“A person with a new idea is a crank until the
idea succeeds. ”
Mark Twain
“Logic will get you from A to Z;
imagination will get you everywhere.”
Albert Einstein
Lateral thinking: Play with the possibilities
Trish [email protected]
ACPL Library CampOct. 24, 2012
Libraries and innovation
• Bilingual storytimes• Online book clubs• Book club kits to-go• The list goes on
Edward De Bono & Lateral Thinking
De Bono • Rhodes scholar• Author of over 50 books
Definition of Lateral Thinking
A process that moves your brain from a predictable pattern of thinking into a place where it can generate more ideas.
Break patterns of thinking
Play with the possibilities
Vertical thinking
• Be analytical and sequential• Strive to be right • Choose one best idea
Lateral Thinking
• Generate many options
• Keep looking even after you find possible solutions
• Be willing to be wrong while you let an idea grow
Useful for
Problem Solving Innovation
Be aware of thinking that can interfere with creativity
• Dominant ideas• Obvious choices• Polarization with either/or choices
Challenge assumptions
Take a creative pause
Think in reverse
Eg. What are all the ways we could make shelving more inefficient?
Make a quota on alternatives
Use randomness
Try six thinking hats
Gut feelings
Facts
Positive consequences
Negative consequences
Innovative Ideas
Process and Procedure
Tools for practicing lateral thinking
Lateral Thinking Puzzles Creativity Exercises
Reference List
Bronson, P. & Merryman, A. (July 19, 2010). The creativity crisis. Newsweek, 153 (3). Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.
De Bono, E. (2008). Creativity workout: 62 exercises to unlock your most creative ideas.Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press.
De Bono, E. (1973). Lateral thinking: Creativity Step by Step. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers.
De Bono, E. (1967). New think: The use of lateral thinking in the generation of new ideas. New York, NY: Basic Books.
De Bono, E. (1992). Serious creativity: using the power of lateral thinking to create new ideas. New York, NY: HarperBusiness.
De Bono, E. (1999). Six thinking hats. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company.
Harshman, E.J., MacHale, D. & Sloane, P. (2003). Classic lateral thinking puzzles. New York, NY: Main Street.
http://www.debonoforbusiness.com/asp/case_studies.asp - This is a commercial site but it does give fairly detailed examples of how businesses have used lateral thinking.
Play with the possibilities
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