What is the purpose of narrowing during a brainstorming session?

The purpose of narrowing during a brainstorming session primarily focuses on identifying the most promising ideas from a broader pool of concepts. This process is essential because it allows teams to concentrate their efforts on the most viable solutions, thereby enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. When a team narrows down their options, they can focus on quality over quantity—focusing on fewer ideas that hold the most potential for success rather than spreading their resources too thin over many concepts. This targeted approach leads to better solutions, enabling the team to do less but achieve better outcomes.

In contrast, identifying employees with experience and allocating resources effectively, while important, do not specifically address the central aim of narrowing ideas during brainstorming. Similarly, while developing a unique perspective can be part of the overall brainstorming process, it is not the core purpose of narrowing the ideas generated. The focus during this refining stage is explicitly on selecting the best solution ideas to facilitate a more concentrated and productive development process.