July 25, 2019
DeBono Thinking System, Lateral thinking
I taught this topic via book reports in MBA Entrep subject as part of changing mindset, critical thinking. We cant have new ideas (if we define entrepreneurship as someone who comes up with new products) if we use the same thinking pattern. New products can emerge from the entrepreneur if he uses a new method of thinking. One of these is Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono. His method is often called thinking out of the box (from his example of how to pass 3 lines in a box in a single pass. The solution is having the solution outside the box...
Lateral thinking as opposed to vertical thinking may be illogical or extra ordinary. It can be called being smart aleck or thinking like a funny man; not thinking of the obvious but in a new unthought of variant options....
Some examples, how to:
Lateral Thinking Techniques
Alternatives: How to use concepts as a breeding ground for new ideas. Sometimes we do not look beyond the obvious alternatives.Focus: When and how to change the focus of your thinking. You will learn the discipline of defining your focus and sticking to it.
Challenge: Breaking free from the limits of traditional thinking. With challenges, we act as though the present way of doing things is not necessarily the best.
Random Entry: Using unconnected input to open up new lines of thinking.
Provocation and Movement: Generating provocative statements and using them to build new ideas.
Harvesting: Capturing your creative output. At the end of a creative-thinking session, we normally only take note of the specific ideas that seem practical and have obvious value.
Treatment of Ideas: How to develop ideas and shape them to fit an organization or situation.
