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This document discusses lateral thinking and its development by Edward de Bono. It provides an overview of de Bono's background and how he developed the concept of lateral thinking to make creativity a learnable process. It describes the key principles of lateral thinking as recognizing dominant ideas, searching for different perspectives, excluding sequential thinking, and using provocation. The document also outlines de Bono's Six Thinking Hats technique for parallel thinking on a challenge from different perspectives represented by colored hats.

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23 views2 pages

TC275

This document discusses lateral thinking and its development by Edward de Bono. It provides an overview of de Bono's background and how he developed the concept of lateral thinking to make creativity a learnable process. It describes the key principles of lateral thinking as recognizing dominant ideas, searching for different perspectives, excluding sequential thinking, and using provocation. The document also outlines de Bono's Six Thinking Hats technique for parallel thinking on a challenge from different perspectives represented by colored hats.

Uploaded by

heneger2001
Copyright
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Management

We Can all be Creative: the Power of Lateral Thinking


Creativity has always been regarded as a magic gift. A God-Given privilege to the Few Lucky. Then came Dr. Edward De Bono with his Lateral Thinking concept that turned creativity into a process to be learned and practiced in many disciplines.
Manal Khalil*, PhD,
University Instructor

orn in Malta, de Bono was awarded a medical degree at the country's Royal University and a degree in psychology, physiology and medicine at Oxford in the UK. During this time, he became fascinated by the way the brain functions and wrote The Mechanism of Mind, published in 1969. De Bono wrote over 70 books, which have been translated into numerous languages. He focused on 'improving the elements that constitute a perception and the formal design and application of the frameworks required towards innovative and creative action'. Not only can his methods be found on many school curricula across the globe (it's compulsory in Venezuela); they have been sought by big organizations, including Boeing, Nokia, Rolex, Siemens, Nestle, Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young, among others. Edward De Bonos Lateral Thinking seeks to generate new ideas and escape from old ones. The principles of lateral thinking are: 1- The recognition of dominant ideas: to prove their fixity and escape from their dominance. 2- The search for different ideas of looking at things (e.g. using the method of the six thinking hats). 3- The exclusion of the sequential vertical thinking (moving from one idea to another logical one). 4- The use of provocative methods to introduce discontinuity (jumping to totally new and irrelevant ideas) Vertical Thinking A closed procedure Rightness Proceeds in the most likely direction Analytical Sequential One must be correct at every step Blocks certain pathways Concentrates on what is relevant Uses information for its meaning
Vertical Vs. Lateral thinking * [email protected]

The Six Thinking Hats

When teams engage in Lateral Thinking, they are practicing parallel thinking - everyone is using the same tool at the same time on the same challenge. There are six metaphorical hats, each one with a different color. The thinkers (team members thinking over a project, an idea) wear one hat at a time and only use the mode of thinking which goes with that particular color. The white hat is neutral. While wearing this hat, the thinkers simply focus on gathering available information: What information is available on the subject, and what is missing? The red hat signifies emotion and intuition - aspects of human thinking which are traditionally excluded from 'rational' discussion. But since they still exist, they often get expressed indirectly. The red hat allows them to be expressed openly and usefully. The black hat puts the thinkers into the role of judge. Wearing this hat, they assess the risks associated with an idea and see how the idea fits with what is already known (our experience, values, objectives, etc.). The yellow hat brings out the positive side of assessing an idea. With this hat on, the thinkers look for the benefits and values in an idea. As with the black hat, the thinkers have to use logic when wearing the yellow hat.

Lateral Thinking Open-ended Richness Explores the least likely Provocative Can make jumps One does not have to be right at every step No pathways are rejected Welcomes chance intrusions Uses information for its effect in setting off new ideas



THE CERTIFIED ACCOUNTANT

4th Quarter 2007 Issuse #32

Management

The green hat signals deliberate creative effort. Under this hat all the possibilities can be explored, using specific techniques of lateral thinking, like provocation. This is an opportunity for vision. Finally, the blue hat is there for the overview. It is usually worn by the person chairing a meeting but can be used by anyone. The process of thinking is managed. At the end of this process, the thinkers would have thought deeply about the issue at hand and came to the best approach to tackle it.

How to Give Negative Feedback Properly


- Get your emotions under control. You don't want to critique someone else's actions when you are angry or upset. You are likely to say something you don't really mean. - Find a private place. No one wants to receive negative feedback in front of others. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but that should be a last resort. - Focus on their actions, not on the person. You create an immediate barrier when you criticize the person. Focus instead on what you want to change. Focus on their performance. - Be specific. It does no good to tell someone 'you have a bad attitude'. You need to identify specific actions the person took if you want them to understand. - Be timely. Negative feedback should be given as soon as possible after the event - Be calm. Don't yell and scream - Reaffirm your faith in the person. Tell them that you still have faith in them as a person and in their abilities; it's just their performance you want them to change. - Stop talking. After you have told the person what specific, recent actions were inappropriate, and why, stop talking. Give the other person a chance to respond to or refute your statements. Listen to what they have to say. - Define positive steps. Agree on what future performance is appropriate for the employee. - Get over it. After you have given the negative feedback and agreed on a resolution, move on with the job. Tip: Giving negative feedback is never easy, but if done properly it isn't unpleasant.

Other mental tools or methods that can be used to bring about lateral thinking:
1- Random Entry: Choose an object at random, or a noun from a dictionary, and associate that with the area you are thinking about. 2- Provocation: Declare the usual perception out of bounds, or provide some provocative alternative to the usual situation under consideration. Prefix the provocation with the term 'Po" to signal that the provocation is not a valid idea put up for judgment but a stimulus for new perception. (e.g. the provocation on cars having square wheels). 3- Challenge: Simply challenge the way things have always been done or seen, or the way they are. This is done not to show there is anything wrong with the existing situation but simply to direct your perceptions to exploring outside the current area. (repeat asking why are we doing this? And why? and why?) Lateral thinking is concerned with changing concepts and perception. Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. It is concerned with shifting the thinking patterns away from entrenched or predictable thinking to new or unexpected ideas. References: 1. Six Thinking Hats, Edward de Bono. 2. Lateral thinking for management, Edward de Bono, McGrawHill, London

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