The Anatomy of a Breakthrough
The Power of Divergent and Convergent Thinking
There’s been a lot of buzz about a new book called “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When it Matters Most” by Adam Alter. Adam is a Professor of Marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business and the Robert Stansky Teaching Excellence Faculty Fellow.
In Anatomy of a Breakthrough, Adam examines how and why we get stuck and what we can do about it. He covers many topics, but one aspect I found exciting is his idea that people must go through cycles of exploration followed by exploitation.
When exploring, one should consider all options, as he says, “say yes to everything,” look very broadly, and be open to all possibilities. When you come across something that gets you excited and has potential, you move from exploration into exploitation. In the exploitation phase, you say no to almost everything except the one thing you’re focusing on.
Adam argues that moving through periods of exploration, followed by very focused periods of exploitation, is when individuals hit hot streaks in their careers, where they are at their best and most productive when they excel at the highest level.
I was struck by how similar this is to the design thinking double diamond. In the design thinking double diamond, we flare or look very broadly before we narrow to focus. We then flare again to explore it further before we focus again.
These match the cycles of exploration and exploitation that Adam proposes:
Why is this pattern of divergence and convergence so effective?
Divergent thinking is excellent for:
- Idea Generation: Divergent thinking involves generating a wide range of ideas, possibilities, and solutions. It encourages exploration, free thought, and avoiding conventional or obvious approaches. Divergent thinking allows for diverse perspectives and promotes creativity and innovation.
- Exploration of Possibilities: Divergent thinking helps uncover different angles, perspectives, and potential directions for solving a problem. It encourages designers to think beyond the obvious and consider unconventional approaches, leading to novel and out-of-the-box solutions.
- Increased Flexibility: Divergent thinking enables flexibility in problem-solving. It allows for exploring multiple options and encourages designers to suspend judgment, enabling a broader exploration of ideas before converging on the most promising ones.
Convergent thinking is powerful in:
- Decision Making: Convergent thinking is crucial for decision-making and narrowing down options. It involves evaluating and selecting the most promising ideas, concepts, or solutions from a pool of generated possibilities. Convergent thinking helps focus on the most viable and practical solutions, eliminating less feasible options.
- Refining and Enhancing Ideas: Convergent thinking facilitates the refinement and development of ideas by converging on the best elements and combining them. It involves analyzing, synthesizing, and organizing information to create a coherent and well-defined solution. Convergent thinking allows designers to consider feasibility, practicality, and alignment with user needs and constraints.
- Implementation and Action: Convergent thinking helps in translating ideas into tangible actions. It involves making choices, setting priorities, and planning the steps needed to bring a solution to life. Convergent thinking ensures that ideas are translated into actionable plans and guides the design process toward delivering a final product, service, or outcome.
The interplay between the two is what ultimately moves individuals, organizations, and ideas forward.
Additional References:
- HBR Ideacast: Breaking Through When You Feel Stuck
- Section School: How to Have a Breakthrough
- Next Big Idea Club Interview and Article
I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments.
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