Description: Developing breakthrough ideas does not have to be the result of luck or a shotgun effort. Edward de Bono’s Lateral Thinking methods provide a deliberate, systematic process that will result in the generation of new ideas. Creative thinking is not a talent; it’s a skill that can be easily learned. It empowers people by adding strength to their natural abilities. This new thinking leads to changes in attitudes & approaches; flowing creativity and innovation to be liberated from old ideas, creativity and innovation to be liberated from old ideas.

In most real life situations the pieces are not given, we just assume they are there. We assume certain perceptions, certain concepts and certain boundaries. Lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. Lateral thinking is concerned with the perception part of thinking. This is where we organize the external world into the pieces we can then 'process'.

The Lateral Thinking techniques include:

• Alternatives: Use concept extraction as a process tool breeding ground for new ideas. Sometimes we do not look beyond the obvious concepts.
  
• Focus: Learn how to change the focus of your thinking. You will learn the discipline of defining your area & problem focus and sticking to it.
• Challenge: Learn how to analyze & optimize a process. Break apart traditional thinking & sequence new thinking & ideas.
  
• Random Entry: Use random input to open up new patterns of thinking.
  
• Provocation and Movement: Generate provocative statements and use them to create new ideas and concepts.
  
• Harvesting: Capture creative output at the end of a new idea-thinking session. Then sort and organize the ideas by value.
  
• Treatment of Ideas: Develop ideas, shape and tailor them to fit an organization or situation.
  

De Bono claims that the brain is a self-organizing information system which forms asymmetric patterns. In such systems there is a mathematical need for moving across patterns. The tools and processes of lateral thinking are designed to achieve such “lateral” movement. The tools are based on an understanding of self-organizing information systems.  Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

Another way of understanding lateral thinking is through its opposite, vertical thinking. A vertical thinker is analytical, careful and precise, taking the data around a problem and analyzing it with defined methodologies to find logical solutions. A lateral thinker understands vertical thinking, but chooses to create a new pattern deliberately outside of this bounded thought process.

Target Audience: This workshop is designed for those that desire to learn about their traditional Thinking limitations and establish new personal thinking tool sequences for improving the effectiveness of individuals and organizations.

Organization Issues: Today, better quality and better service are essential, but they are not enough.  Creativity and innovation are the only engines that will drive lasting, sustainable, new ideas. Attendees for this session can use the Six Thinking Hats Tools to open communication, while allowing each thinker to put forward his or her thoughts in parallel with the thoughts of others, rather than attacking the thoughts of others. It will allow the user to guide the thought processes in one direction at a time so they can effectively analyze issues, generate new ideas, and make better decisions. They can use the Lateral Thinking Tools to establish a micro-culture of creativity where they can create new, unique and novel ideas.

Objectives: Upon completion of the workshop, participants will see opportunities to produce a “systemic” thinking approach to reduce ambiguity in thinking. They will learn the skills necessary to put opinions and egos aside to focus on a way forward without argument. Additionally, they will learn how to separate emotion from facts, the logical positive from the logical negative and creative thinking from critical thinking.

Cost: None

Handouts: Available for download at after the Forum

Website Material: www.rockypeaklc.com/lateral.htm

Biography: Dale S. Deardorff, DM, is a dynamic, energized leader known for his ability to change the way organizations think and act. A self-proclaimed leadership futurist and acknowledged authority on process and systemic innovation methods; he is a mentor and a catalyst of renewal to many forward thinking profit and non-profit organizations. Dale has a passion for imparting the values of goals of sustainability while balancing the social contradictions of ethics and personal choice.

Dr. Deardorff continues as an instructor for the Business and Management bachelor's program at DeVry and Keller Management schools. For over 10 years he has facilitated classes on Project Management and Human Resources & Communication in Project Management classes.

For over 14 years, he has run a consulting company that focuses on training and teaching "Thinking" tools for Innovation and Organizational performance. He is a prolific extroverted speaker, prominent facilitator, and pioneer in the development & integration between individual thinking preferences and team based performance outcomes. With over 30 years of previous professional experience as a project/program manager, a training consultant, a research and development director, an innovation and a change agent, Dale has often been called a renaissance man.

Dale has master's degrees in 2-dimensional design and engineering and a doctoral degree in organizational leadership. Dr. Deardorff completed 2 years in an Executive Jurist Doctorate program specializing in Intellectual Property, Trademark and Patent law. Dale is currently writing a manuscript on Think-tion® describing the process of integrating specific thinking steps into prescribed action statements.

His current efforts as the Executive Leadership & Innovation Consultant for the Rocky Peak Leadership Center will be to establish an integrated Innovation International research program using the © Innovation Cube and HBDI™ toolsets. Additionally he is focused on creating "Thinking" development programs for young adults. Dale is also responsible for promoting and overseeing strategic relationships with external entities including business, government and partner organizations. He develops and implements regional strategic and operation plans for the leadership team addressing: the mission, development issues, access, quality improvement, financial performance, market assessment/analysis, human resources and information management. He is currently working to bring industry thought leaders together with experts to seed innovation thinking and enable collaboration in design, technology, products, services and business models.

Website: www.rockypeaklc.com

Blog: www.rockypeaklc.com/blog/

Contact: Dale can be reached by e-mail at dale@rockypeaklc.com for additional information about this Pre-Conference session.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dalesdeardorff