Stay on your A game by displaying outstanding divergent thinking skills

Harnessing new ideas in the workplace can lead to all sorts of impressive results. In this article, we're exploring divergent thinking, its meaning and benefits, plus ways through which you can improve yours. When you embrace a culture where divergent thinking is second nature, amazing things can happen!

What is divergent thinking?

With the word “divergent” meaning “tending to be different or develop in different directions,” it makes sense that divergent thinking means coming up with multiple, varying, and different solutions to one particular problem.

Improving your problem solving skills is always going to keep you one step ahead of the game in the workplace, so it's worth honing this conceptual skill by looking at all possible options when a problem arises – including unconventional and creative solutions. Divergent thinking really means “thinking outside the box,” a phrase that has become a little trite but actually sums up rather succinctly what it's about. Also referred to as “lateral thinking,” it's about coming up with ideas and then figuring out what you want to do with those ideas.

Divergent thinking vs convergent thinking

One of the essential rules to divergent thinking is spending a certain amount of time actually coming up with ideas without fear of judgement or being shut down straight away. This then has to be separated from evaluating the idea and moving forward with it in a linear fashion.

Divergent thinking and convergent thinking are opposite sides of the same coin. Convergent thinking is arriving at the single, often quickest, answer to a problem. However, this restricts the creative mindset, which divergent thinking embraces.

The benefits of divergent thinking

Divergent thinking does take time, but it's worth it. Slowing down to look at the alternatives to certain issues means that you can go outside your comfort zone and consider calculated risks that will benefit the team as well as your customers.

It's beneficial to improving communication, idea generation, teamwork, language use and performance, and promoting self-awareness.

Divergent thinking can help with:

  • Identifying new opportunities

  • Finding creative ways in which to solve problems

  • Assessing ideas from different perspectives

  • Understanding and learning from colleagues and other professionals in your field

  • Increasing team morale

  • Encouraging collaboration and teamwork when comparing ideas and working towards a single goal

Divergent thinking: examples

You should have a pretty good idea of the meaning of divergent thinking by now, but let's consolidate our explanations with some examples:

  • A topical comedy show needs a caption for a funny photo. The team comes together to brainstorm some possibilities and make a list of the best options. 

  • A child is given some wooden blocks and asked to construct a building. They consider which buildings are familiar to them, such as school, house, and supermarket, and think about which building they can create with the blocks available.

  • An engineer needs to fix a machine that has stopped working and is therefore costing the company money in lost production time. The necessary part won't arrive for two days, so the engineer devises a temporary solution. He needs to decide between using parts from other machines, fabricating the part himself, or borrowing a part from another site.

Combining convergent and divergent thinking

When implementing divergent thinking, it's often combined with convergent thinking. Creative problem-solving starts with divergent thinking through the collection of free-flowing ideas. Convergent thinking then organises and structures these ideas, while leaving behind those with no future or traction.

Both parts of the process are required. The divergent stage forces the exploration of all of the possible options and the convergent stage ensures selection of the most relevant solution depending on the context.

Become a divergent thinker 

Make those eureka moments more common, so that you can explore alternative solutions rather than rehashing the same old ideas which might not be relevant any more.

Activities that promote divergent thinking range from brainstorming, reflection, and questioning to meditation and creative outputs. Encouraging and using these techniques will help you to foster more unique perspectives when it comes to problem resolution, inductive reasoning, and overcoming adversity across different areas.

It doesn't matter how deep into your career you are, you can still practise and improve your divergent thinking by:

  • Being fluid - producing a large volume of ideas, without the fear of being laughed at

  • Remaining flexible - creating a wide range of ideas that are based on different spheres of knowledge

  • Staying original - coming up with innovative ideas

  • Developing - improving on your ideas so they become more sophisticated

  • Brainstorming - using group sessions to inspire and evolve to create fresh, new solutions

  • Managing your time - forgetting about deadlines for a while in order to allow your brain to free flow

  • Using other resources - work management software, for example, can stimulate divergent thinking as it organises projects and tasks to provide clarity for the team, so that they can then achieve objectives faster

Use divergent thinking to improve your output

Now you know what divergent thinking means, it's time to take stock and focus on your strengths. Divergent thinking can help in so many ways, especially if your colleagues embrace it as well. Think about the tips in this article and carry these through to your work life. It might take time to change your mindset, but it'll be worth it in the end.

Creating a CV that a hiring manager is compelled to read takes a lot of time and effort. Let the professionals take that worry away from you. Take advantage of our free CV review, by uploading your current CV to be scored and assessed. With our feedback, you can exercise your divergent thinking to resolve any problems highlighted!

This article was originally written by Elizabeth Openshaw and has been updated by Jen David.

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