Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. Respond to two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways: Compare the experiences your colleagues shared regarding divergent-thinking and convergent-thinking processes and how culture influenced them. Share an insight you gained from a colleague's post and offer ways you and your colleagues can systematically apply divergent- and convergent-thinking processes to your work environment and management strategies. Offer an alternative viewpoint about the solution your colleague selected and provide a rationale. Offer an additional solution specific to each colleague's problem that your colleague may not have thought about and explain the process you used to come up with your suggested solution. POST1 In being asked what is the one problem that I am being faced with is getting my spouse to communicate. In the past I, didn't know how to communicate as I was always taught that my opinion doesn't matter.  I am from two cultures Iranian and Indian where females are taught to speak when spoken to and that the husband or male figures in the house who opinion matter.   Divergent thinking refers to a way to solving the problem wherein a variety of possible solutions are proposed to find one that works.  This contrasts with convergent thinking which relies on focusing on a timeline number of solutions rather than proposing multiple solutions (study.com). "Change like the weather, is a natural part of life.  In fact, we would argue that change is not just inevitable, it is essential to us as human"  ( Puccio , Mance , Switalski , & Reali , 2012, p. 4).  With that stated  the following five solutions are ways that I feel can help with my current situation: Learn to listen without always interrupting as this may make her feel as though what she must say is not important. Stop expecting her to react the way I would or to communicate the way I do.  We are individuals.  It took me time to communicate so I should give her time. Stop expecting her to change overnight. Make her feel that what she must say does make a difference Conduct an assessment that will help us determine how we like to communicate and from there we will understand how one another communicates best  In reading our required reading Principles for divergent and convergent thinking, I can say that I have learned a lot about divergent and convergent thinking that I feel will help me not only in my personal life but in my professional life.  Per such reading, it gave four key principles to effectively enhancing divergent thinking.  Those principles are Defer judgment, go for quantity, make connections and seek novelty ( Puccio , Mance , Switalski , & Reali , 2012, p. 2) Defer  judgement - this is something I need to learn to do because the moment my spouse say something that is not true or if I feel I know where she is going with that I need to interrupt her immediately instead of just being silence and allowing her to have th ...

1. Read
a selection of your colleagues’ postings.
Respond
to two of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
Compare the experiences your colleagues shared regarding
divergent-thinking and convergent-thinking processes and how
culture influenced them.
Share an insight you gained from a colleague's post and offer
ways you and your colleagues can systematically apply
divergent- and convergent-thinking processes to your work
environment and management strategies.
Offer an alternative viewpoint about the solution your colleague
selected and provide a rationale.
Offer an additional solution specific to each colleague's
problem that your colleague may not have thought about and
explain the process you used to come up with your suggested
solution.
POST1
In being asked what is the one problem that I am being faced
with is getting my spouse to communicate. In the past I, didn't
know how to communicate as I was always taught that my
opinion doesn't matter. I am from two cultures Iranian and
Indian where females are taught to speak when spoken to and
that the husband or male figures in the house who opinion
matter.
Divergent thinking refers to a way to solving the problem
wherein a variety of possible solutions are proposed to find one
that works. This contrasts with convergent thinking which
relies on focusing on a
timeline
number of solutions rather than proposing multiple solutions
(study.com).
"Change like the weather, is a natural part of life. In fact, we
would argue that change is not just inevitable, it is essential to
us as human"

2. (
Puccio
,
Mance
,
Switalski
, &
Reali
, 2012, p. 4). With that stated
the following five solutions are ways that I feel can help with
my current situation:
Learn to listen without always interrupting as this may make her
feel as though what she must say is not important.
Stop expecting her to react the way I would or to communicate
the way I do. We are individuals. It took me time to
communicate so I should give her time.
Stop expecting her to change overnight.
Make her feel that what she must say does make a difference
Conduct an assessment that will help us determine how we like
to communicate and from there we will understand how one
another communicates best
In reading our required reading Principles for divergent and
convergent thinking, I can say that I have learned a lot about
divergent and convergent thinking that I feel will help me not
only in my personal life but in my professional life. Per such
reading, it gave four key principles to effectively enhancing
divergent thinking. Those principles are Defer judgment, go for
quantity, make connections and seek novelty (
Puccio
,
Mance
,
Switalski
, &
Reali

