SidesNetwork.com Building Brands through Networks and Online 
Creativity and Innovation are recognised as skills central to organisational performance. The ever-increasing competition in today’s world has brought about a need for disruptive thinking, i.e. doing things differently.
To be truly formidable, one must think of new ways to solve old problems. Creativity isn’t so much about creating something new from the scratch as much as it is about combining existing ideas and methods in new ways.
What is Creativity?
“Creativity involves breaking out of expected patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” – Edward de Bono.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”- Albert Einstein
It is the art of expressing an idea through refinement and integration with other ideas to produce something novel and unexpected. It encourages ‘out-of-the-box thinking’ or better still, ‘thinking-without-the-box’.
Components of Creativity
What then is Innovation?
It refers to the process of transforming creative ideas into something that adds value. It is the process of employing creativity into enhancing products or processes. In other words, Innovation is doing things differently.
How is Innovation Different from Creativity?
As earlier established, Creativity has to do with solving problems. Problems, on the other hand, can be solved using Convergent or Divergent Thinking.
Convergent Thinking Vs Divergent Thinking
- Convergent Thinking is a problem-solving process that uses logic to solve problems and arrive at a solution. This type of thinking focuses on providing the most accurate or correct solution to a problem by taking into consideration all the available facts and data to arrive at the best answer. In covergent thinking everything must add up in the quest to arrive at a solution. It is also referred to as logical, linear, analytical, or critical thinking.
- Divergent Thinking is a problem-solving process where problems are solved by thinking up different innovative ideas or solutions. It begins with a common idea but explores other options to embrace more perspectives. This type of thinking believes that problems can be solved in different ways. It makes use of unconventional approaches and facts that are often less obvious. This thinking style challenges the normal order of solving problems and is also known as “thinking outside the box” or non-linear thinking.
Divergent or Convergent Thinking?
Whilst Divergent Thinking is employed during ideation and brainstorming, Convergent Thinking is used to assess several options to determine the most viable choice.
Thus, no thinking style is preferred over the other as both are necessary for making sound and informed decisions.
Select an option
Which statement speaks to Divergent Thinking?
- How to buy SHS Placement Checker using MTN Mobile Money - November 28, 2023
- CSSPS: School placement for 2023 BECE graduates out, know where to check your school - November 28, 2023
- 2023 School Placement: GES Releases Placement Checker Cards - November 27, 2023
