“Let’s do some brainstorming.” Whenever I hear this in China, I’m a little skeptical. I still remember vividly the last “brainstorming” proposed by my French client to his Chinese counterparts. It finished as a “monologue” where the French talked and debated among themselves. The Chinese just listened, saying “yes” occasionally. When the French finally realized that the Chinese had not spoken at all, time was up.
A Western concept at origin, “brainstorming” is intended to gather ideas, supposing that each participant accepts to speak out. This practice runs into difficulties in China, where people are reluctant to express themselves in public. The Chinese often prefer to discuss individually with each stakeholder before a meeting. When the meeting takes place later, a tacit consent was already reached, and the meeting becomes just a formality to officialise it.
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