New Think by Edward De Bono

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New Think by Edward De Bono

• Review by David E. Goldberg
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• deg_at_uiuc.edu

2
Text

• De Bono, E. (1967). New think The use of lateral
  thinking in the generation of new ideas. New
  York Basic Books.
• MD and PhD in psychology.

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Organization

• Vertical and lateral thinking
• The making of ideas
• Dominance
• Arbitrariness
• Different approaches
• Arrogance

• Chance
• In use
• Without lateral thinking
• Application

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Lateral versus Vertical Thinking

• Vertical normal model.
• Involves logic of regular events.
• Lateral thinking creates new ideas.

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Making of New Ideas

• How many capable of new ideas?
• Not just technical knowledge.
• Not just by hard work Wallace v Darwin.
• Sources
• New information
• New way of looking at old info

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Dominance

• Process improvement direct or remove obstacles.
• Logic of digging deepers holes.
• Dont give up investment (sunk cost).
• Experts about particular holes.
• Avoiding the dominant idea
• Acknowledge
• Distort

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Arbitrariness

• Dividing up figure into different parts.
• Choices are to some extent arbritrary.
• Need not get locked into dominant division.

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Different Approaches

• Recognition of dominant or polarizing issues.
• The search for different ways of looking at
  things.
• Relaxation of vertical thinking
• The use of chance

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The Rigidity of Words

• Naming things limits thinking.
• Escape rigid classifications.
• Think visually
• Turn things upside down.
• Transfer to more easily handled situation.
• Shift emphasis

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Arrogance

• Vertical thinkers classify.
• Expressing an idea may be premature.

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Chance

• Fleming and antibiotic chance.
• Play as encouraging chance.
• Brainstorming.
• Wandering about.
• Intertwining separate thoughts
• Random selection of object
• Consider other matters