Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You

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a b c de Chantal, Pier‐Luc; Gagnon‐St‐Pierre, Émilie; Markovits, Henry (July 2020). "Divergent Thinking Promotes Deductive Reasoning in Preschoolers". Child Development. 91 (4): 1081–1097. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13278. ISSN 0009-3920. Substitute one element of that idea for another. (What can we change in how we have fun? And in how we work?) What would happen if you chose six people on your team to wear these "hats?" Would they think about a solution in a new way? Would they come up with great, new ideas? There is only one way to find out! Divergent Mind explores powerful and positive ways to understand our fundamental differences. Its focus on women is much needed and timely. The book de-pathologizes those of us who most profoundly and intensely think and feel the world around us. I found it to be eye-opening and healing.” — Mary Pipher, New York Times bestselling author of Women Rowing North and Reviving Ophelia SCAMPER offers a great set of prompts for a conversation about solutions. This is a great form of brainstorming for teams that are generally not convergent thinkers.

Get your team together and treat your problem like a conflict in a book. Create a "storyboard" that explains what led to the problem and the conflict at hand. (Post-its and erasable markers are great tools for this type of brainstorming!) This method gives your team a new way to look at your problem. SCAMPER Isen, Alice M.; Johnson, Mitzi M.; Mertz, Elizabeth; Robinson, Gregory F. (1985). "The influence of positive affect on the unusualness of word associations". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 48 (6): 1413–1426. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.48.6.1413. PMID 4020605.This isn't set in stone. Trust your team members. If they prefer one style over the other, give them the chance to shine! Other Ideas for Brainstorming Knowing the differences between convergent vs. divergent thinking can help you brainstorm. However, this approach may not be the best process for every team. Below are some other ways to brainstorm new ideas and find solutions to your most pressing problems. Storyboarding a b c Lieberman, J. Nina (1965-12-01). "Playfulness and Divergent Thinking: An Investigation of their Relationship at the Kindergarten Level". The Journal of Genetic Psychology. 107 (2): 219–224. doi: 10.1080/00221325.1965.10533661. ISSN 0022-1325. PMID 5852592.

Nerenberg also offers us a path forward, describing practical changes in how we communicate, how we design our surroundings, and how we can better support divergent minds. When we allow our wide variety of brain makeups to flourish, we create a better tomorrow for us all. Critical Praise Every woman who struggles to flourish in our one-size-fits-all society should read this book.”—Susan Cain, New York Timesbestselling author of Quiet The next time you’re faced with a problem, try this batching technique. You might find yourself coming up with a great solution without frustrations! Narrowing Down The Ideas People with “flat” semantic networks have mental networks that are much more connected. That is, sometimes they relate two things to each other that don’t make sense but other networks contribute and an ingenious idea results.Mind maps are the best way to put the results of divergent thinking on paper. Mind maps contain ideas that branch off from each other in different directions. There doesn’t have to be a lot of logic used when you are in “divergent thinking” mode. Remember, you are expanding what is possible, not limiting it. Convergent Thinking If everyone is shrugging their shoulders, go through a few trial runs. Split the teams randomly or bring everyone together to brainstorm ideas. Clearly split your time between convergent vs. divergent thinking. You will find that some team members have a hard time with convergent thinking, or others fail to speak up once the convergent thinking is over! As you notice these patterns, you will get a better sense of which "group" prefers one style over the other. Go by Myers Briggs Convergent thinking isn’t bad or unproductive. It’s necessary! This process is more analytical and “realistic.” It uses logic to narrow down ideas. This part of the thinking process requires looking for fallacies and potential problems. By narrowing down ideas that would not possibly work, you can find one or two ideas that will work without a hitch. Examples of Convergent and Divergent Thinking Synectics” is a term coined by psychologist William J. J. Gordon. Basically, it means being able to find connections and relationships between concepts, objects, and ideas that seem unrelated. This exercise takes a lot of mental work. We can do it daily by choosing the concepts ourselves. For example: Like we said, all of us, regardless of age, can practice and improve our divergent thinking. To do so, we will focus on four areas in particular: