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Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Leadership / Dualities

Two modes of thinking. Both are essential. They must not happen at the same time.

Divergent Thinking (Expand)

• Generate many ideas.
• No judgement, no filtering.
• Quantity over quality.
• "What if...?" and "Yes, and..."

Convergent Thinking (Narrow)

• Evaluate and select.
• Apply constraints and criteria.
• Quality over quantity.
• "Which one?" and "Why this?"

The Rule

Never diverge and converge at the same time. When someone shares an idea and another immediately says "that won't work," you've killed the divergent phase too early.

In Practice

1. Set clear phases: "For the next 20 minutes, we generate. No filtering."
2. Switch explicitly: "Now let's evaluate. Which of these are feasible?"
3. Use different tools: sticky notes for diverging, dot voting for converging.

Related

• Brainstorming Doesn't Work
• Framing

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