Brainstorming, Influence, and Icebergs
نویسنده
چکیده
Brainstorming done right is an exhilarating, exhausting process. Two heads are better than one as long as both are actively trying to accomplish the same goal. But those two heads also can achieve less together than either could alone. It depends on many things. In the best case, both people realize that for nontrivial problems, neither one has all the right answers. They engage in a discussion with the intention of letting both persons put forth their best ideas, and the ideas themselves drive a rational process forward. This kind of cognitive humility is one of the general traits I like best about engineers: We know we don't have all the answers, and yet we recognize that our designs must move forward even when our imperfect knowledge can have serious or even life‐threatening consequences. Engineers should study general engineering failures because they serve as stark reminders to constantly look for the line between well‐considered risk‐taking and fatal hubris. For many engineers, the urge to constantly seek to improve their designs isn't motivated solely by economics. There are three classic ways in which engineers try to move forward despite having imperfect knowledge. The first is the solo Eureka! effort. In this approach, a muse pays a fleeting visit and confers a Really Cool Idea that we then share with our colleagues in exchange for admiring glances and a patent plaque to hang on the wall. The second way is for engineers to put their heads together and attack a problem in a communal fashion, such as brainstorming. A third way is to ignore the problem as long as possible, hoping it will go away. I don't recommend this third option, but I mention it here because of its eternal if misguided popularity.
منابع مشابه
Brainstorming in Solitude and Teams: The Role of Group Influence
Early studies of creative ideation showed that individuals brainstorming in isolation tend to generate more and better ideas than groups. But recent studies depict a more complex picture, reinforcing the need to better understand individual and group ideation. Studying group influence is one way to address the complex interplay between ideas in different brainstorming scenarios. We define group...
متن کاملBrainstorming in Solitude and Teams: A Computational Study of the Role of Group Influence
Early studies of brainstorming showed that individuals tend to generate more and better ideas than groups. But recent studies depict a more complex picture, reinforcing the need to better understand the interplay between individual and group ideation. Group influence can be one way to address the complex interplay between ideas in brainstorming. We define group influence as the degree to which ...
متن کاملThe effect of dynamic-thermodynamic icebergs on the Southern Ocean climate in a three-dimensional model
Melting icebergs are a mobile source of fresh water as well as a sink of latent heat. In most global climate models, the spatio-temporal redistribution of fresh water and latent heat fl uxes related to icebergs is parameterized by an instantaneous more or less arbitrary fl ux distribution over some parts of the oceans. It is uncertain if such a parameterization provides a realistic representati...
متن کاملInfluence of Sea Ice Cover and Icebergs on Circulation and Water Mass Formation in a Numerical Circulation Model of the Ross Sea, Antarctica
متن کامل
Quantification and Analysis of Icebergs in a Tidewater Glacier Fjord Using an Object-Based Approach
Tidewater glaciers are glaciers that terminate in, and calve icebergs into, the ocean. In addition to the influence that tidewater glaciers have on physical and chemical oceanography, floating icebergs serve as habitat for marine animals such as harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii). The availability and spatial distribution of glacier ice in the fjords is likely a key environmental variable ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
- IEEE Computer
دوره 37 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2004