This is How to Boost Your Creativity Using Lateral Thinking!

You go into work one day and sitting in the break room is a box of twelve donuts.  Twelve people each take one donut, including me who takes the last one, yet there is still one donut left in the box? How can that be????

The answer??  A little later on in this blog post – in the meantime, see if you can figure it out!  While we have covered many topics related to problem-solving and critical thinking in this blog, today’s post, in my opinion, may be the most important one yet. Personally, learning this concept has really changed the way I approach creativity. Today, we will discuss a process that you can use for being creative and generating new ideas. This concept is called lateral thinking; it comes from Edward de Bono who is considered to be the father of creative thinking, innovation, and teaching better thinking.

Before we talk about lateral thinking (also known as horizontal thinking), let’s first discuss…

A Type of Thinking We Are All Familiar With…

…which is called vertical thinking. I say we are familiar with it because it is how we have been taught to think since we were children.  Vertical thinking is a type of thinking that teaches us to solve problems by approaching them in a linear or step-by-step manner, where each step must be justified to move on to the next.

Why Do We Think in a Vertical Way?

Basically, our mind is a self-organizing system that works by creating patterns. We create patterns, then we store them, and then we recognize them to help us make decisions. This effectiveness of mind is necessary in a world that has seemingly endless choices. We need for our brains to be self-organizing and create these patterns to continue functioning. Otherwise, we would be overwhelmed with the choices we have. As de Bono says: “This self-organizing, self-maximizing, memory system is very good at creating patterns and that is the effectiveness of mind.”

The analogy that De Bono uses is that our minds are like a flat bed of mud and grooves form where our thoughts (water) runs – our patterned thinking just makes these grooves deeper. We need to use lateral thinking to create new grooves!

BUT This Patterning System Has Certain Limitations!

And those limitations center around our ability to be creative or come up with new ideas. Going to the most familiar pattern in our brain causes us to look for the most obvious solution, which is not good for creativity. This is where we need to leverage what de Bono calls lateral thinking. Whereas vertical thinking involves combining or adding to the patterns we already have, lateral thinking is all about stepping sideways, if you will, to restructure those patterns, escape old patterns and provoke new patterns – all in the name of creativity. As de Bono says, “‘You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper.”

In His Book, Lateral Thinking…

De Bono discusses the differences between lateral and vertical thinking as being quite distinct. “The differences between lateral and vertical thinking are very fundamental. The processes are quite distinct. It is not a matter of one process being more effective than the other for both are necessary. It is a matter of realizing the differences in order to be able to use both effectively. With vertical thinking, one uses information for its own sake in order to move forward to a solution. With lateral thinking, one uses information not for its own sake but provocatively in order to bring about repatterning.” ¹

To summarize the differences he says,

  “Vertical thinking is selective, lateral is generative – rightness vs. richness.
  Vertical thinking only moves if there is a direction to move, lateral thinking moves to create directions.
  Vertical thinking is analytical while lateral thinking is provocative.
  Vertical thinking is sequential while lateral thinking makes jumps.
  Vertical thinking you need to be right at every step, not so w/ lateral thinking.
  Vertical uses negative to block some pathways, no negative in lateral.
  Vertical excludes what is irrelevant, lateral welcomes chance intrusions.
  Vertical explores most likely paths, lateral explores least likely.
  Vertical is a finite process, lateral is probabilistic” ¹

Which Brings Us Back to the Word ‘Process’ I Used Earlier On!

While De Bono states that lateral thinking is closely associated to creativity, there is a big difference between the two. The big difference is: you can think of creativity as the result and lateral thinking as the process to get the result. To be more specific, lateral thinking is a process which involves using a set of techniques that can move us away from being concerned with “what is” (vertical thinking) to “what can be” (horizontal or lateral thinking) which results in creativity.

Before we introduce some of De Bono’s lateral thinking techniques, let’s first discuss…

How We Can Use These Lateral Thinking Techniques

De Bono suggests a variety of ways we can use lateral thinking techniques:

To generate new ideas: while you may do things in your personal and professional life in the best possible way, it is highly unlikely. By using lateral thinking you can come up with new, innovative ways to do things better.

For problem-solving: to come up with both new ways of defining the problem, as well as better and more creative solutions to the problem.

For periodic reassessment: To challenge things we take for granted in terms of established assumptions and ideas on how we currently do things.

To prevent sharp divisions and polarizations: By recognizing the need for the patterns we create using vertical thinking, we can use lateral thinking to counter their rigidity and potential for arrogance.

Now, Let’s Move From “What Is” to “What Can Be” by…

Introducing a few of De Bono’s lateral thinking techniques.  While it is certainly important to be familiar with the concept of lateral thinking, as De Bono says, “A nodding acknowledgment of the purpose of lateral thinking is not much good. One has to develop some skill in the actual use of this type of thinking. Such skill can only develop if one has enough practice. Such practice ought not to await formal organization but it very often does.”

