Divergent and Convergent Thinking in Emergency Response Organizations

Abstract

This laboratory experiment shows how time constraint and event severity affect convergent and divergent thinking processes among professional emergency response personnel addressing a simulated emergency situation. Increasing time constraint resulted in fewer options considered, fewer recommendations made, fewer decisions taken, and less favorable decision outcomes. Increasing event severity had a more ambiguous effect, suggesting the need for further study on the effect of this factor alone and in conjunction with time constraint.