Small group ideation

To challenge individualist conceptions of creativity to argue that social interaction, communication, and collaboration are key elements in creative thought and practice. In this vein, Tyler Cowen, writing in Bloomberg Opinion suggests that "When working on any kind of problem, task or question embed yourself in a small group of peers with braodly similar concerns". This is because, Cowen continues, "The group will give you ideas, feedback and help keep you focused on the issue at hand. The personalities and framings of the other group members will make the issue seem more vivid. After all, there are few problems you are better off facing alone".  Cowen's piece of advice stems from what has been dubbed in Silicon Valley  "the small group theory". For a second near-universal piece of advice, Cowen suggests: "Get a mentor". That is, someone who has more knowledge, general or special, and experience than yourself. The advantage of a mentor,, says Cowen,is that "Aside from providing teaching and advice, the mentor, like the small group, helps make an issue or idea more vivid: A living, breathing exemplar of success stands before you. The mentor makes a discipline feel more real and the prospect of success more realistic". In short, Cowen's advice seems worth trying. After all, ideators must always be open-minded in their approach to idea generation and communication. Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-12-07/the-only-two-pieces-of-advice-you-ll-ever-need?utm_source=pocket-newtab-global-en-GB