3. , 2012, p. 2)
Defer
judgement
- this is something I need to learn to do because the moment my
spouse say something that is not true or if I feel I know where
she is going with that I need to interrupt her immediately
instead of just being silence and allowing her to have the floor.
Go for Quantity-instead of wanting her to communicate like I do
I need to help her search for other ways to communicate with
me such as sending me a text with her thoughts, recording her
thoughts then allowing me to listen to them or sending me an
email, Make Connection-find an effective way of
communication even if we are in need of a mediator to help us
to really hear one another, Seek Novelty- this is most important
that we create new ways to communicate with one another as
what may have been acceptable in other marriage may not be
accepted in this marriage. In regards to convergent thinking,
there are also four key principles guide for effective convergent
thinking "apply affirmative judgment, keep novelty alive, stay
focused, check your objectives” (
Puccio
,
Mance
,
Switalski
, &
Reali
, 2012, p. 10). Apply Affirmative
judgment- I am determine to have a marriage where our
communication is good and I know in order to accomplish that I
must have faith and be patient through the storms, keep Novelty
alive- know that there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel,
anything worth having is worth fighting for so we will come up
with solutions to get us over this hump, Stay focused- with
everything that you want you must be persistent in order to see

4. that light at the end of the tunnel if we just stay focused, check
your objective- we will have to stay aware of the end results
and work our butts off in order to accomplish such so that we
have a happy marriage.
As I mentioned in the beginning of my posting I come from two
different cultures where communication coming from a woman
was unheard of unless a question was being asked. As I read the
paradox of
Samsung's
rise I could relate to the Japanese customs in regards to not
allowing outsiders in to our world and culture we were not
allowed to date who we want, our marriages were arrange and if
you did bring in an outsider there was much to pay for that; but
as times has change some people have broken away from such
traditions as their heart wanted
something more than what was embedded with us through our
culture and custom. In the sense of
Samsung
, the choice to allow outsiders in was not an easy task but a task
that needed to be done. I feel just because you allow outsiders
in doesn't mean you forget where you come from it just means
with change of time different measure must be in position to
deal with such changes.
Reference:
Khanna
, T., Song, J., & Lee, K. (2011). The paradox of
Samsung's
rise.
Harvard Business
Review, 89
(
7/8), 142–147.
Puccio

5. , G. J.,
Mance
, M.,
Switalski
, L. B., &
Reali
, P. D. (2012).
Welcome to the world of change: Life in the 21st century
.
Puccio
, G. J.,
Mance
, M.,
Switalski
, L. B., &
Reali
, P. D. (2012).
Principles for divergent and convergent thinking: Becoming a
better creative thinker
. In
Creativity Rising: Creative thinking and creative problem
solving in the 21st century
(pp. 51–70). Buffalo, NY: ICSC Press.
http
://study.com/academy/lesson/divergent-thinking-in-psychology-
definition-examples-quiz.
html
POST2
Problem
:
I have worked in the Customer Service (CS) industry for a

6. decade and would like to change career paths to become a
Senior HR Manager. I find it challenging to break away from
what I know and pursue a career path that is foreign to me
which is Human Resources.
Convergent possible solutions:
Attend school for this field and work as an HR intern to become
familiar with the requirements of the job and to build my
resume. Utilize my CS experience to my advantage.
Gain experience. Ask to shadow HR personnel while expressing
interest in the field and networking to build connections with
colleagues who may help me with my transition.
Seek out experts and mentors for tips and advice about how to
make my dream a reality.
Present a PowerPoint to my current management team
explaining why I would make a great HR manager for the
company.
Seek out businesses who are actively looking to hire a Sr. HR
Manager and have a face-to-face meeting with hiring officials
on why I would be the best candidate for the job. This is a
different approach than the traditional online application in
which you cannot make a personal connection with them.
Reach out to firms and ask what it would take for me to hold an
HR position with them? Complete their checklist and then
exceed their expectations of the type of candidate they’re
looking to hire. This shows I am willing to go above and beyond
the current standards.
The convergent solution I choose is letter A
. My justification: It is a very systematic way of overcoming my
problem and reaching my goal of becoming a Sr. HR Executive.
It provides a step-by-step approach to the problem.
Step 1: Go to school, Step 2: Apply for internships, Step 3:
Build my resume, and so forth. This type of action plan
represents my affirmative judgment or positive perception of
the problem.

