Diverging and Converging: Tools for Human-Centered Design

In our strategic planning processes we collaborate with our clients to identify critical opportunities and obstacles to achieving their mission. We develop a comprehensive set of coordinated actions that work together to seize these opportunities, overcome the obstacles, and advance their mission. The process for doing this involves both diverging and converging. 

We begin by defining strategic questions — meaty business questions or uncertain decision-points facing the organization. Then we diverge. Diverging involves expanding the problem space, listening, reflecting on context and constituents, and brainstorming. After deep reflection and exploration in the diverging process, we then begin to converge. Converging involves refining and sharpening our focus, and making decisions about which paths to take, not take, expand, contract, end, and begin. 

We use design thinking, liberating structures, and facilitation tools to optimize human processes, innovative thinking, and teamwork. For example, we recently conducted a strategy session with founders of the Berkeley-based Chris Kindness Award to creatively explore the organization’s priorities. The design thinking process allowed these leaders to explore a myriad of possible ideas to achieve their vision, including many creative ideas, and then to assess and narrow in on the most strategic priorities. 

Our dynamic human-design-centered process involves intense iteration, community building, and team-building. These are all inextricably intertwined, and it’s inspiring to see the results the process brings for our clients.