Divergent Collaboration (service mark)

Divergent Collaboration (service mark) (DC) is a new approach to collaboration that uniquely harnesses the power of diversity. A series of DC workshops were designed and conducted by the Innovate, Demonstrate, Explore, Apply (IDEA) Lab at the Wright Brothers Institute (WBI) in tandem with a team of Human Factors researchers from the Human Effectiveness Directorate (RH) at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The three DC workshops focused on the research challenges of Resiliency, Human Performance Augmentation (HPA), and Autonomy. Participants were asked to complete two assessments; the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance (DiSC) Personality Test and the Team Dimensions Questionnaire. Also, two questionnaires were developed that were administered after the workshops: 1) the DC process and 2) the products of the workshop. The Resiliency Workshop netted 24 ideas. The HPA Workshop resulted in 48 ideas. And finally, the Autonomy Workshop generated 35 ideas for research. Each workshop produced four (4) innovative/impactful ideas to research. These ideas are now in the hands of the problem owners to pursue them as they desire. Overall, it was determined that DC is a viable process that will foster innovation and create new ideas that might not be found using the traditional methods of solving problems. Prepared in cooperation with Innovative InterChange, Inc., Dayton, OH.