7. The novelty or originality of my approach comes from the way I
plan on using my extensive CS experience to give me leverage
in the HR world. I know how important CS skills are when
dealing with employees and co-workers; you have to know how
to talk to people. Using my CS skills is my way of staying true
to my uniqueness and using what I bring to the table. This is a
refined skill of mine that other candidates may not possess.
By strictly outlining my steps it allows me to stay focus and
focus all my energy in the right direction.
Once all my energy is channeled towards my goal, I will check
my objectives by reminding myself of the milestones I have to
accomplish before becoming a top executive. Some questions I
may ask myself are: I’m I on track for graduation? Am I
utilizing Career Services to look for assistance in finding
internships? Did I attend a resume or CV writing seminar for
tips on how to make mine stand out from the crowd?
Divergent thinking solutions
:
I will do my research on a particular hiring manager, discover
their favorite things and use it to my advantage. If I find out the
person responsible for hiring likes cake, I will have my resume
printed on a cake and present it to them in the interview. Small
things like this gesture will leave a lasting impression.
While I am waiting in the office for an interview, I would offer
assistance to employees nearby. For example, if I notice the
hiring manager's secretary making photocopies, I will offer to
help. This technique generates good word-of-mouth about me
and my work ethic.
One way I could make my HR dreams come true is to present
ideas to my interviewer about ways the company can efficiently
improve its practices. Most people show up for interviews to
answer questions about themselves, but in this case, I am taking
the initiative to show management what I can bring to the table.
I will stand out from the crowd using this method, therefore one
step closer to becoming HR personnel.

8. During the interview, I will ask for a task to complete to
showcase my abilities on the spot. This approach allows me to
show that I am capable of carrying out HR duties, even though
my background is mostly in Customer Service.
Outside of the office that I'm trying to work, I could pay for a
billboard and advertise my qualities on it in hopes that
management will see it.
I could make a video CV versus a traditional written CV. It
would be slightly easier to establish a connection with the
interviewer when they can see my face. Papers sometimes get
lost in the crowd, but a video would stand out.
The Divergent solution I chose is
D
. My Justification: This option does not worry about the
possible judgment from others who may think I’m under
qualified due to my lack of experience. Also, it represents me
putting my fear aside, which is rejection and promoting myself
in a positive light. This solution is innovative because it is a
step up from the norm which is to
tell
officials what you can do for them. Here I am
showing
them what I can offer to the company. I am physically putting
myself in front of executives to show them I am confident in my
abilities to deliver results.
Analysis of my experience with both forms of thinking:
The experience of using divergent thinking and convergent
thinking was an arduous mission. I am so used to thinking in a
convergent way that divergent thinking was tough for me. The
demanding part of the divergent thinking was having to think
outside the box of what I've been taught and brainwashed to do.
I would not have arrived at the same solution without using the
divergent and convergent thinking process because it challenged

9. me to be creative in ways I didn't think was possible. For
example, using the four principles of each process helped me to
systematically order my thoughts in the direction they needed to
go.
If I had not used these two theories, my solution to the problem
would be quite basic. Convergent and divergent thinking
motivated me to add layers to my solutions and not settle for the
first idea that popped in my mind. The first idea that popped in
my mind was always very
common
, but I challenged myself to think deeper on how to tweak my
thoughts into something greater. As a future leader, I will use
“these principles as guidelines to align thinking and ensure that
everyone (my team) is pulling in the same direction” (Puccio,
Mance, Switalski & Reali, 2012).
Aspects of culture that could either inhibit or support this
creative process:
One aspect of culture that could inhibit divergent and
convergent thinking is cognitive laziness. Individuals who do
not challenge themselves to think of new solutions will
significantly interfere with this process. “One of the many ways
in which we have become cognitively lazy is to accept our
initial perspective on problems” (Michalko, 2012).
Our culture supports this creative process by encouraging and
acknowledging the unprecedented success of companies such as
Samsung. In our resource, we learned that “twenty years ago,
very few people would have predicted that Samsung could
transform itself from a low-cost original equipment
manufacturer to a world leader worth more value than Pepsi,
Nike, or American Express” (Khanna, Song, & Lee, 2011). They
were able to do this by using
a few

10. of the divergent and convergent thinking
principles
such as remaining focused on their goal. Advertised success
like the Samsung example helps to support the creative process.
References
Khanna, T., Song, J., & Lee, K. (2011). The paradox of
Samsung's rise.
Harvard Business Review, 89
(7/8), 142–147. Retrieved from
http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/pl/20331266/20331388/b1ca78190
cf840a2086fb2cb6756c076
Michalko, M. (2012, September 28). Cognitive Laziness inhibits
creative thinking. Retrieved January 24, 2017, from The
Creativity Post,
http://www.creativitypost.com/create/cognitive_laziness_inhibit
s_creative_thinking
Puccio, G. J., Mance, M., Switalski, L. B., & Reali, P. D.
(2012).
Principles for divergent and convergent thinking: Becoming a
better creative thinker
. In Creativity Rising: Creative thinking and creative problem
solving in the 21st century (pp. 51–70). Buffalo, NY: ICSC
Press