The use of lateral thinking

Lateral thinking is low probability, sideways thinking. It is possible to acquire skill in it just as it is possible to acquire skill in mathematics. Guilfords concept of divergent thinking, since both approaches have as a central idea that overcoming old habits that is, being flexible, moving laterally, is the crux of creative thinking. Vertical thinking is a sequence of direct and logical steps that are used to come to a conclusion. Lateral thinking is the ability to use your imagination to look at a problem in a fresh way and come up with a new solution. It is the ability to think creatively or outside the box. Lateral thinking 01 a man in a lift a man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Its the art of reframing questions, attacking problems sideways. The use of lateral thinking his contralogical approach has become a well established part of most, if not all, of todays creative thinking methods and approaches.

It seems that few have understood the book when it appeared more than forty years ago. Almost half a century after its first publication, this introduction to the concept of lateral thinking, focuses on exposing several concepts associated with that main concept developed by the author, as well as mentioning several examples from famous characters or inventions where the generation of new ideas were the result of moving away from the rigidity of traditional logical thinking or. T he answer to this puzzle is an example of what psychologists call lateral thinking. Lateral thinking is closely related to insight, creativity and humour. Lateral thinking is the mental process of generating ideas and solving problems by looking at a situation or problem from a unique perspective. Lateral thinking is the term given to the process of solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, through the use of reasoning that may not be immediately obvious. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. In a nutshell, lateral thinking means to stop diggin. Lateral thinking involves coming at the problem from new directions literally, from the side. Creative people develop use lateral thinking habits that produces great results.

Lateral thinking, on the other hand, is using an indirect and creative approach to come to a. A lateral thinking approach is ideal for generating new ideas, especially for problems that seem straightforward but end up stumping everyone. Sometimes a person may use lateral thinking and not come up with anything useful. It essentially means being able to think creatively or outside the box in order to solve a problem. Lateral thinking involves looking at a situation or problem from a unique or unexpected point of view. In order to be able to use creativity one must rid it of this aura of mystique and regard it as a way of using the mind a way of handling information. When writing a short story, for example, lateral thinking would be an effective tool for coming up with unexpected twists and turns in a plot. Lateral thinking is a method of solving problems by using your imagination to help you. Newest lateralthinking questions puzzling stack exchange. Sep 10, 2014 lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. It involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional stepbystep logic.

Jan 01, 1970 the remaining 10% actually describes ways to use lateral thinking, but the dullest manner imaginable. Lateral thinking involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind traditional modes of thought, and throwing away. Use lateral thinking and try to get ahead by making money online. Sometimes we do not look beyond the obvious alternatives. Lateral thinking how can lateral thinking help you. You will learn the discipline of defining your focus and sticking to it. Oct 20, 20 lateral thinking, is the ability to think creatively, or outside the box as it is sometimes referred to in business, to use your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by looking at them from unexpected perspectives.

We humans are very good at analysis but useless at thinking. What is lateral thinking and what is an example of it. The most elegant solution presents itself when you approach the problem sideways, rather than answering it headon. In contentional thinking, we go forward in a predictable, direct fashion.

Lateral thinking is also different from divergent thinking, though again there is some overlap. A famous example of lateral think is the invention of the postit note. Alternatecover for this isbn can be found herethis i. A common business buzzword for lateral thinking is thinking outside the you know the rest. Oct 20, 2009 a common business buzzword for lateral thinking is thinking outside the you know the rest. Mar 23, 2009 he groups lateral thinking with psychologist j. I know improving your lateral thinking skills requires firstly, putting my status as finished is a fib, because i only got half way through before i had to abandon this book. I introduced the new term serious creativity in my book serious creativity harperbusiness, new york, 1992 in order to make a distinction between formal creative techniques and just. Lateral thinking is the ability to use your imagination to look at a problem in a fresh way and come up. Lateral thinking involves breaking away from traditional modes of thinking and discarding established patterns and preconceived notions. How to use the six thinking hats method for problem solving. Lateral thinking quizzes online, trivia, questions.

Though the question is presented as a binary choiceone option or the otherwhen you disregard the assumption that you must act immediately, the best answer becomes obvious. Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via. We acquire degrees by linear thinking where we solve certain problem using a formula. Ideas dont come about through sheer vertical effort. Questions tagged lateral thinking ask question a puzzle solved through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and. A number of techniques fuse the strengths of the two different strands of creativity. Here are some examples of lateral thinking career choices. Lateral thinking techniques the peak performance center. Finding a new point to dig often means going off on a tangent provoking oddsounding suggestions to help reach a different, workable solution. A person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to creating new ideas. Lateral thinking means taking a creative approach to a problem or challenge.

