Lateral Thinking

In Serious Creativity, Edward de Bono describes how he came to be interested in a type of thinking that computers are unable to achieve: creative and perceptive thought. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary defines lateral thinking as follows: "to seek the solution to a problem through unorthodox or apparently illogical methods." Lateral thinking involves solving problems by moving sideways to discover different perceptions, concepts and points of view. The term covers a variety of methods, including those that challenge us to move outside of our daily patterns of thought. Lateral thinking is achieved by cutting across patterns in a self-organised system and has much to do with perception.

For example, Grandmother is sitting and knitting, and Susan, who is three years old, is bothering her by playing with the wool. One of the parents suggests putting Susan inside her playpen. The other suggests that it would be a better idea to put Grandma inside of the playpen to protect her from Susan. This is an example of lateral thinking!

The term "Lateral Thinking" can be used in two ways:

• Specifically: To refer to a set of systematic techniques utilised to change existing concepts and perceptions and generate new ones.
• Generally: To refer to the exploration of multiple possibilities and options, in contrast to an adherence to a single point of view.

Translated from La Iniciativa de Comunicación - click here for the Spanish version.