Brainstorming sessions at work is a highly suspicious activity of loosely formed thoughts that’s unlikely to show any real benefit, according to research from Sheena Iyengar, a professor at Columbia Business School.

She’s written a book “Think Bigger” based on her research and interviews.  She concludes group brainstorming is a waste of time, writes Callum Borchers for The Wall Street Journal.

Business teams should collaborate but only after colleagues have done some extensive, independent thinking and can bring notes.

Not everyone agrees with her conclusion.

Meg Amis is a marketing director in Philadelphia who graduated from Widener University and Villanova University, and who also volunteers at the Providence Animal Center in Media.

She loves the energy of “huddling in a room to slap sticky notes on a wall or scribble on a whiteboard.”

The process can create an inclusive tone and rally support for a project, she said.

“With anything that requires multiple people’s buy-in, it’s better to start with a brainstorming session because then everybody feels like they’re part of it,” she said.

Some companies are moving away from brainstorming.

Other firms think if we can just get everyone back in the office, group ideas will start to flow again.

Read more about brainstorming in The Wall Street Journal.

This short video asks “Does Brainstorming Work?”