Convergent thinking: what it is, how it works and advantages

Surely you have heard about divergent or creative thinking, but… What about convergent thinking? Do you know what it consists of or when we apply it? The reality is that there are multiple ways of thinking, reflecting and reaching more or less reliable conclusions. Choosing the best of them is in itself a skill that improves with experience and learning.

Today we will focus on convergent thinking, a type of thinking based on logic that will help us solve single-solution problems. You want to know more? Keep reading!

Convergent thinking: what is it?

In 1967, American psychologist Joy Paul Guilford proposed two novel types of thinking: divergent thinking and convergent thinking. He defined convergent thinking as ability to give the correct answer to a question by logically ordering the available information .

In other words, it would be the ability to solve problems or answer questions without requiring great skill. creative . An example of convergent thinking would be the one that we usually use to do common operations.as a sum.

In contrast, Guilford defined divergent thinking as a process of posing or solving problems through the search for novel strategies and solutions. This type of thinking has also been called creative thinking or lateral thinking.

According to Guilford, innovation processes alternate both types of thinking. On the other hand, one of the objectives of this type of thinking is to find more effective solutions.

How does convergent thinking work?

As we have seen, we could say that convergent thinking would be the antagonist of divergent (creative) thinking. This type of thinking does not focus on all the possibilities (and even those that require more imagination) of the problem, but seeks to find the most appropriate solution quickly and accurately.

For it, We use the information that we believe will help us solve the problem, but we do not imagine alternative or atypical scenarios, as we would do with divergent thinking. In this sense, it is a fairly limited thought process.

When is it most useful?

Convergent thinking, although it may seem more limiting because it is not fueled by imagination or creativity, can be very useful in certain situations. For example, in situations where it is possible to find a single correct answer which we would arrive at through a process of decision making (or applying logic).

What characterize it?

It is a type of thinking that usually gives us answers with little uncertainty. Furthermore, it is based on reason and logic, and with it we use the available information to find a precise answer quickly (with the lowest possible cost of time).

On the other hand, convergent thinking It is related to the knowledge we already have. This is because, when we apply it, we use data in a standardized way.

Finally, as characteristics to highlight we find that Through it we also use another type of thinking, critical thinking . The latter is based on information, prior knowledge, logic, statistics and probabilities.

Advantages of convergent thinking

What are the advantages of using this type of thinking and not another? Let’s get to know two of the most important ones:

Perfect for those problems for which we don’t need a better solution

Convergent thinking can also help us make decisions. According to psychologist Oscar Castillero, decision making encompasses all those processes through which a subject makes the determination to select one of the multiple possible options among those presented. To do this, the person relies on a large number of factors surrounding said situation.

Using this type of thinking is very useful to solve most everyday problems.. Are we going to look at the map every day to get from home to work? Are we going to continue looking for a recipe that improves that stew that already turns out great?

Thus, there are times when we do not need better results; The solutions and strategies we already know are enough. This is the area in which convergent thinking gives us confidence and presents itself as the best choice.

Spends few cognitive resources

Using the strategies we already know saves mental energy. They are known paths or trails, routes that we have already explored and, therefore, predictable.

If we are cold, we know that turning on the heating will make this sensation go away. If our back bothers us, we know that stretching it will relieve us. We carry out these types of actions almost automatically. So, This thought is very light in its application. With it we make a lot of decisions a day that we are not even aware of.

Convergent thinking in project management

In the business field, specifically In project management, convergent and divergent thinking are often very useful. Well, they help the team find the actions or solutions necessary to achieve the expected objectives.

In these cases, Convergent thinking will focus on the structure of the project and the clearest and most immediate solutions. Therefore, it will be more convenient when quick, unambiguous and more organized responses are required.

Besides, Convergent thinking is extremely useful for aligning teams, creating workflows, and planning projects. However, in these scenarios we should not avoid divergent thinking completely, as it will prevent us from developing innovative solutions to problems. Hence, the importance of combining both thoughts in project management.

How to apply convergent and divergent thinking in problem solving?

As we already said, we can combine both types of thinking to manage projects and solve problems. Otherwise, the process may be more complicated.

However, At certain stages of the process it is advisable to use one type of thinking more than another. Let’s see then in which phases it is ideal to think convergently and in which it is not.

1. Discovery phase: divergent thinking

The first phase of creative problem solving is discovery: identifying the causes of the problem by considering all possibilities. That is why it is better to apply divergent thinking.

For example, suppose we are a company that sells certain products and in recent weeks sales have fallen, which raises the following concern: why is this happening? In this case, if we were to use convergent thinking to answer this question, we could come to a single conclusion. But, If we use the divergent, we could consider all the possible causes of the problem.

Some could be: an inadequate plan marketing, the strengthening of competition, a deficiency in the quality of our products, the establishment of high prices, etc. Once all the possible causes of the problem have been defined, we can move on to the next stage: defining which of them is correct.

2. Definition phase: convergent thinking

In this case, We will apply convergent thinking to filter the possible causes of the problem. While it is possible that more than one cause caused the sales decline, convergent thinking requires a problem-focused approach, so it is in our best interest to choose the one we believe is most plausible.

For example, improved competition may have contributed to declining sales; If the quality of our products is not as good as what they offer, then we should address this last cause with greater urgency.

Furthermore, most of the causes that we usually consider for a problem are usually interrelated.. Therefore, if we improve the quality of our products, it is likely that it will also be easier to define a good marketing plan (it is always easier to have the best product).

3. Deduction phase: divergent thinking

At this stage, which is to find a solution to our problem, we will use divergent thinking again. Therefore, if the cause of the drop in our sales is a low quality of our products, we can consider the following solutions:

Look for new suppliers that offer higher quality raw materials. Analyze competing products and identify how we can improve ours. Consult our clients and former clients about what aspects they would improve about our products. Thoroughly research our niche, etc.

In sum, It’s about considering all the possible solutions to our problem before choosing the best of them.

4. Determination phase: convergent thinking

It is the last stage of problem solving and Convergent thinking should be used to determine which solution will most effectively eliminate the problem.. Although all the proposed solutions can help solve the problem to a certain extent, we must begin to take concrete action.

Although, in some cases, we can focus on more than one action, but only if these actions are related.

Learning and thinking

Convergent thinking can be useful in many cases, and knowing its characteristics can help us be more effective. There are many types of thinking, and the usefulness of each of them, and ultimately the choice, will depend on circumstantial variables, our purpose and the nature of the problem itself.

The important thing will be to analyze the context well, know the response possibilities (and if they do not exist, create them, give power to our imagination), develop an action plan and execute it to reach the desired response. We will be wrong a thousand times, but Luckily, mistakes are what create a path to learning..

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