The best of the ideas may not be necessary which comes at the beginning of discussion. Contrary to popular belief, creativity doesn’t fall off a cliff during a lengthy brainstorm. Our first ideas tend to be the most obvious, and it’s only by digging more deeply that new ideas emerge. So set aside more time for creative processes than you think might be necessary — whether that means extending a meeting or putting a follow-up on the calendar. Also, ask your team to generate two or even three times as many ideas as you think you need. Setting aggressive quotas can help people push past those obvious, early-stage ideas. And finally, measure your results. For example, the next time you run a workshop, track when the best ideas were actually generated. Was it by the team that brainstormed for one hour, or the team that took three hours? Did increasing your team’s idea quota result in more creative proposals? Testing out these different variables can help you calibrate your process and harness your team’s creative potential. (Courtesy:HBR daily)