>Electronic brainstorming (EBS) has been proposed as an approach that overcomes the shortcomings of verbal brainstorming (e.g., production blocking, evaluation apprehension, free riding) while stimulating the production of good ideas. Because they work simultaneously and anonymously, members of EBS groups are expected to generate ideas of higher quality than verbal or nominal brainstorming groups (Nunamaker, Dennis, Valacich, Vogel, & George, 1991).

> However, whereas empirical evidence clearly shows EBS to be superior to verbal brainstorming, the same cannot be said for EBS versus nominal brainstorming. In fact, both studies that compared the quality of ideas generated with EBS and nominal brainstorming groups (Dennis & Valacich, 1994; Valacich, Dennis, & Connolly, 1994) found no differences between the two techniques for small groups.