ideointi

Ideointi is a Finnish term referring to the collaborative process of generating ideas to solve problems or explore opportunities. It is commonly translated as brainstorming or ideation and is used across business, education, design, and public-sector contexts. The core aim is to produce a large number of ideas in a short time, with judgment suspended during the session to encourage creativity and avoid early rejection of unconventional concepts.

Historically, ideointi draws on the brainstorming principles popularized in the mid-20th century by Alex Osborn, who advocated generating many ideas before evaluating them. In Finnish practice, ideointi sessions are often structured, facilitation-led events designed to maximize idea flow while minimizing criticism during the divergent phase.

Process and techniques typically include: defining the problem clearly, setting rules that encourage wild ideas and defer criticism, recording ideas openly, and allowing participants to build on others’ contributions. Common techniques include traditional brainstorming, brainwriting (writing ideas silently), mind mapping, and, for group decision-making, methods such as dot voting or the nominal group technique to prioritize concepts after generation.

Variants and settings encompass both in-person and online formats. Digital tools such as virtual whiteboards and idea-management platforms support remote ideointi and the creation of an idea backlog, with separate divergent and convergent stages to refine concepts.

Criticisms focus on issues like production blocking, social loafing, and conformity pressures that can limit quality. Best practices emphasize skilled facilitation, time boxing, clear goals, a pre-ideation individual ideation phase, and follow-up evaluation to select viable ideas and translate them into action.