America's Secret Weapon

Bill Gates recently published America's Secret Weapon an amazing article about innovation and how America needs to invest more into research and development. In a comment to Gate's article, someone wrote that we need an individual with the vision, alignment, and execution of innovation. I think that we need to train the leaders of this country some tools that will help build and execute a game plan in order to remain the top innovative country in the world. Thousands of companies and governments have turned to Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking to push their people to think outside the box. I know these innovative tool will produce the innovative ideas this country needs to remain at the top.

By de Bono Consulting

Brainstorming Tools that Improve Creativity!

Business leaders today have taken an amazing brainstorming tool phase "Think outside the box" and turned it into a buzzword for their creativity. Lateral Thinking was the original brainstorming tool that used this phrase to train our clients to think unconventional or from a different perspective. How can Lateral Thinking improve the company's creativity?

Lateral Thinking will provide a generic process that forces each participant to think of new ways to improve the process. For example, a company is always looking to improve its current distribution systems, product development process, accounting systems, and assembly line processes. By using Lateral Thinking, a company will reduce the number of brainstorming sessions and begin executing their new ideas.

By de Bono Consulting

What Makes the Lateral Thinking Different Than Other Idea Generators?

The difference maker that Lateral Thinking brings to a company is revolutionary. Lateral Thinking changes a companies ideas generators from a slow and difficult process to a fast, productive, and fun process. The competitive advantage the Lateral Thinking gives a company is multiple ideas in a matter of few minutes towards any situation, problem, or process. Below is a fun example of Lateral Thinking Results done in our office.

Problem in the space exploration world: How to land a rocket in order to recycle it?

Current process: Land the rocket the same way it took off.

Lateral Thinking process:

1. Land it like an F-15 lands on an aircraft carrier. 
2. Have a plane catch it in the mid air and assist the landing. 
3. Land it the same way it took off.

This was a 30 second Lateral Thinking session which could change and revolutionize the way rockets land. Lateral Thinking forces the teams thoughts outside of the current ways of doing things and look for more innovative solutions that are beyond this world. This is why our clients see Lateral Thinking as their competitive advantage in today's marketplace.

By de Bono Consulting

Where Good Ideas Come From?

What's the best way to collect these Good Ideas based on our hunches? In addition, how many Good Ideas are lost in the coffee shop?

We use Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking as a tool to collect our Good Ideas or Solutions to our problems. After all, Good Ideas are solutions to our problems. So the next time you have a hunch try our tools to turn that hunch into a Good Idea!

By de Bono Consulting

Six Thinking Hats Maximizes Six Sigma Improvement Projects!

Here's how to use the Six Thinking Hats in Six Sigma improvement projects:

White Hat Thinking: Information Known and Needed

During the Measure phase of a Six Sigma Project, a White Hat session will collect all the projects' information and define the limits for each of the selected outputs. Having all of the information collected in an organized and efficient process will give the Six Sigma Project team the ability to set realistic and achievable targets.   

Green Hat Thinking:  Creativity and Alternatives

The Green Hat or Lateral Thinking tools will provide solutions during the Improve phase of the Six Sigma Project. Using Lateral Thinking tools like PO and Random words will generate creative ideas that will be Harvested systematically. In addition, Lateral Thinking techniques like Challenge will cut unnecessary costs to implement the solution, provide alternative solutions, or improve the projects processes.

Black Hat Thinking: Cautions and Difficulties

The Black Hat will improve the Define phase of the Six Sigma Project by classifying the VOC into Black Hats and Green Hats. Using the results from the Black Hat and Green Hat sessions, the team may use the DMADV project rather than DMAIC based on the potential problems and difficulties that were identified. 

Yellow Hat Thinking: Benefits and Feasibility

During the Improve phase of a Six Sigma Project, a Yellow Hat session will provide the strongest evidence for each of the team solutions so that the team can make the best business decision without bias. In addition, a Yellow Hat session will provide the differences between each solution which will give the team more confidence in their decisions.

Red Hat Thinking: Intuition and Feelings

The Red Hat provides each team member an opportunity to express their gut feelings about the Six Sigma Project and/or solutions in a short phrase or one word. The benefit from a Red Hat session is that each team member and stakeholder has a moment to express their concerns with the teams decision allowing them to buy-into the solution even if he or she does not agree with the solution. This is arguably one of the most powerful benefits of using the Six Thinking Hats.

