Genius Doesn’t Work On An Assembly Line Basis by Marc LeVine
Marc LeVine
Empowering Engineers & Advancing Careers | Talent Acquisition Manager, Blogger, Podcast Guest, Conference Speaker | Hiring those Built to Succeed in Control Systems Engineering for Thermo Systems
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”?
― Rob Siltanen, CEO and Chief Creative Officer Behind Apple’s “Think Different” campaign
?When it comes to problem solving, how does your brain operate??There are more than twenty mental systems and processes that can help us find the answers to difficult questions we are looking for.?
Perhaps, the most popular problem solving mindset is thinking outside the box. ?You won’t meet many business leaders, who will tell you that this is a mindset they are not interested in seeking in their employment candidates. This is a mindset hotly sought after when Yes-people need not apply!
Thinking outside the box has a more formal name.?It is also called DIVERGENT THINKING. Divergent thinking is the ability to come up with several different possible solutions to a problem. Once all ideas are all on the table, consideration is given to each one to determine which answer best fits the situation. We often see this kind of thinking take place in what we often call brainstorming.? In that exercise, we are encouraged to freely associate, build a list of possibilities, and assess the practicality of each and its odds for success.?Fans of the Star Trek universe will fondly remember Captain Kirk as well as other past and future Enterprise captains encouraging this problem solving approach among their crews. It works pretty well on film and in real life!
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The opposite of divergent thinking is called Convergent Thinking. This thought process encourages problem solvers to come up with just one distinct solution based on the information supplied to them. After they propose a solution, they stop brainstorming with others and forge ahead. Their possibilities for successful outcomes are thereby limited.?What might they have missed?
Never Believe in the No-Win Scenario
Divergent thinking requires keeping an open mind to new ideas.?Star Trek lore tells us how James T. Kirk became an officer via highly unlikely and questionable circumstances.?He was the only Star Fleet cadet to defeat the Kobayashi Maru scenario.?The?Kobayashi Maru?is a training exercise in the?Star Trek?franchise designed to test the character of?Starfleet Academy?cadets in a?no-win scenario.? Kirk cheated! ?And, he was said to have received citations for his creative thinking - reprogramming the Kobayashi Maru software to result in a successful outcome.
Cheating was not the point. The real focus was on originality of thought.?Kirk studied his options to find a way to win an symbolically save his crew. He discovered that his options appeared very limited, at first.?He was forced to realize that “thinking outside the box” included defeating the brilliantly designed K-M software program itself rather than its virtual reality screen effects. The no-win scenario was prepared ONLY with failure in mind, but its software – like any other software – could be easily modified. ?And that is exactly what Kirk did to beat the attacking Klingon Birds of Prey appearing to him and his crew in VR.
How to think about divergent thinking?
Focus more on the learning process, and not on the answer. ?Don’t rush. Think of all the possibilities that may exist and do your best to choose the right one.
See failure as a positive rather than a negative experience.?That is not exactly what the Kobayashi Maru was intended to teach.?It was created to help prepare captains and crews for the inevitability of death in situations that seemed hopeless. ?Ironically, you would be too dead to learn anything new. But when not confronted with death, trial and error offers a lot to learn from.
A couple of ways to learn and apply divergent thinking to problem solving?
1. Journaling. This helps contribute to effective self-analysis that can lead to an enhanced ability to think through many possible solutions to a problem.
2. Create and Practice “thinking outside the box.”? Why not think up some general problems you could be presented with in life. Practice working through them using the power of divergent thinking - brainstorming possible solutions.
By learning to think outside of the box, your will come up with better and more thoughtful solutions.
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The Author
Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.
His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