The Front Line Guide to Thinking Clearly

The Lesson from the Other Side of the Fence

13

Lateral Thinking

Perhaps the concept for which de Bono is best known is

lateral thinking, the opposite of vertical thinking (which is

what we have lived with all these years). Vertical thinking is

linear: It’s like stringing blocks together, one on top of

another or in a straight line. There’s always an “immediate

precedent” block, because logic demands it. Here’s where de

Bono comes in: If linear logic and vertical thinking don’t

provide the desired result, you have to do something outside

the chain of logic you’ve been following. More of the same

old stuff is not going to work for you. This ...