Blue Hat Thinking: Process Control

The Blue Hat is typically worn by the Master Black Belt on the Six Sigma Project. The Blue Hat session forces the team to focus on finding the best solutions while getting each team members input and buy-in to the team's solution.

Conclusion

There are many companies that have integrated the Six Thinking Hats with Six Sigma methodology to drive their companies business improvement and development. Using the Six Thinking Hats and Six Sigma together will bring clarity to the thought process during every Six Sigma project.

By de Bono Consulting

The Difference Between Innovation and Creativity!

By de Bono Consulting

Elon Musk: 'Life has to be about more than just solving problems'

Elon Musk changed the public's view towards electric cars by breaking the mold of current electric cars by developing a beautiful, fast, luxurious car. This interview is a great description of innovation and creative thinking and must see by those who want to disrupt the status quo.

By de Bono Consulting

Real World Example of Using Six Value Medals

Team's Focus: Should ABC Company remove company cars? See Six Value Medals results below.

Silver: Cost savings

Gold: Eliminates the car's maintenance responsibilities on the driver and the process of buying and selling the cars.

Steel: Allows capital to be moved to other company needs

Wood: Makes the company more environmentally friendly because the company is sharing the employees' car's in order to complete the companies tasks

Brass: Shareholder's result in a net profit increase

Conclusion: Silver/Steel were the two most significant values. Gold/Wood/Brass were a low positive to neutral values. ABC Company's conclusion is to start removing company cars in order to increase shareholder's return on investment.

By de Bono Consulting

Six Thinking Hats Influence Sabrina Tan Decision

In a recent interview by Sonia Kolesnikov, Making Use of a Fresh Perspective, talks about Sabrina Tan's career and her move into Skin, Inc. During the interview, Sabrina Tan talks about her IBM experience and the training she received in presentation skills and the Six Thinking Hats. In the interview, Sabrina Tan mentions that IBM taught her how to use different thinking hats to solve problems and think outside the box which helped lead to her success.

How can the Six Thinking Hats make your business become a game changer within your markets? Does your company training give you the tools you need to make your company competitive and innovative within your industry?

Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking are tools that will jump start your organization's innovative and creativity thinking to make you dominate your market niche.

By de Bono Consulting

Mark Cuban's Insights about Wisdom, Startups, and Innovation

Mark Cuban looks for entrepreneurs that are creative and innovative thinkers that will disrupt their industry. In my opinion, an entrepreneurs success will depend on his or her innovative ideas and how well he or she can execute those ideas. Does your company adhere to Mark Cuban's advice? If so, what tools does your company use to collect and execute its creativity and innovative ideas?

By de Bono Consulting

A Misconception about Six Thinking Hats!

Recently, I read an online post about someone's interpretation of the Six Thinking Hats process and the post fell into a misconception about the Six Thinking Hats. The post talked about how the Six Thinking Hats identifies each persons preferred thinking style and associates each thinking style with a colored hat. According to the post, The Six Thinking Hats were interpreted as follows:

Blue Hat: Big Picture Thinker

White Hat: Fact Thinker

Green Hat: Creative Thinker
Yellow Hat: Constructive or Positive Thinker

Black Hat: 'Devil's Advocate' or Negative Thinker

Red Hat: Intuition or Past Experience Thinker

Using the Six Thinking Hats in this manner is a misconception by those who did not have the proper training in the methodology. The Six Thinking Hats process does not classify or place each person into a hat but rather puts each hat on every person. The reason that Dr. Edward de Bono built a Six Thinking Hats Certification program was to ensure the proper use of the Six Thinking Hats process because the improper use destroys the power of the Six Thinking Hats.

Do you know how to use the power of the Six Thinking Hats?

By de Bono Consulting

Happy New Year! Edward de Bono on Quality of Life

"the quality of our life in the future will be determined by the quality of our thinking."

           ~ Edward de Bono

By de Bono Consulting

Does Your Company Analyze the Past or Design the Future?

As Dr. Edward de Bono said,

"You can analyze the past, but you have to design the future."

This creates a two part question: 

A. Does your company focus on analyzing its past or designing its future opportunities?

B. Do you personally focus on the past or do you design goals for the future?

We believe you should design your future so you and your company may achieve your desired results. The only thing holding you back from achieving your dreams is the obstacles that you place in front of yourself.

By de Bono Consulting

Edward de Bono Live on Positive TV!

