OUGD501 - Lateral Thinking

Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono

Introduction to Lateral Thinking

The process of lateral thinking uses information for creativity and insight restructuring.

Lateral thinking processes are skills which can be acquired through learning, practice and use.

Lateral thinking processes are more considered than insight and creativity

No practical ways of bringing about insight instead information is collected until it comes about, however lateral thinking is a tool for gaining insight.

Lateral thinking describes a process rather than the result.

To use creativity, its aura must be removed and instead it should be considered as a way of using information.

Lateral thinking is a basic skill that people can develop.

Rather than waiting for insight and creativity, lateral thinking is used as a practical technique.The process of lateral thinking uses information for creativity and insight restructuring.

Lateral thinking processes are skills which can be acquired through learning, practice and use.

Lateral thinking processes are more considered than insight and creativity

No practical ways of bringing about insight instead information is collected until it comes about, however lateral thinking is a tool for gaining insight.

Lateral thinking describes a process rather than the result.

To use creativity, its aura must be removed and instead it should be considered as a way of using information.

Lateral thinking is a basic skill that people can develop.

Rather than waiting for insight and creativity, lateral thinking is used as a practical technique.

Preface

Vertical thinking is the traditionally used in education, which is seen as incomplete.

There needs to be a combination of both vertical and lateral thinking.
Lateral thinking uses information to influence creativity and insight restructuring.
Practicing lateral thinking techniques is more important than understanding them fully.

Lateral Thinking Techniques

Generating Alternatives

Within lateral thinking it is considered that there are multiple ways of looking at something and that by restructuring and rearranging information these can be explored. Lateral thinking aims to generate and find as many different approaches to a problem rather than the best approach. Continuing past what is considered to be the most appropriate solution and generating further ideas stops the use of the most obvious approach.  By using a quota to define how many ideas should be found, it allows the process not to be stopped by a promising idea.

Challenging Assumptions

Things can be described using cliches that view something in a stereotypical way. Cliches can reference both a pattern and individual piece of the pattern, so lateral thinking aims to restructure both whole patterns and individual pieces within a pattern. This type of thinking challenges assumptions so everything can be restructured. By doing this someone has to break out of the usual self imposed limits to solve the problem.

'Why' Technique

To challenge assumptions 'why' can be asked to challenge a part of a statement and does not think anything is too obvious not to ask why.

Suspended Judgement

Lateral thinking is not interested in the arrangement of information - as it can bring about restructuring - but what it could lead to, it is generative, so judgement of ideas is suspended until later.  Suspending judgement prevents wrong ideas from being stopped, as these may lead to correct ideas, allows for possible better ideas to be found and lowers the fear of being right all the time.