It solves real problems by discourse between individuals with a wide range of complementary skills who explore boundaries and generate innovative ideas. The group dynamic is impersonal, objective, critical, non-competitive and mutual. The group may hone their creative interaction by recording proceedings and playing parts back to reinforce contexts leading to lightbulb insights.
In the political crime fiction novel Presumed Dead, crime reconstruction is performed by a think tank. https://wp.me/P1z4yo-n