By de Bono Consulting

Have You Ever Heard Of A Simplicity Tool?

Do you have processes that are complicated and hard to follow or execute? Above is a video that gives a brief introduction to the Edward de Bono Simplicity Tool. A few of the benefits of using Simplicity are the following:

• Reduce the duplication of efforts to increase ROI
• Remove age-old roadblocks and barriers, which will increase employee and customer satisfaction
• Free your employees to think through new ideas more quickly, leading them to faster market innovations

By de Bono Consulting

Happy Thanksgiving!

From the de Bono Consulting Team!

The holidays can be a hectic time of the year for everyone and a lot of arguments can arise within family conversations. So during this holiday season when the heated arguments arise, remember your de Bono Training and use it to turn the family arguments into productive conversations. Who knows this might be the best Thanksgiving Season ever. As Edward de Bono said,

"A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos.” 

By de Bono Consulting

Lateral Thinking In Use!

Recently, Michael Geller wrote an article entitled, Creative Thinking Required For Affordable Housing. In the article, Geller talks about the lack of affordable housing in Vancouver due to running out of land and the struggle the city is having with developing more affordable housing. The author Geller is calling out for the city to use Edward de Bono's creative thinking tools.

Geller's favorite de Bono technique is captured in this quote,

"When a fish processing company invited him [Edward de Bono] to advise it on how it could more effectively remove fish from the bones, he suggested it focus on removing the bones from the fish."

Based on this way of thinking, Geller presents several ways of adding affordable housing or as he looks at it, "we’re just not making the best use of the land we already have."

So the questions are raised,

What is your problem?
Will you use de Bono technique's, to find a better answer?


By de Bono Consulting

Where did "Think Outside the Box" come from?

Many people use the famous phrase "Think Outside the Box" in their everyday speech. In fact, you probably use this phrase often when you need to solve a problem and do not have a viable solution in front of you. What process do you use or how do you "Think Outside the Box" within your organization? 

At de Bono Consulting, we like to use multiple different Lateral Thinking Tools to push our thinking outside of the box. However, we are always interested in Other Peoples Views on how to think creatively. So let us know how you think creatively? 

Were you able to connect all 9 Dots using only 4 lines?

By de Bono Consulting

Does Your Brainstorming Sessions Resemble The Big Bang Theory's Changing the World Meeting?

Although the short clip of The Big Bang Theory is funny, there is a very important take away from the video that businesses should think about regarding their innovative or creative thought processes. Every company should ask the following questions and be able to answer them quickly and effectively.

1. How does your team stay focused in think tank groups or brainstorming sessions?
2. How does your team capture the ideas from these sessions?
3. Does that brainstorming process push your team beyond its borders?
4. How long does your process take? Is the process cost-effective?
5. Does your team use or have a process for brainstorming?
6. Most importantly, does your process work?

These are some of the questions, that teams need to ask themselves so that they do not waste their time and money. Six Hats and Lateral Thinking are excellent tools that will keep your team focused on its objectives and expand its creative and innovative solutions. Imagine the possibilities if your team spent more of its time executing your ideas rather than brainstorming for ideas.

de Bono Consulting challenges each team to change their world for the better and by changing their world, they will be changing everyone's world. Is your team changing the world?

By de Bono Consulting

Have Debates Stalled Your Projects, Try Using Your Hats

Everyone has been on a team project where the project stalled due to lack of possible solutions. This problem reminds me of a team project called Synapse that the Defensed Advanced Research Projects Agency and IBM faced. 

How did these scientist find new possible solutions? What brainstorming activity did they use when everything looked hopeless?

According to the New York Times article by Dharmendra S. Modha, the team of 25 participants crowd a room to go through a Six Hats brainstorming exercise. This exercise allowed the team to use a blueprint that removed the teams emotions and tap into the creative possibilities to finish the Synapse project. This blueprint became the standard for all challenges the team encountered in the future. 

Below are the most important takeaways the team took away per the Dharmendra S. Modha:

1. Identify problems and confront them proactively.

2. Under deadline pressure, use a flat management structure, allowing people to contribute ideas rapidly.

3. To sustain morale and keep team members engaged and productive, share credit for successes and learn from failures.

4. Remember that the creative potential of committed individuals, if harnessed properly, has great potential to bring constructive change. 

So the next time you encounter an unsolvable problem, look to the Six Hats for a blueprint to solve the problem.

By de Bono Consulting