Vertical thinking, on the other hand, is a problem-solving approach that favors a selective, analytical, structured, and sequential mindset. The focus of vertical thinking is to arrive at a reasoned, defined solution.
Understanding lateral thinking
Lateral thinking is a creative approach to problem-solving that endeavors to break down traditional notions of vertical or conditioned thinking.
Practitioners tackle problems with reasoning that is either disruptive or not immediately obvious.
These individuals are the classic “out of the box” thinkers who use indirect methods to see problems from multiple perspectives and discover innovative solutions.
Lateral thinking is often associated with brainstorming and by extension, writer and philosopher Edward de Bono who noted that “You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper.”
The six thinking hats brainstorming method was first proposed by de Bono in his 1971 book Lateral Thinking for Management.
The method encourages brainstorming teams to wear six colored hats with each individual adopting a specific personality whose unique perspective challenges ideas and stimulates discussion.
Understanding vertical thinking
Unfortunately, vertical thinking is how most people view the world. Vertical thinkers analyze, process, and utilize information in a sequential, patterned, or direct way to arrive at a solution.
Since each step must be relevant to the previous step before the individual can move forward, vertical thinking does not lend itself to creativity or experimentation.
Instead, decisions are made based on the best available knowledge.
Vertical thinking also places more importance on the past in determining how a current situation may have occurred or a future situation may be mitigated.
Examples and Case Studies
- Innovation and Product Development: When developing new products or services, companies may use lateral thinking to come up with innovative ideas. They may organize brainstorming sessions where team members are encouraged to think outside the box and explore unconventional solutions to customer needs or market challenges.
- Problem-Solving in Business: In business, lateral thinking can be applied to tackle complex problems, such as improving operational efficiency or finding new revenue streams. Teams may use techniques like mind mapping or random word association to stimulate creative thinking and generate new ideas.
- Design Thinking: Lateral thinking is a fundamental aspect of design thinking, a problem-solving approach that emphasizes empathy, creativity, and experimentation. Design thinkers seek to understand users’ needs deeply and explore various solutions to meet those needs.
- Entrepreneurial Ventures: Entrepreneurs often rely on lateral thinking to identify unique business opportunities and create disruptive products or services. They may challenge conventional industry practices and explore novel ways to address customer pain points.
- Marketing and Advertising: In marketing and advertising, lateral thinking can lead to groundbreaking campaigns and ideas that capture consumers’ attention. Advertisers may use unexpected and creative approaches to communicate messages effectively.
- Educational Approaches: In education, lateral thinking can be encouraged to foster creativity and critical thinking skills in students. Teachers may design activities that require students to think outside the box and explore different perspectives.
- Personal Problem-Solving: In personal life, individuals can apply lateral thinking to find solutions to challenges they face. For example, when facing a career change, lateral thinking may involve exploring alternative career paths or creative ways to leverage existing skills and experiences.
Key takeaways:
- Lateral thinking is the process of developing many creative solutions to problems without casting judgment on them. Vertical thinking is more selective and structured and uses reason to arrive at a solution.
- Lateral thinkers focus on overlooked aspects of a problem, while vertical thinkers tend to look to the past to decide how to proceed in the present or the future. Lateral thinkers are also comfortable breaking free from the status quo with vertical thinkers more likely to follow sequential steps and rely on the available knowledge.
- Despite the distinctions between the two thinking methods, note that neither should be used in isolation all of the time. In essence, vertical thinking helps determine whether any of the numerous ideas generated from lateral thinking are valid or viable.
Key Highlights:
- Lateral Thinking vs. Vertical Thinking: Lateral thinking is a creative problem-solving approach that encourages unconventional and non-linear thinking to find innovative solutions. Vertical thinking, on the other hand, is structured and sequential, focusing on arriving at reasoned, defined solutions.
- Lateral Thinking Characteristics: Lateral thinkers employ indirect and disruptive reasoning, viewing problems from multiple perspectives to discover novel solutions. This approach is associated with “out of the box” thinking.
- Six Thinking Hats: Edward de Bono introduced the Six Thinking Hats method, where team members adopt specific personalities represented by colored hats to challenge ideas and stimulate discussion during brainstorming sessions.
- Vertical Thinking Characteristics: Vertical thinking relies on sequential, patterned, and direct reasoning, which does not often lend itself to creativity or experimentation. Decisions are based on available knowledge, and it emphasizes the past in understanding current or future situations.
- Applications of Lateral Thinking: Lateral thinking is used in various fields, including innovation, problem-solving in business, design thinking, entrepreneurial ventures, marketing, education, and personal life to foster creativity and unconventional problem-solving.
- Key Takeaways: Lateral thinking is about developing creative solutions without judgment, while vertical thinking is more structured and selective. Both approaches have their merits, and they can complement each other to arrive at valid and viable solutions.
Read Next: Lateral Thinking
Connected Thinking Frameworks
Convergent vs. Divergent Thinking
Law of Unintended Consequences
Read Next: Biases, Bounded Rationality, Mandela Effect, Dunning-Kruger Effect, Lindy Effect, Crowding Out Effect, Bandwagon Effect.
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