Think! by Edward de Bono Read Free Book Online Page B

1.
    Provocation andmovement
    We then use a new mental operation called 'movement' to move forward from the provocation to a new idea (the most extreme form of movement). So this is another way of moving laterally.
    The general sense of 'movement' means the willingness to move forwards in a positive exploring way rather than

stopping to judge whether something is right or wrong. We can use movement to move forwards from a weak idea to a stronger one. We can use movement to move forwards from a suggestion to a concrete idea. We can use movement to move forwards from a concept to an idea.
    There are many ways of carrying out movement:
You can extract a concept and then work with this.
You can focus on the difference between the provocation and the usual situation.
You can pick out the positive aspects and work with these.
You can imagine the provocation put into action and see what happens.
    Po, cars should have square wheels. This would be totally unacceptable to an engineer. You would need too much energy. The car would shake to pieces. The ride would be very bumpy. With 'movement', we imagine the square wheel rolling. It rises up on a point and then descends to a flat area. This is cyclical and is known in advance. So if the suspension was adapted in advance, you could get a smooth ride. From this, we develop the idea of 'anticipatory suspension'. A small jockey wheel in front of the car senses the bumpiness of the ground. This is signalled back so that the suspension reacts in advance. The wheel follows the contour of the ground, but the vehicle proceeds smoothly. If you run over bumpy ground, you do not bump up and down. The car remains

steady but the wheels follow the profile of the ground. This idea was tried out by a motor manufacturer, who reported that it worked exactly as predicted. They did not use a jockey wheel but used pressure changes in the suspension itself. But the provocation had led to the development of a new suspension system.
    Po, planes land upside down. This sounds totally absurd. If planes landed upside down, the wings would give a downward thrust. From this comes the idea of having two small winglets on normal planes. These would provide a 'negative bias', a downward thrust. If extra lift was needed in an emergency, these winglets would be cancelled – by folding them upwards, for example. This would instantly provide extra lift. Many plane accidents are caused by the inability to switch on extra lift immediately in an emergency situation. I discussed this idea at one point with some Boeing executives. Using provocation led to an interesting idea.
    Thelogicof provocation
    Mathematicians fully understand the need for provocation. Self-organising systems tend to settle down in a stable equilibrium, which is called a local equilibrium. They remain in that state until provocation moves them towards a more global equilibrium.
    Mathematicians call the process 'annealing', which comes from making steel. The steel crystals lock into a position that is stable but not very strong. So you provoke

them with heat again and they lock into a stronger position – and so on.
    In a way, the mind also settles into a stable local equilibrium. Provocation is needed to move it into a more global equilibrium.
    Ways of setting up provocations
    The most important point to keep in mind is that a provocation is not a half idea or on the way to a possible idea. A provocation is related to the existing situation. Once you have the provocation, then you use it for its movement value.
    Anything can be treated as a provocation. You can dismiss an idea in judgement terms and then choose to use that idea as a provocation. There are also formal ways of setting up provocations: escape, reversal, distortion, exaggeration and wishful thinking.
    Arising
    A remark that arises in the course of a discussion or a brainstorming session can be deliberately used as a provocation. This is not instead of judgement of that remark but in addition