With that in mind, here are 5 of the lateral thinking techniques with simple examples:

(1)  Alternatives:

This involves coming up with alternative solutions to a problem, or alternative ideas. He also recommends setting a quota on the number of alternatives – that way you won’t stop once you think you have a good one.

For example, you want to reduce flooding in Miami. The idea would be to come up with “x” number of alternatives. Some alternatives could be – put up a wall around the city, put big mounds of earth along the shore, dig channels along the shore, etc.

(2)  Focus:

This technique is about changing your focus to improve your creativity by focusing on areas that other people haven’t bothered to think about. Here, De Bono recommends taking time for a creative pause to ask yourself, “How can we think of this differently?” This can be as little as 30 seconds for someone using this technique alone to 2 minutes for those using it in a group. It may lead you to a great idea just because you are the first person to think in a specific direction.

For example, the one example used in the literature has to do with how to make a doctor’s office which has an aquarium, some magazines and kids today more enjoyable or productive. Some ways could be putting iPads, puzzles, a flat screen on the wall, free WiFi, a whiteboard where people could draw pictures etc.

(3)  Challenge assumptions:

This relates to the donut problem I presented you in the introduction (hint, hint!). By challenging assumptions, it forces you to challenge limits and boundaries you put on things.

For example, just think where would we be if Jeff Bezos assumed books could only be sold in bookstores?

(4)  Provocation:

Another lateral thinking technique is called provocation which involves coming up with provocative statements and then using them to come up with new ideas. These provocations are deliberately absurd ideas that are merely used to change perspective and create a new starting point to generate more practical ideas.

 For example, many years ago, De Bono was giving a seminar when a problem was given to him revolving around a police shortage in New York City. His provocative statement was “The police have 6 eyes”. This led to the idea of citizens acting as extra eyes for unusual activities happening in their area. This was eventually written up in New York Magazine and led to the development of the Neighborhood Watch program that is now prevalent throughout North America.

(5)  Arbitrary or Random Entry:

Instead of staring at a problem, De Bono suggests that you should instead connect with a random object in a room, word in a dictionary, or picture to help exercise the mind in a different direction when trying to solve a problem. As he states: “If you always stick within what seems relevant you are only reinforcing existing ideas.” So to utilize this technique, simply choose a random object or word and then associate it to the area you are thinking about or the problem you are trying to solve.

For example, the problem is how to reduce absenteeism in a corporation. You pick a random word such as ‘horse’. You could then list out properties or attributes of horses and relate them to absenteeism. Such as, ‘horses run, maybe we could create an employee exercise programs so that employees stay healthy and miss less work’.

A Few More Thoughts on Lateral Thinking to Keep in Mind:

  There are 4 steps to De Bono’s lateral thinking process:

(1)  Select and define your focus
(2)  Generate ideas.
(3)  Capture and work with the output.
(4)  The result is new ideas

  We can ALL learn to be creative, using lateral thinking lets us create creativity on demand!

  Lateral thinking does not replace vertical thinking – they are both necessary!

  You have to be ok with being wrong as you let an idea grow.

  Crazy and seemingly absurd ideas are not only ok, but they are welcomed!

Back to the Donuts Question…

Ok, so remember – there are twelve donuts in a box, twelve people each take a donut, including me who takes the last one, yet there is still one left in the box? How can that be???

Well, the answer is – I picked up the box and took it and the donut with me.

And just so you know, I think donuts are disgusting, full of sugar, and extremely bad for you. So, I promptly threw the box and the donut that was in it where it belongs!

To conclude, it is tough to do justice to such an important and complex topic such as lateral thinking in a 1,500-word blog post. The main thing to remember is that lateral thinking is a process used in creative thinking and based on the theory that our brains follow familiar patterns, and to spark creativity we need to break those patterns!

Until next time, don’t eat donuts, use lateral thinking and as always…PYMFP!
–Rick

P.S. Remember, lateral thinking is NOT a magical formula, as De Bono says: “it is an attitude and a habit of mind.”  The best way to get good at lateral thinking is to do puzzles – there a bunch of books you can find online if you are interested!

Use it or Lose It:

To apply lateral thinking in your life, apply any of the techniques we discussed above:

(1)  Alternatives
(2)  Focus
(3)  Challenge assumptions
(4)  Provocation
(5)  Arbitrary or random entry

But you must practice it to get good at it. If you think it is too complicated, it is not as de Bono himself teaches it to children as he believes it is a critical skill for them to have.

When to Use It:

When you need to generate some creativity in your life.

What Do You Think?

Have you ever used lateral thinking in your life? Are there any situations or areas of your life where you think you may try it? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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References

1 De Bono, E. (1973). Lateral thinking: Creativity Step by Step. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers.