Channel your divergent thinking in the workplace

Harnessing new ideas in the workplace can lead to all sorts of impressive results. In this article, we're exploring divergent thinking – its meaning, benefits, and ways to improve yours. When you embrace a work 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 involves coming up with multiple, varied solutions to problems and situations. The four types of divergent thinking are fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. 

One of the essential rules of divergent thinking is actually spending time generating ideas without fear of judgement or immediate rejection. This stage must then be separated from the process of evaluating and moving forward with ideas in a linear fashion.

Divergent thinking vs convergent thinking

Divergent and convergent thinking are opposite sides of the same coin. Convergent thinking focuses on 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 explore alternatives to certain issues means that you can step outside your comfort zone and consider calculated risks that benefit both your team and customers.

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

Divergent thinking is a great attribute, as it can help with:

• Identifying new opportunities

• Finding creative ways to solve problems

• Assessing ideas from different perspectives

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

• Improving team morale

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

Problem solving using divergent thinking

Improving your problem solving skills will always keep you one step ahead 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. 

As divergent thinking essentially means “thinking outside the box,” a phrase that has become a little trite but rather succinctly sums up the concept, you can use it to solve problems in the best possible way by generating a wide range of ideas before narrowing them down.

Divergent thinking: examples

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

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

• An engineer needs to fix a machine that has stopped working and is costing the company money in lost production time. Since the necessary part won't arrive for two days, the engineer explores temporary solutions: using parts from other machines, fabricating the part himself, or borrowing a part from another site.

Combining convergent and divergent thinking

Divergent thinking is often paired 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 encourages exploration of all possible options while the convergent stage ensures the selection of the most relevant solution depending on the context.

Become a divergent thinker 

Make those eureka moments more common by exploring alternative solutions rather than rehashing the same old – and probably outdated – ideas.

Activities that promote divergent thinking include brainstorming, reflection, questioning, meditation, and creative pursuits. Encouraging and using these techniques will help you develop more unique perspectives when it comes to problem resolution, inductive reasoning, and overcoming adversity in 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

• 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 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

Use divergent thinking to improve your output

Now that you know what divergent thinking means, it's time to take stock and focus on your greatest 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 time and effort. Let the experts take that burden off you – start by taking advantage of our free CV review. With our feedback, you can apply divergent thinking to refine your CV and stand out!

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

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