Lateral thinking

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Lateral thinking
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Lateral Thinking - Theory
The brain is not intended for creative thinking
The brains power is in forming patterns and
sticking to these patterns
SO
To become creative you need to block normal
channels and cut across patterns in a
self-organizing information system
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Explaining lateral thinking

• Mind is like mud grooves are formed where
  water/thoughts run. Need to form new avenues
• Discovery consists of looking at the same thing
  as everyone else and thinking something
  different Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel Prize
  Winner

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Vertical thinking Vs Lateral thinking

• Vertical thinking
• 1. Take a position
• 2. Develop arguments
• which are
• related to 1
• derived from 1

• Lateral thinking
• 1. Take a position
• 2. Put forward different views which
• are
• not derived from each other
• all correct
• all coexisting

Area of focus Truth Logic What is
Area of focus Possibilities, alternatives, what
might be
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Lateral thinking - Exercise
VII
Add a single line to turn this into an eight
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Lateral thinking - Exercise
IX
Add a single line to turn this into a six
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Solutions
1. IX
2. SIX
3. IX6
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Deliberate lateral thinking tools
1. 2. 3. 4.
The six thinking hats Provocation Random
inputs Synectics
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The six thinking hats - Process and rationale
Rationale Cooperative exploration replaces
adversarial thinking Ego factors are
removed Negativity is not allowed
Process Meeting of several people Deliberate
putting on of different hats i.e.
different attitudes Everyone wears each
hat simultaneously Hats are changed during
meeting
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Six thinking hats
White hat
Red hat
Black hat
Association
White paper neutral carrier of information
Fire, warmth
Strict judge, intolerant of wrong doers
Area of focus
Data and information
Feelings, intuition
Critical judgement
Questions/discussion topic
This is what I feel My gut feel is that I dont
like the way My intuition tells me
The regulations dont allow He doesnt have the
experience Those prices wont be profitable We
wont fill capacity
What info do we have? What info is missing? Where
will we get it? How will we get it?
Source Edward de Bor
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Six thinking hats continued...
Yellow hat
Green hat
Blue hat
Association
Sunshine Optimism Logical, positive view
Vegetation, Rich growth
Sky Overview
Area of focus
Benefits (logically based) Feasibility
Creative thinking New ideas Additional
alternatives
Agenda Next steps Process control
Questions/discussion topic
Are there alternatives? Could there be
another reason? What is a creative solution
Lets summarize views Lets look at
priorities The points to discuss are...
This would work if we did X The benefit would
come from Y High labour costs mean a lower
workforce
Source Edward de Bor
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Six thinking hats continued...
Yellow hat
Green hat
Blue hat
Association
Sunshine Optimism Logical, positive view
Vegetation, Rich growth
Sky Overview
Area of focus
Benefits (logically based) Feasibility
Creative thinking New ideas Additional
alternatives
Agenda Next steps Process control
Questions/discussion topic
Are there alternatives? Could there be
another reason? What is a creative solution
Lets summarize views Lets look at
priorities The points to discuss are...
This would work if we did X The benefit would
come from Y High labour costs mean a lower
workforce
Source Edward de Bor
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• Sequence is not fixed, but often it is
• 1 White info
• 2 Green ideas
• 3Yellow benefits of ideas
• 4 Black evaluation
• 5 Red feelings
• 6 Blue - conclusions

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Six Thinking hats - Evaluation
-
Takes people away from normal attitudes Easy to
use Participants often feel very awkward and
ill at ease initially
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Provocation
Provocation an absurdity which takes you out of
your main line of thought
Examples Po, you close the letter after you
post it Po, restaurants do not charge for
food Po, police have 6 eyes
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Provocation - Process
1. 2. 3.

• Set up a provocation
• Move forward from the provocation
• by e.g.
• Extracting a principle
• Focusing on the difference
• Look for the benefits
• Arrive at an original idea

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Provocation - Process

• 1.Set up a provocation eg bring back the town
  crier used for ad company
• 2.Move forward from the provocation
• by e.g.
• Extracting a principle what does the town
  crier do?
• goes to thee people
• changes message according to audience
• cant be switched off
• Focusing on the difference
• Look for the benefits
• 3.Arrive at an original idea idea was to have
  adverts on pagers cos they
• cant be switched off and cd also be tailored to
  individuals

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• 1.Set up a provocation eg employees should wear
  stripy shirts if they want promotion
• 2 3.Move forward from the provocation ?arrive
  at original idea
• by e.g.
• Extracting a principle be open about career
  ambitions ? frank feedback for those who
  want it
• Focusing on the difference clear to everyone
  what you want ? shd you only invest training in
  those who are ambitious?
• Look for the benefits self-fulfilling ?ie
  those whove said they want promotion are more
  keen therefore put them in tougher jobs where
  they can prove themselves and be promoted

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Provocation - sources
Source Example Result
1. 2. 3. 4.
Chance/accidents Escape from the normal i.e.
cancel, negate, drop, remove, deny, all that you
take for granted Exaggeration Distortion
Po, radio waves can shoot down planes Po,
restaurants do not charge for food Po,
police have 6 eyes Po, you close the letter
after you post it
Concept of radar Development of diners
card Development of neighborhood watch Conce
pt of direct mail sent in private mail
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Provocation - Evaluation
- -
Good for thinking radical new thoughts Difficult
to apply uncomfortable for many Time consuming
becoming familiar with the toolkit
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Random input

• Process
• Take a problem
• Apply a random input
• word
• image
• Take the first characteristic that
• comes to mind
• Develop solution
• NOTE Do not link the random
• word to previous ideas

Evaluation Easy to do Works for a group or an
individual Produces new thinking Can feel
uncomfortable
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The need for creativity
We need it...
but we lack it
Creativity produces new ideas in Science Arts
Business Leisure etc, etc, etc...

• The brain is not naturally
• creative
• Education is concerned with
• right and wrong

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