The use of lateral thinking in the generation of new ideas 1967 and further developed in lateral thinking. Breakthroughs, by very definition, only occur when assumptions are broken. A result can only be admired but a process can be practiced and used. Lateral thinking helped apple succeed nagpur news times. In brief, lateral thinking involves looking at problem from a different angle. Without lateral thinking, companies cant innovate and create new products theyre just stuck with doing the same old thing, perhaps more efficiently than before, but they wont be able to lead the way. Lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. Here well talk you through what the ability is, and give some examples of lateral thinking skills.

The term lateral thinking puzzle was popularized by paul sloane in his 1992 book lateral thinking puzzlers. In the first chapter of the booklet, the author introduces the idea of lateral thinking and defines it as a concept. Creativity, lateral thinking and the ability to communicate are crucial skills in progressing through the ranks in any organisation. In my writing and seminars, i use the terms lateral thinking and creative thinking interchangeably because creative thinking is much more widely known. Name an ancient invention still in use in most parts of the world today that allows people to see. The remaining 10% actually describes ways to use lateral thinking, but the dullest manner imaginable. Lateral thinking is the process of using information to bring about creativity and insight restructuring. How to apply lateral thinking to your creative work. Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus. Creativity exercises to improve your lateral thinking. The lateral thinking exhibited by the new research team showed their creativity, originality, and innovation as they solved the problem. It is easy to lose some of that natural creativity in our.

An inquisitive mind is more likely to be able to adapt to the core principles of lateral thinking. Questions tagged lateral thinking ask question a puzzle solved through an indirect and creative approach, using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable only using logic. Lateral thinking meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Lateral thinking can be learned, practiced and used. Do it and min basadurs simplex embed the two approaches within problem solving processes. Lateral thinking, is the ability to think creatively, or outside the box as it is sometimes referred to in business, to use your inspiration and imagination to solve problems by looking at them from unexpected perspectives. Lateral thinking definition and meaning collins english. A person uses lateral thinking to move from one known idea to new ideas. Without lateral thinking, companies cant innovate and create new products theyre just stuck with doing the same old thing, perhaps more.

Lateral thinking involves discarding the obvious, leaving behind traditional modes of thought, and throwing away preconceptions. Keep it simple, complexity means distracted effort. Examples of lateral thinking in a sentence, how to use it. With the screen up, your laptop proudly displays this web page. To get a different perspective on a problem, try breaking the elements up and recombining them in a different way perhaps randomly.

How to use concepts as a breeding ground for new ideas. Lateral thinking is a useful skill whatever job you end up doing, but there are some career paths where it can really come in handy. Lateral thinking is related to creative problem solving and critical thinking, all valuable skills to have, and. They way a computer hacker or, say, macgyver would think. Lateral thinking is solving problems by an indirect and creative approach, typically through viewing the problem in a new and unusual light. Techniques such as the concept fan use a combination of programmed and lateral thinking. How lateral thinking can help your career ziprecruiter. Lateral thinking, however, is horizontal, putting the emphasis on generating many ideas while deemphasizing the details of how those ideas could be implemented. Lateral thinking is also a skill that researchers use when evaluating evidence or interpreting sources. Students can find that lateral thinking is an especially useful technique for creative arts. While these may be considered overkill when dealing with minor problems, they. When he returns he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. The condition of students actually wants learning that requires the use of their thinking to solve problems with diverse solutions.

Lateral thinking is the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach. How to apply lateral thinking to your creative work adobe 99u. The business benefits of lateral thinking bizthoughts. At its most basic level, lateral thinking is like looking at something at a different angle. Dont just pass by a construction site, for example. The daughter has solved an intractable problem through the use of lateral thinking. People who work in advertising use this type of thinking to persuade us to buy products. The use of lateral thinking 1967 isbn 01407882, he coined and introduced the concept of lateral thinking, in 1967.

This approach is typically necessary to the solution of these problems. Here are some examples of lateral thinking based questions. Lateral thinking lateral thinking is the step by step approach to creativity. Lateral thinking puzzles that challenge your preconceptions. Critical thinking and reading, logical thinking, as well as lateral thinking. Critical thinking is primarily concerned with judging the truth value of statements and seeking errors. With lateral thinking, a problem that seems insurmountable eventually becomes surmountable. But to design a product for a user you have to think laterally. Mar 29, 2019 a key component in lateral thinking is curiosity.

In order to be able to think outside the box, you need to learn to spark your own curiosity. But whereas insight, creativity and humour can only be prayed for, lateral thinking is a more deliberate process. The new and unconventional way of viewing and solving problems with a new angle is defined as lateral thinking. The use of lateral thinking in the generation of new ideas.