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Lateral thinking is a manner of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach via reasoning that is not immediately obvious. Synonymous to thinking outside the box , it involves ideas that may not be obtainable using only traditional step-by-step logic . [ 1 ]
The lateral thinking technique proposes to escape from this patterning to arrive at better solutions through new ideas. Provocative use of information processing is the basic underlying principle of lateral thinking, The provocative operator (PO) is something which characterizes lateral thinking. Its function is to generate new ideas by ...
The term po was first created by Edward de Bono as part of a lateral thinking technique to suggest forward movement, that is, making a statement and seeing where it leads to. It is an extraction from words such as hypothesis , suppose , possible and poetry , all of which indicate forward movement and contain the syllable "po."
Here are six expert-approved strategies to strengthen this mental muscle.
This metaphor of using an imaginary hat or cap as a symbol for a different thinking direction was first mentioned by De Bono as early as 1971 in his book "Lateral Thinking for Management" when describing a brainstorming framework. [2] These metaphors allow for a more complete and elaborate segregation of the thinking directions.
In general, parallel thinking is a further development of the well-known lateral-thinking processes, focusing even more on explorations—looking for what can be rather than for what is. Parallel thinking is defined as a thinking process where focus is split in specific directions.
"Those kind of slip-ups a lot of times are natural -- I mean they happen to everybody," says John Updegraff, a professor of social and health psychology at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.
The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward de Bono to denote a creative problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles, and is typically necessary to the solution of situation puzzles. The term "lateral-thinking puzzle" was popularised by Paul Sloane in his 1992 book Lateral Thinking Puzzlers. [1]