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Sumeet Kaul

Mumbai , Feb. 26

IF you thought, thinking is something that cannot be taught, think again. "Thinking is a skill which you can learn and teach," says Dr Edward de Bono, a leading authority on creative thinking and originator of "lateral thinking".

An author of more than 60 books with translations in over 34 languages, Dr de Bono has worked with major corporations such as IBM, British Airways, Microsoft and Siemens. Now, Tata Consultancy Services has developed de Bono Thinking 24X7 - a digital version of de Bonos's Six Thinking Hats and Lateral Thinking techniques to help customers apply them in their daily professional life.

So, how did this love affair with thinking and creativity start? "My background is in medicine and I developed ideas in self-organising systems. A great part of these ideas were applied to what happens with the neural networks in the brain, and I wrote a book called The Mechanism of Mind. On that basis I designed tools, which could make the brain better," he says.

The concept of `lateral thinking', he says, is based on an understanding of self-organising systems that make asymmetric patterns. In simpler words, lateral thinking is all about "changing concepts, perceptions and ideas".

Does culture come in the way of teaching thinking? Not really, says Dr de Bono. "There is no cultural problem. People from different ages, communities and cultures can be taught thinking," he says.

According to Dr de Bono, once people realise that thinking can be taught in simple, direct steps, they don't oppose it.

He believes companies thatrealise the importance of teaching thinking will prosper. "Thinking pattern in organisations is very much continuity - keep doing what you have been doing, keep doing what you are supposed to be doing and solve the problems that arise. That's fine, but it does not include creative thinking, change thinking, design thinking," he says.

How do organisations that imbibe creative thinking benefit? "They will grow, they will adapt to changing circumstance, and will make better use of their assets. And they will move ahead of the competition," he says.

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