas at all.

D. ended its popularity late last century.

28. Alex F. Osborn’s concept of brainstorming was not

A. immediately popular.bi

B. his own idea.

C. based on his own experience.

D. challenged by the public.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

29. The author explains that generally the leader of a group

A. worries that their ideas will not be accepted.

B. controls the type of responses the group contributes.

C. does not listen when others give their ideas.

D. responds differently to certain group members.

30. What does the author say about introverts?

A. They work better in isolation.

B. They tend not to agree with extroverts.

C. They are more creative than extroverts.

D. They find groups to be an effective environment.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

31. What blocks creativity for everyone in a group?

A. Fearing criticism.

B. Needing to be accepted.

C. Trying to create harmony.

D. Feeling unsupported.

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-E, below.

32. ‘Social loafing’ is when group members participate less

33. Smaller groups have been shown to perform better

34. People working in groups

IELTS Academic Reading Test

A. work more effectively than when they are alone.

B. as they rely on other members to contribute.

C. tend to conform to the group’s way of thinking.

D. because they are afraid to contribute.

E. as people have a greater obligation to suggest ideas.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

35. Ideas that originate away from a group are usually more ……………………

36. A group can have problems with originality because they get ………………. on one concept.

37. Successful solutions are best found if ideas are conceived …………………… a group meeting.

38. Ideas can be presented more fairly if the creator remains ………………..

39. It should be remembered that group ………………. can inhibit the creativity of a meeting.

40. Brainstorming can work if one change is made to the …………………… of the session.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

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BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 497

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27. A

28. D

29. B

30. A

31. C

32. B

33. E

34. C

35. UNIQUE

36. FIXATED

37. BEFORE

38. ANONYMOUS

39. DYNAMICS

40. CONFIGURATION

IELTS Academic Reading Test

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