If you generalise the whole world of ideas and problem solving to the word "creativity" then I have no idea what conclusions you can make. There are a great many types of idea generation to solve unrelated classes of problem. Brain-storming is most definitely a valuable tool for some but not all situations.

i) discover what colleagues know about the issues

ii) widen options beyond what you are immediately aware

iii) make connections between different topics

iv) experience explaining and talking about a problem

v) get a feel of how emotionally invested colleagues are in particular decisions

vi) spot bogus assumptions and false premises

etc.

What's the alternative suggestion, nobody works together? This type of article plays to the seductive developer trap that you can to put your head down and work on problems in isolation. Its fun and optimal for small projects but it doesn't scale. You can only build garden sheds, you will never build cathedrals.

Whiteboards rock.