Tuesday February 07, 2006
Provocative Operations
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Speaking of simplicity, complexity and internal narratives, sometimes you actually want to encourage the associative thoughts within your head, not gag them. And perhaps even share them with those around you.
You've probably all done some brainstorming at work. Yes I know...sigh (or maybe sigh). We're about to do some round here. So I was doing some reading about what the experts recommend. Thus far, the texts I have read focus on the basic accoutrements of any self-respecting brainstormer: the deep box of colored pens, the thrillingly unlimited supply of PostIts, an intimidatingly thick unused flip-chart, the white walled room free of clocks, noise and humanity....
We're just missing the man-sized hamster wheel, I thought.
Then I read about Edward de Bono's Provocative operations: an often dumb idea that breaks some of your assumptions in the problem space, and can therefore form the basis of new ideas. Sounds like much more fun: blurt it out, whatever it is. Maybe someone had a Provocative Operation a generation ago to say that soon you would see otherwise normal people talking and laughing to themselves in public. The internal narrative inside your head you censor all day long has a place after all. Phew !
So now, what does happen when the Unstoppable Force meets the Immovable Object ?
Posted by dannycoward ( Feb 07 2006, 12:26:00 PM PST ) Permalink
