Archive for the ‘Creative Thinking’ Category

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Meetings: procrastination or undesirable complication?

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Many years ago at University, one of the most memorable lectures I attended was “failing to plan is planning to fail”.  It has stuck with me and proven an extremely valuable ethos when approaching any kind of work.  Overlay this with “two heads are better than one” and you find the birthplace of the ever-present in business: MEETINGS.

One of the major complaints that come from organisational executives is the overwhelming number of meetings that they have to attend – “stopping them from doing their real jobs”.  But are meetings the perfect vehicle for procrastination?  Do managers secretly enjoy attending meetings?  And like it even more when they get the opportunity to complain about it?  A very British trait.

OK, so this is a sceptical viewpoint, but we can all agree that if meetings are more effective then so is the organisation. 

Let us know your opinion on our meeting theory.  Procrastination or undesirable complication?

de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats® is a meeting management tool that can half meeting times and double their effectiveness.  Interested?  Call Indigo Consultant, James Arnum-White, on 020 7924 8760.

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The de Bono Weekly Message - A Different Sort of Logic!

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

Our habits of thinking are too much judgement based and not enough design based. This arises from the origin with the GG3 (Greek Gang of Three). When this thinking came into Europe at the Renaissance, the Church ran schools, universities and thinking in general. What the Church needed was truth, logic and argument to prove heretics wrong. So we developed an excellent thinking system for ‘finding the truth’ but we never developed thinking ‘for creating value (design)’.

 

Our language also forces us to use judgement. We need to judge whether something is a ‘chair’ before we can us the word ‘chair’. We cannot easily say ‘a sort of thing for sitting on’. So everything ends up in sharp edged boxes. To these we can then apply the logic of Aristotle.

 

Sooner or later I am going to develop a very different sort of logic.

Edward de Bono, 6th June 2009

 

Interested in Thinking Differently?  Learn the thinking tools that have revolutionised many public and private sector companies, helping them to innovate on demand.  Attend a Dr Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking™ & Serious Creativity workshop across the UK - Go to http://www.indigobusiness.co.uk/workshops/workshop.php?wid=4 .

 

 

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The de Bono Weekly Message - Out of the Box!

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

 

The brain is designed to allow incoming information to form itself into routine patterns. Without this life would be impossible. With eleven items of clothing to put on in the morning, it would take seventy six years to go through all the ways of getting dressed - spending just one minute on each.

 

It is the same with organisations. People working within an organisation become aware of the idiom, the culture and the guiding frames for that organisation. That is why they perform well.  It is very difficult for executives to think outside this box. What is worse is that when someone makes a conscious effort to jump out of the box, they usually jump too far.  

 

It is even more difficult to think of an idea which is only slightly outside of the box. Of course, executives should learn the specific thinking tools of Lateral Thinking™.  These can be very powerful.  Use of just one tool generated 21,000 new ideas in a workshop in one afternoon. There is also another approach which I shall outline in my next message.

 

Edward de Bono
10th May 2009

 

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If you would like to learn more about Lateral Thinking and how you can learn Dr de Bono’s techaniques, or have your team trained, come to one of our training workshops by booking online at http://www.indigobusiness.co.uk/workshops/workshop.php?wid=4 

 

To get these messages emailed to you FREE, simply join the De Bono Weekly Message mailing list by CLICKING HERE

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The de Bono Weekly Message - Difficult Times / Problem Solving

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

 

There is a difference between difficult times and a problem. With difficult times the universe of action is changed. All logics are only relevant in their particular universe - just as the universe of a patterning system is different from a language universe.

 

The recession at the moment qualifies as a difficult time, so a rather different thinking is required from traditional problem solving.  Values become even more important.  Problem solving usually implies a return to the situation before the problem. That is not possible for an individual or a corporation.

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For further news about Dr Edward de Bono, or to get his weekly messages emailed to you simply click on INNOVATION IN MY INBOX.

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The de Bono Weekly Message - Creative Challenge

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

 

Here is a creative Challenge for you.  Most existing sports have been around a long time. The Challenge is to invent a new sport. There are the following requirements:

 

  1. Must look good on television.
  2. There must be build up and anticipation (about to happen etc).
  3. Suitable for mixed ages.
  4. Easy to understand and follow.
  5. Colourful.

Post your ideas on this blog and all entries will be sent to me to review.

