The impact of problem-solving through effective brainstorming has made significant
advances since Alex Osborn introduced it to the world in the 1940s. At the time, his
advertizing agency [BBDO], was regarded as the most innovative business on Madison Avenue.
His motto; "The more you rub your creative lamp, the more alive you feel" as expressed
in his bestsellers 'Your Creative Power (1948)' and 'Applied Imagination (1953)', still
holds true in today's world, albeit a very different world.
Since these early groundbreaking developments in the brainstorming domain, substantial
academic study and practical application have established a kaleidoscope of creative
problem-solving approaches and "solutions". From early creative thinking pioneers like
De Bono, Wallas, Botha, et al and large-scale adoption by institutions in education, business,
government and general human resources development, we have reached the point where we
have a significant knowledge base which enables us to move to the next level of
problem-solving. Despite challenges to the effectiveness of brainstorming over the years,
it has become clear that it is a near optimal process, provided the weakness introduced
through group-think are minimized or where possible, completely eliminated.
As technology continues to level the playing field, creativity is clearly the only effective
differentiator for sustainable success in a intensely competive environment. Individual
brainstorming with the generative power of the group is now possible through the
intelligent integration of human:machine ("AI") interfaces. This brainstorm gym is built
on these principles. It puts the power of a group within the capability of the individual
brainstormer through idea-generating 'machines' ("The Gym"), designed to stimulate idea
generation across a wide spectrum of natural creative thought processes and in so doing,
effectively realizing group brainstorming perfomance levels.
