Divergence

Divergence is the widening move of creative work: generating many options — ideas, questions, interpretations, possibilities — before evaluating any of them. It is the half that most groups under-do, and the reason is social rather than intellectual: everyday conversation rewards being right, and divergence asks you to be plentiful instead.

The four ground rules

1. Defer judgement. Nothing is criticised while the field is opening — deferring judgement explains why this rule carries the others.
2. Go for quantity. The first ideas are the obvious ones; the interesting material usually arrives after the group believes it has finished. A long list is the raw material good choices are made from.
3. Welcome wild ideas. It is easier to tame a wild idea than to invigorate a timid one, and the impractical often carries the seed of the practical.
4. Build on the ideas of others. "Yes, and…" — treat every contribution as a springboard rather than a rival.

What it looks like in Samvinas

The generating tools — Brainstorm and its relatives — are built for exactly this move. Everyone contributes at once, everything is visible, and nothing is scored yet.

Divergence only earns its keep if it is followed by its partner, convergence.