── ── Mental model

Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking is the discipline of solving problems by approaching them from unexpected angles — not by going deeper along an existing logical path but by moving sideways to a new starting point. Coined by Edward de Bono, it converts creative leaps into learnable, repeatable techniques: assumption challenge, random entry, concept extraction, and PO (Provocative Operation). The brain is a…

How it works

Six steps producing a Lateral Thinking Report — a structured map of new directions generated by deliberately disrupting existing patterns.

Stop rule: At Step 6, if no direction passes the feasibility screen, return to Step 2 with different assumption targets or a different random entry word. Stop signal: all directions after screening are indistinguishable from the original frame.

1. Reframe as a How-Might-We question. Strip hidden assumptions. Wrong: "How do we build a better airport check-in?" Right: "How might we help travelers move from curb to gate with minimal friction?" 2. Extract the assumption inventory. List every "obvious," "given," "necessary" constraint — 15–20 minimum. Rank by importance × never-challenged; top 5 are challenge targets. 3. Challenge each top assumption. For each: "Why must this be true?" and "What becomes possible if it is false?" Capture each answer as a direction candidate, not a solution. 4. Inject random stimulation. Select 3–5 random words (dictionary, random generator, date-indexed). Force a connection to the problem for each. Do not evaluate — capture every association. 5. Extract the concept layer. For 2–3 most promising candidates: abstract the underlying functional concept. Then generate 3+ alternative implementations of that concept. 6. Apply PO as a final pattern-disruptor. Formulate 2–3 deliberately absurd statements (prefix "PO:"). Use each as a springboard. Filter outputs with feasibility: technical viability, commercial viability, time-to-validation. Select 2–3 directions for deep investigation.

When to use it

• ** team cycles through the same 2–3 options
• an industry assumption has gone years untested
• someone says "think outside the box / we need a breakthrough / how might we / we've tried everything"
• solution space feels exhausted despite good problem definition

Worked example

IDEO Shopping Cart Redesign (1999)

A primary-source-documented application. Not a parable — documented by ABC News Nightline (broadcast July 13, 1999) and subsequently analyzed in Tom Kelley's The Art of Innovation (Doubleday, 2001).