Talk:Parallel thinking

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Design terms

Parallel thinking is i-it-self an operative design that can lead you to new designs. These designs and their effect are described in various books related to education reference to be added below.

The thinking tools thus implements a pragmatic approach to thinking, giving you what is defined as "operacy".

Opearcy

As many of the lateral thinking tools parallel thinking is simple to use - a deceptive quality. As such your initial perception will be that: This is what I always do. However using a simple tool (such as P.M.I., see below) you will soon learn that this is what Edward de Bono refers to as a liberating structure.

liberating structures

Like a ladder such tools allows you to do something that you could not do before. (Rooms, cages, boxes can be limiting structures, where as a hammer, a chair or a table can be a liberating structure).

Important to the liberating design is that you appreciate the difference between a restraining (convergent) structure and the liberating lateral structures.

How and why it works!

For cognitive reasons we are all biased to think in patterns, rather than "breaking" these patterns we can create frameworks or checklists.... that may helps us avoid specific pitfalls.

Several studies - say J. P. Guilford - shows that the human brain has a natural preference for convergent thinking. We thus prefer logic over confusion, not only because this 'makes sense' - but the brain can not cope with high complexity.

Using a specific checklist will help us explore complex topics quickly and further with a design that avoids categories (that our brain normally prefer) we can also avoid the 'intelligence trap'. (The intelligence trap is a strong kind of convergent thinking where we (often using creativity) bootstrap an explanation. The intelligence trap is parallel to what is often refered to as group think.

Using various implementations of parallel thinking you can thus think in tracks rather than categories, and you can avoid idealized frameworks - say "mimicking"/modeling ideal thinkers can be avoided.

Sample implementation

One basic implementation could be the SWOT or P.M.I. - both frameworks can be a specific implementation of parallel thinking. Below you find a sample PMI that explores some of the aspects of parallel thinking - please add your own parallel statements.

Also you can try the PMI on more or less provocative/creative suggestions (for doing such statements see PO.

Positive effects/aspects

• Avoids adversarial thinking
• Focus on performance over Ego
• Explorations in to what can be

Negative effects/aspects

• Requires specific training
• May be seen as simplistic
• Intellectual/academic arguments are seen as neutral
• Does not seek truth or scientific solution

Interesting effects/aspects

• You can add to this list!!
• Helps you explore laterally
• Specific implementations can be taught

Published works

• Parallel Thinking Edward De Bono - 1990
• Six Thinking Hats Edward De Bono - 1984