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9 - Diverge

from Part II - The Diverge–Organize–Converge Process

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 December 2020

Timothy L. Faley
Affiliation:
University of the Virgin Islands
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Summary

Divergent thinking is the first of three essential steps in completing the non-linear DOC Process. Like all DOC Process steps, divergent thinking applies to both the problem and solution spaces. It simply requires different techniques when seeking to identify a root-cause problem versus attempting to come up with a new impactful problem-solving approach.

Identifying root cause issues begins with broadening our purview to ensure we are not overlooking the disease by focusing too closely on its symptoms. Divergence occurs as we zoom in from this broad purview; identifying factors or causes of the identified zoomed-out General Problem, then factors of the identified factors, then causes of the sub-factors, and so on, until the root-cause level is reached.

Divergent thinking for solutions occurs on several perspective levels: feature, function and system. In addition to ideating new and improved features of existing solutions, substitute solutions should be considered. Potential substitutes perform the same function as current solutions, but do so in a very different way. New technology is often the enabler of substitute products. System level thinking diverges solution ideas by strengthening or streamlining system connections or linkages at the broadest purview.

Type
Chapter
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The Innovation Pyramid
A Strategic Methodology for Impactful Problem Solving
, pp. 170 - 186
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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  • Diverge
  • Timothy L. Faley
  • Book: The Innovation Pyramid
  • Online publication: 30 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108918664.009
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  • Diverge
  • Timothy L. Faley
  • Book: The Innovation Pyramid
  • Online publication: 30 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108918664.009
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Diverge
  • Timothy L. Faley
  • Book: The Innovation Pyramid
  • Online publication: 30 December 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108918664.009
Available formats
×