What Does One Do with a Wooden Dowel Rod?

This post was inspired by Ivana Barić, so Ivana, thanks! ❤️

Below is an example of one of many divergent-thinking games we play in PREXcoaching®. (Usually, we use objects that are more familiar to everyone, but this particular object is related to one of my earlier posts, so let’s stick with it, no pun intended.)

The game is very simple; all you have to do is list as many different uses for a wooden dowel rod as you know, other than the most obvious one. (If you don’t know what a wooden dowel rod is used for, you can skip the restraint. 🙈)

Clearly, the point of this game is not to test your knowledge about wooden dowel rods, but rather to hone your divergent thinking skills.

Have a crack at the game; you might be surprised at what you come up with. And if you’d like to know more about divergent thinking and why you’d want to hone it, read on. 😉

What is divergent thinking?

According to psychologist J. P. Guilford, “divergent thinking refers to the ability to generate creative ideas (perspectives, or solutions) by combining diverse kinds of information in novel ways.” It is closely related to creativity and is usually paired with convergent thinking, which is the ability to define and refine ideas and solutions.

Guilford developed the Alternate Uses Test in the 1950s-60s, which asked participants to list as many different uses as possible for common objects, and the results were scored based on fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration.

This was further developed in the longitudinal studies by George Land and Beth Jarman in the 1960s, which tested children and adults over time, showing a rapid decline in divergent thinking with age.

Namely, they tested 1,600 children between 4 and 5 years old. 98% of them scored at the genius level. By grade school, that score was 30%, and by high school, it was only 12%. They conducted the same test on adults and found that their level of creative genius was as low as below 2%.

Obviously, the results should be taken with a grain of salt, as the “genius level” is a test threshold, meaning that creativity does not disappear but is rather constrained by education, expectations, and context.

In recent years, the AUT was popularized through the work of educationalist Ken Robinson, who promoted education based on divergent rather than convergent thinking, with the aim of equipping students with the skills that were most in demand in the real world.

Why should you practice it?

The stronger your divergent thinking skills, the fewer chances of getting stuck or feeling blocked, or even running out of ideas. Not being fixated on “that one solution” keeps your horizons open and viewpoints plentiful. The more solutions you can find, the sooner you can solve different issues, whether they’re related to projects such as home renovations, hobbies, or personal relationships.

Why should your employees practice it?

The more solutions you have, the better the potential outcomes, in terms of, for example, sales, marketing strategies, or IT features. Having different perspectives allows for faster adaptation to changes. Likewise, understanding different viewpoints boosts collaboration and facilitates communication and/or processes.

Why should your managers practice it?

Divergent thinking facilitates better construction of future events, which consequently enables better decision-making. It’s also a two-way skill – not only does it help find more varied solutions, but it also helps you ask more varied questions. The more you can explore, the more you can predict, extrapolate, and achieve. And exploring more options early reduces costly mistakes later.

Bottom line

The question is not whether you’re creative or how strong your divergent thinking skills are, the question is – how can you improve them even more?

So… creative genius… what are you doing with your dowel rods today? 😉