Lateral Thinking

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Description of Lateral Thinking. Explanation.

Definition Lateral Thinking. Description.

Lateral Thinking is a term which was invented by Edward De Bono in his Book: New think: The use of lateral thinking in the generation of new ideas (1967) and further developed in Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step.

Lateral thinking is a creative, fresh approach to problem solving and to thinking in general by approaching problems indirectly at multiple, diverse and unorthodox angles instead of concentrating on one approach at length. Trying harder in the same direction using the same approach is less useful as changing the direction and/or the approach.

Lateral thinking is closely related to insight, creativity and humour. All four of these share the same basis. But unlike insight, creativity and humour, it is a deliberate process. Whereas creativity is often only the description of a result, lateral thinking is the description of a specific process using certain tools.

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 (comparable to Integrative Thinking). With logic you start out with certain ingredients just as in playing chess you start out with given pieces. But what are those pieces? In most real life situations the pieces are not given, we just assume they are there. We assume certain perceptions, certain concepts and certain boundaries. Lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change the pieces. It is concerned with the perception part of thinking. This is where we organize the external world into the pieces we can then 'process'.
 

De Bono identified four critical factors associated with lateral thinking:

1. Recognize dominant ideas that polarize perception of a problem.

2. Searching for different ways of looking at things.

3. Relaxation of rigid control of thinking.

4. Use of chance to encourage other ideas. This last factor has to do with the fact that lateral thinking involves low-probability ideas which are unlikely to occur in the normal course of events.

Lateral Thinking Forum New Topic  |  Help Lateral Thinking Culprit "One day as my routine works at factory was shattered due to one stupid labour leader who never works, I asked him to drop his resignation letter. While I was conducting a brain storming session, the g..." Use Eastern Philosophy for Lateral Thinking "If you disengage from the things you can find the most suitable solution in a much shorter time :) Read eastern philosophy..." Lateral Thinking Looks Like Applied Systems Thinking to Me "If you consider the systems thinking iceberg model, then lateral thinking seems to be ..." Lateral Thinking and Meta Thinking "Lateral thinking and meta thinking are related. As meta thinking is about thinking about thinking (…and so on). To be an effective lateral thinker you should think about your thought process..." Lateral Thinking can Improve the Brain and Memory "Lateral thinking is specifically concerned with changing preconceived thoughts to bring out new ideas and can be practised as a skill. Lateral thinking can improve performance of the brain and also..." Using Lateral Thinking to Find an Exciting Job "Logical thinking -> job portals, friends, newspapers etc. Lateral thinking -> writing a case study, publishing a book, participating in a forum, writing an article in a magazine, guest lecture..." How to Think Laterally "Problem-solving, and lateral thinking in particular, requires that we think counter-intuitively, since intuitive/linear thinking brought us into the problem. For example, when there's a p..." Lateral Thinking is Divergent Thinking "Lateral thinking is hypothesizing the alternate ways of solving a problem. It involves divergent thinking and, at times, intuition. People can be trained to think laterally. Developing a cultur..." Increased Scope of Thinking "Every solution will have its advantages and disadvantages. When the majority lies with the advantages, such solution is usually chosen. However lateral thinking provides more scope to visualiz..." Lateral Thinking - Sometimes Suppressed "This is the way to operate out of the box. Unfortunately, as someone mentioned elsewhere, it can be suppressed by lilliputian who consider themselves giants - either at work, in school or at ho..." Lateral Thinking Methods and our Decisions "Lateral thinking is a moral value that offers the possibility of overtaking. Bono taught us a method to look beyond appearances. For example: - To fight against climate change, we could..." Lateral Thinking is Inborn "Lateral thinking is inborn and exists in children to a large extent. But as they grow up our system at home and school education generally kills this urge to think creatively since our parents/..." Lateral Thinking the New Thinking Which Makes the Difference "Last century the steam engine replaced muscle power. Currently computers are replacing models and linear processes. We have been trained in a linear way at universities and apply this in our busi..." The Italian Way to Think "Once during a large conference an attendee was asking me why the Italian people seem to be so creative in so many fields of design, fashion, art, lifestyles, industry? I replied that this ..." Lateral Thinking Methods / Tools "Lateral thinking is key today. What methods and tools are being deployed within lateral thinking? Please summarize one tool in your reply. Thanks!" Lateral Thinking Should Be Taught at Univ / MBA "I recommend that this special subject "lateral thinking" should be a part of the engineer's and business management students in graduation and post graduation studies. Especially in India, where stude..." Lateral Thinking Question "If a plane crashes on the Italian / Swiss border, where do you bury the survivors?" What is Genius? Relation to Lateral Thinking? "My simple definition of a genius (and I am certainly not one) is the ability to hold both the big picture and the details in the thinking process at the same time, thereby being able to see much ri..." Lateral Thinking is Creative Thinking "Edward De Bono introduced lateral thinking for problem solving situations at a time when the world was practicing traditional problem solving tools. Now after so many years of practice, we have gone t..." Role of Chance in Lateral Thinking "De Bono's methodology to achieve lateral thinking is fantastic and logical. The last aspect of the process may be subject to discussions. I do believe in the use of CHANCE to encourage ideas How to Foster Lateral Thinking? "I believe that nowadays in our world of specialists' (specialist idiots') way of logical thinking, the issue of how to nurture lateral (out of the box) thinking is a pressing one. I think ..." Why Lateral Thinking is Important? "We can not discover a new gold mine using the old map. Reality is diverse and multidimensional. So lateral thinking - thinking out of the box, is a natural and necessary way to tackle problems,..." Lateral Thinking versus Logical Thinking "Lateral Thinking is a method that stimulates creativity in solving problems. This method is an aid for looking new perspectives or points of views of an specific situation. In opposition to Lateral Thinking-not a Predefined Thought Process "Categorization of the thought process may not be possibly while making an attempt to solve a problem. The random occurrence of thoughts may not allow us to name the path it is following before ..." Lateral Thinking = Thinking Outside of the Box "It seems to me, lateral thinking is not much more than thinking "outside of the box". If we start to incorporate theories as to how to laterally think, we are just creating a larger box." Lateral Thinking = Critical Thinking "I think that lateral thinking is critical thinking." Not Anyone is Able to Learn Lateral Thinking "I am not sure about that everyone could learn lateral thinking. I several times failed to even get a pupil to grips with the principles. I assume they had a psychological barrier, caused by suc..." What is Lateral Thinking? "I would like members comments on Edward de Bono's statement: "Anyone can be a lateral thinker, this does not imply they use lateral thinking." Keep in touch with this topic Please log in... New Topic

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Compare with: Thinker's Keys  |  Brainstorming  |  Design Thinking  |  Synectics  |  TRIZ  |  Technological Forecasting  |  Gestalt Theory  |  Mind Mapping  |  Six Thinking Hats  |  Metaplan  |  Bounded Rationality  |  Causal Ambiguity  |  Stage-Gate  |  Scenario Planning  |  Game Theory  |  Root Cause Analysis  |  Paralysis by Analysis  |  Dialectical Inquiry  |  Analogical Strategic Reasoning  |  Theory of Constraints  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Catalytic Mechanisms  |  Johari Window  |  Coaching  |  Mentoring  |  Delphi Method

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End of description Lateral Thinking. An explanation.