Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking generates several possible approaches to an open-ended problem. Brainstorming and freewriting are examples. The ideas still need to be assessed: producing alternatives does not make all of them correct or useful.
THE IDEA
Divergent Thinking
Divergent thinking explores several possible answers, interpretations, or approaches. It is useful when a problem is open-ended and the first idea may overlook other possibilities. Brainstorming and freewriting create room for alternatives before deciding which deserve more work.
The source describes 8 elements:
- Complexity: Considering several interacting aspects of an idea or problem.
- Risk-taking: Being willing to suggest an unfamiliar approach that may not succeed.
- Elaboration: Developing an initial idea into something more detailed. A chocolate bar, for example, can suggest variations in flavor, shape, or packaging.
- Originality: Producing ideas that differ from familiar responses.
- Imagination: Considering possibilities that are not yet present.
- Flexibility: Changing perspective or moving between categories of ideas.
- Curiosity: Asking further questions instead of stopping at the first explanation.
- Fluency: Producing a range of ideas to consider.
These are ways to describe the process, not a rule that only people with a particular personality can use it. Generating many ideas also does not guarantee a good solution. Ideas need evidence, refinement, and comparison with the problem’s requirements.
Consider two questions about US presidents. Asking who was the first president calls for a specific factual answer: George Washington. Asking who was the most influential president invites several defensible answers, depending on what influence means and which evidence supports the comparison. The second question allows alternatives, but it does not make every answer equally persuasive.
Convergent thinking narrows alternatives toward a conclusion; divergent thinking expands the possibilities under consideration. Both can involve critical thought. Recalling a name is a simple convergent task, while comparing competing explanations can be demanding.
A detective story illustrates how the processes can work together. A Holmes-like investigator may generate several explanations, test them against the clues, and rule some out. An inconsistency may then prompt new hypotheses. Asking who committed a crime, why, and what evidence would distinguish possible explanations can move between expansion and evaluation rather than follow a fixed sequence.
When to use it
Brainstorming ideas for a marketing campaign
Generating multiple hypotheses for a scientific experiment
Developing creative solutions to a complex business challenge
Writing a creative story with multiple possible plotlines
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Convergent Thinking Example: First US President
Question: Who was the first president of the United States? Options: a. George Washington, b. Barack Obama, c. Thomas Jefferson, d. Abraham Lincoln. Only one correct answer (George Washington), requiring recall rather than critical thinking.
Divergent Thinking Example: Most Influential President
Asking who was the most influential US president allows several defensible answers. The response depends on the criteria for influence and the evidence. Generating candidates is a divergent step; comparing their claims requires evaluation.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How can you apply divergent thinking to a current problem you are facing?
In what situations is divergent thinking more beneficial than convergent thinking?
Think of a time you used divergent thinking to generate multiple solutions. What was the outcome?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Thinking in Systems and Mental Models Think Like a Super Thinker (Dawson, Marcus P)