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LearnFoundations of Innovation
Module 11•Unit 3 of 7•11 min

Divergent & Convergent Thinking

Ideation runs in two distinct modes, and confusing them is the single biggest reason sessions fail. Divergent thinking opens up - generating many possibilities without judgment. Convergent thinking narrows down - evaluating, combining, and selecting the strongest options. You need both, but never at the same moment.

Diverge generate options Converge select the best many ideas at the widest point, one strong choice at the tip

Divergent mode

  • • Go for quantity - many ideas
  • • Defer all judgment
  • • Welcome wild ideas
  • • Build on others' ideas

Convergent mode

  • • Apply criteria to evaluate
  • • Cluster and combine ideas
  • • Be deliberate and critical
  • • Select a focused shortlist
The fastest way to kill a brainstorm is to judge ideas while still generating them ("that'll never work"). Criticism during divergence shuts people down and collapses the idea count. Keep the modes strictly separate: diverge first with zero judgment, then converge. Naming the current mode out loud keeps a group honest.

This diverge-then-converge rhythm is the engine behind the "Double Diamond" and every good design process. Innovators often run it more than once: diverge on the problem, converge on the right problem; then diverge on solutions, and converge on the best one.

Discuss

In your last group idea session, were divergence and convergence kept separate - or did evaluation creep in early and shut people down?

Try this at work this week
Next session, put two signs on the wall: DIVERGE and CONVERGE. Physically point to which one you are in. The discipline of naming the mode dramatically improves the output.

Sources

  1. Guilford, J.P., "Creativity", American Psychologist, 1950 (divergent vs convergent).
  2. Design Council, The Double Diamond model, 2005.
  3. Global Innovation Institute (GInI), Foundations of Innovation body of knowledge.
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