 

Dr Edward de Bono

4th May 2009

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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT DR EDWARD DE BONO: Call Indigo on +44 (0)20 7924 8760 or email info@indigobusiness.co.uk

 

 

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Edward de Bono & Garrison doctor attend Lords event

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

 

Garrison doctor Patrick Treacy was at the House of Lords in London recently to participate in a pioneering humanitarian event.

 

Dr. Treacy joined Dr Edward de Bono who headed up the event which saw the beginning of a ‘Thinking Evolution’ designed to help bring about a world shift in attitudes to humanity.

 

The event brought together invited leaders in their field to generate creative ideas on how to bring about this change for a better world.

 

Dr. Edward de Bono studied at St Edward’s College in Malta and gained a medical degree from the University of Malta. He was a Rhodes Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford where he gained an M.A. degree in psychology and physiology.

 

The New University of Advancing Technology in Phoenix Arizona appointed Dr. de Bono Da Vinci Professor of Thinking in May 2005.

 

He is among one of 27 European Union ambassadors for the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION… about Dr Edward de Bono, Lateral Thinking and his work in transforming the way global organisations think, contact www.indigobusiness.co.uk on +44 (0)20 7924 8761

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The de Bono Weekly Message - Football

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

I once suggested a change to the rules of soccer. When there is a draw then extra time is played. If there is still a draw then there is a penalty shoot-out. This introduces an element of luck. In addition if one side has a player good at penalty shooting then that side would win.  My suggestion would reflect the whole game. Every time the goalkeeper touched the ball that side gets a minus point. This would encourage attacks on goal and discourage passing back to the goal-keeper. After extra time if the score was still equal then the side with the least minus points is the winner. This now reflects the whole game.  

It may take a long time for this rule to be adopted. Meantime newspaper reporters could report a game as Goals 3 - 1; de Bono 10 - 30. That way people would get used to the idea.

EDWARD DE BONO - London, 22nd April 2009;  Learn more about Dr Edward de Bono at http://www.indigobusiness.co.uk/debono/index.php 

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The de Bono Weekly Message - Positive News Agency

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

The media, and especially the press, are usually full of negative news: murders, attacks, economic failures etc. It may be that experience has indeed shown that negative matters are of more interest to readers. Even if this is so, I believe that at least one page of positive news would be welcomed by readers. Readers would turn to this page - even if they found the negative stuff more interesting.  Editors might agree with me. Then they would ask where positive stuff is to come from. Negative stuff comes easily from the police or the law courts. But where is the source of positive stuff.  

So my suggestion is that someone sets up a ‘Positive News Agency’. This would be a news agency like Reuters. It would collect positive news and make it available on demand.

EDWARD DE BONO - 2nd April 2009

If you would like to know morw about Dr de Bono’s world renowned training, simply call +44 20 7924 8760 or go to www.indigobusiness.co.uk

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The Edward de Bono Weekly Message - Economic Crisis

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

The current economic crisis requires some new thinking. It will not get that. There will be a lot of analysis and references to the 1930 crisis.

 The methods for influencing the local economy are very limited. There are interest rate changes and there are tax changes. If there is inflation you raise the interest rate. If you are in the eurozone you cannot do that because interest rates are set by the Central Bank in Europe and if other countries do not have inflation you cannot raise the interest rates.

 It is assumed that if raising the interest rates stop inflation then the opposite should stop deflation. So interest rates may be reduced almost to zero. The effect is weak or absent. Edward de Bono - 31st March 2009

 If you would like to know more about the de Bono Thinking Training, simply call us on +44 20 7924 8760 or go to www.indigobusiness.co.uk

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The de Bono Weekly Message - About Education – EBNE

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

Education is all about knowledge and analysis. There is a complete lack of ‘operacy’ and design. Operacy covers the skill of doing and making things happen. Design is putting together what you have to deliver the values you want.

Our traditional thinking strongly influenced by Church needs, is concerned with finding the truth. That is ebne (excellent but not enough). We have never emphasised the thinking that is needed to create value.

Education at all levels from primary school to university should have significant elements of operacy and of design. Having a wonderful road map is ebne. You also need to know how to drive and how to choose your destination.

If you wish to learn the De Bono Thinking Methods simply go to www.debono.co.uk to learn world renowned workshops like The Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking™ and many more. 

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