There are two types of thinking that are essential for any creative process to be effective: divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
First Diverge, Then Converge
Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking is a way of thinking used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It involves thinking in a non-linear, free-flowing manner, often characterized by the ability to see many different aspects of a problem and produce a wide array of potential answers. This type of thinking is often spontaneous and free of judgment, encouraging openness and the consideration of diverse perspectives. Divergent thinking is the kind of thinking used in a brainstorming session.
There are specific guidelines for divergent thinking, which happen to be the same guidelines for a successful brainstorming session.
These guidelines are:
Defer judgment: Don’t judge your ideas while you are generating them.
Strive for quantity: The more ideas you generate, the greater the chances for a breakthrough.
Seek wild and unusual ideas: Go for the unconventional.
Combine and build on other ideas: Let one idea inspire another, which can inspire another.
Think of divergent thinking as generating lots of options and making lists.
Convergent Thinking
Convergent thinking is a way of thinking used to analyze and evaluate multiple ideas to determine the best solution. It involves logical, systematic, and focused thinking to narrow down the options and select the most appropriate one. This type of thinking is often associated with problem-solving that requires a single, correct answer or a well-defined solution. Just as divergent thinking has specific guidelines, so does convergent thinking.
These guidelines are:
Be affirmative: Look for what you want, not just for what you don’t want.
Be deliberate: Avoid snap decisions or sharp judgments. Give every option a fair chance.
Check your objectives: Let your original objective be your guide.
Consider novelty: Don’t dismiss original thinking out of hand. Consider ways to trim, tailor, or rework.
Think of convergent thinking as judging options, focusing, and making decisions.
In our book, Creativity Unbound, my colleagues and I use the example of the writer’s mind and the editor’s mind to illustrate the difference between divergent thinking and convergent thinking.
Great authors are of two minds. One is the writer’s mind, the wildly imaginative, freewheeling renegade. The other is the editor’s mind, which goes back after the writer’s mind has done its work and weeds out the extraneous, non-value-added words, phrases, and ideas. Not even the greatest writers can perform these two functions at the same time. In fact, great writers are vigilant about keeping these two functions distinct.
Think about a diamond shape. The left side is divergent, and the right side is convergent.
As shown in the diagram of the 21st Century Creative Problem-Solving process, divergent and convergent thinking can be used not only to generate ideas but also to generate creative questions to uncover the real problem, develop ways to refine and improve ideas and generate action steps to implement solutions.
The key is not to mix the two types of thinking. Don’t try to diverge and converge at the same time.
Put another way, don’t try to generate and evaluate ideas at the same time. That is like driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and the other foot on the brake at the same time. You don’t get very far, and it’s not very good for the car either.
Diverge, THEN converge, but NEVER AT THE SAME TIME.
