Essay on Divergent and Convergent Thinking

Introduction

The youth in today's world are faced with unemployment with most companies complaining that they can't find an appropriate labor force with the right level of skills probably due to inappropriate training in most educational institutions. Hence, after graduating with a Bachelor Degree in Management, I was faced with unemployment which significantly threatened my career development. I utilized aspects of convergent and divergent thinking and proposed numerous solutions to solve this enormous challenge. Some of the solutions I proposed include acquiring further skills in line with my career, enrolling to college to pursue a different career, and volunteering in a management company to network and set up my company. The solution I selected was to volunteer in a local management company. It was a great way to practice my management skills in the real world and to create networks which would later become employment opportunities. Besides, I lacked the necessary finance to pursue other options.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

From the short description above, it is evident that I solved the problem of unemployment through the application convergent and divergent thinking, which are an integral part of idea generation (Bjork, Boccardelli & Magnusson, 2010,). I employed principles of divergent thinking such deferring judgment by suspending skepticism and valuing every solution I generated. Additionally, I generated numerous ideas to find a promising option and attain a lasting solution. Connection in the creative ideas which were original was essential in the realization of a solution to the challenge. (Puccio & Cabra, 2010) Convergent thinking also played a role in solving the problem. The final solution was as a result of bringing together different ideas to find a single practical solution (Pickren, 2000). I also applied judgment which is a fundamental component of creative thinking to select the most appropriate solution (Parnes, 1981). Also, I did thorough research before reaching the right solution because I considered knowledge an essential component of creative thinking (Bjork, 2012).

Conclusion

According to Liu, Wang and Yang (2015), divergent thinking is greatly inhibited by cultural aspects, especially in the Western culture where people decide immediately as they are not encouraged to suspend judgment. This may lead to a premature judgment which is the greatest enemy of the creative process.

Reference

Bjork, J. (2012). Knowledge domain spanners in ideation. Creativity and innovation management, 21(1), 17-27. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8691.2012.00627.
Bjork, J., Boccardelli, P., & Magnusson, M. (2010). Ideation capabilities for continuous innovation. Creativity and innovation management, 19(4), 385-396. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00581.
Liu, H., Wang, F. X., & Yang, X. Y. (2015). More Dialectical Thinking, Less Creativity? The Relationship between Dialectical Thinking Style and Creative Personality: The Case of China. PloS one, 10(4), e0122926.Parnes, S. J. (1981). The magic of your mind. Creative Education Foundation.

Pickren, W. E. (2000, February). Guilford, Joy Paul (1897-1987), psychologist and educator. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323122162_Guilford_Joy_Paul_1897-1987_psychologist_and_educator

Puccio, G. J., & Cabra, J. F. (2010). Organizational creativity. The Cambridge handbook of creativity, 145-173. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511763205.011