Brainstorming and Brainwriting as creativity techniques: a diagnosis in companies of the metallurgic sector

Abstract

The objective of this article is to diagnosis the level of knowledge and the level of experience allied to the importance of the creativity, through the use of the techniques of Brainstorming and Brainwriting, as stimulation to the generation of ideas. The present study was developed in companies of the metallurgic sector in the City of Ponta Grossa. Here presented through a field research in eleven companies. Creativity for some authors is the process to become sensible the problems, deficiencies; gaps in knowledge, disharmony; to identify the difficulty, to search solutions, formulating hypotheses regarding the deficiencies; to test and to re-test these hypotheses; and finally, to communicate the results. Brainstorming, more than a technique of group dynamics, is a developed activity to explore the potentiality creativity of individual, placing them it service of their objectives, whereas Brainwriting is the quiet version of the Brainstorming. The results demonstrate that in relation to the knowledge level: Brainstorming: there are managers who do not know, others that know and still a third group that knows well; Brainwriting: many managers are unaware of, some know and few know well. With regard to the experience level: Brainstorming: a great number of managers does not use, few use occasionally and some use it regularly; Brainwriting: a totality of the researched managers practically do not use, a minority uses occasionally and none of the managers makes regular use of the technique. Through the analysis of the data it was possible to observe mainly that on the part of the managers there is a great lack of stimulation and motivation in relation to the knowledge and experience in creativity techniques, especially it these do not incur in costs for the organizations, only the participation of the collaborators, which are creative by nature.