Creative Thinking

Creative thinking involves innovative and unconventional approaches to problem-solving. For example, instead of increasing a smartphone's battery capacity, creative thinking could lead to the development of more efficient batteries or processors that use less energy.

Creative thinking involves two key types — divergent and convergent thinking.

Divergent thinking generates multiple solutions to a problem, and it is often seen in brainstorming sessions. For example, a marketing team might brainstorm various advertising strategies, including unusual and original ideas.

Conversely, convergent thinking finds the single best solution from the possibilities generated through divergent thinking. For instance, an engineering team might converge on the most efficient design after considering several prototypes.

Creative thinkers use both types of thinking. They think outside the box by divergent thinking and refining ideas into the best possible solution by convergent thinking.

For example, a creative thinker might use divergent thinking to devise several ways to organize a messy desk and then choose and implement the most effective method, such as using labeled containers using convergent thinking.