Lateral Thinking: How To Make Ideas In A Hurry

Lateral thinking is a way of solving problems using an indirect and creative approach. In other words, taking the path that is not immediately obvious, or “thinking outside the box”. It involves ideas that are not obtainable using step-by-step logic. It is the polar opposite of vertical thinking — the traditional way of problem solving. Vertical thinking is linear, relies on existing patterns, methodical, and does not welcome new approaches. Whereas lateral thinking is non-linear, restructures existing patterns, creative, tolerates uncertainty, and welcomes and bolsters novelty.

New ideas are formed via lateral thinking. It’s what we seek to cultivate with idea-generating and focus methods — such as brainstorming and the six thinking hats. There are various ways this is done. Random ideas: the thinker chooses an object or word from a dictionary at random and associates it what they are generating ideas for. Provocative ideas: exaggerating, reversing, and distorting outcomes in a way to make them outlandish to lead the thinker to new ideas. Challenge-driven ideas: you could regard this as the toddler approach, where the thinker continuously asks why something exists, why it is done the way it is, and so on.

The crux of lateral thinking is veering from the traditional path of reasoning. Normal thinking is linear and sequential, focused on reaching conclusions based on existing knowledge. Lateral thinking forces you to look at problems from new angles and make unexpected connections. It’s the creative way to go about problem-solving. The method works best when conventional logic doesn’t work or when you wish to find unique yet practical solutions. Creativity is a skill. So is this process — the more you break from your usual thinking patterns and form new connections, the better you will become.

Real-world applications of lateral thinking:

• Business: a company is facing stagnation in product development. Using lateral thinking, the team could explore unconventional business models to create a disruptive service that redefines their industry — think Uber and taxis, Netflix and movie streaming.

• Marketing: a marketing campaign isn’t resonating with customers. By questioning the assumptions behind their copy and using analogies from unrelated industries, the team could craft creative, off-beat campaigns that capture public attention — think Nike’s “Just Do It”, Old Spice’s Man commercials, or Snickers’ “You’re not you when you’re hungry.”

• Product: a product is outdated and no longer meets customer demands. Applying radical thinking could inspire radical redesigns that the company hadn’t considered before — think Amazon that was a bookstore before becoming an e-commerce and computing giant, or Play-Doh that was first sold as a cleaner to remove residue from wallpaper.

• Education: traditional teaching methods are failing to engage students. Educators could use lateral thinking to develop interactive, student-centered learning experiences that foster creativity — think the recent adoption of AI, gamification, and AR and VR in education.

• Personal Problems: you might be facing a recurring personal challenge or professional dilemma. Employ lateral thinking to brainstorm unconventional approaches — think going hybrid and setting up an office at home or finding a remote occupation and moving to Bali or what have you.

How you might use lateral thinking as a mental model: (1) random stimuli — introduce random inputs (words, images, objects) to spark fresh ideas, and associate them to what you’re trying to solve; (2) provocative things — make deliberately outrageous statements to break free of conventional constraints, like “What job would I pick if money were no object?” or “How would we solve our customer service issue if time were unlimited?”; (3) challenge yourself — question what you believe, like, if you assume that customers always appreciate fast delivery, ask, “What if customers actually prefer sustainability over speed?”; (4) whip out the analogies — draw parallels between the issue at hand and completely unrelated fields, like by comparing your business to a natural ecosystem or an aquarium to inspire thoughts about collaboration; (5) drive your brain in reverse — instead of thinking how to solve a problem, think of how you could make it worse.