Divergent Thinking

The classic structure for group decision-making meetings includes these phases: Diverge -> Emerge - > Converge.

Divergent Thinking describes thought processes and methods used to generate creative ideas by exploring a wide variety of ideas and perspectives. Many group meetings include activities designed to spur divergent thinking. The most famous example is brainstorming, where a group comes up with as many different ideas as possible.

Divergence can also refer to the diversity of perspectives and opinions represented by the meeting participants. For example, a health care meeting with participants representing doctors, nurses, hospital administration, and patients may include activities designed to maximize the divergence between groups at first, making the differences easier for everyone to see and understand, before proceeding on to solution-making.