Below is an excerpt from the blog of Robert Heller at Thinking Managers, who posted these thoughts of de Bono's on 11/20/2005.
They are very much in alignment with my intention of my own work.
- We need to match skills of analysis with an equal emphasis on the skills of design
- We need to do as much idea-work as we do information-work. We need to shift from an obsession with history to a concern for the future
- We need to emphasize ‘operacy’ as much as knowledge. The skills of doing are as important as the skills of knowing
- We need, for the first time, to realise that creative thinking is a serious and essential part of the thinking process
- We need to move from our exclusive concern with the logic of processing to the logic of perception (from rock logic to water logic)
What do you think?
I love the idea that you pose: "The skills of doing are as important as the skills of knowing." What is the purpose of knowing if you don't do? In fact, sometimes you don't truly have the knowledge of something unless you do it.
ReplyDeleteI fully agree that creative thinking is essential to our thought process. I know that creativity for some is like breathing and others need some practice to get our right and left brains to work together. As a rehabilitating left-brainer, I have been exercising my right brain and have been more productive in everything I involve it in. In fact, even thought I haven't taken the Brian Weller yet, I've seen enough people mind mapping with those fancy pens (which I've been a bit envious of). I bought myself some fancy pens and at a workshop last weekend I drew as well as took notes and felt I absorbed much more.
I'm excited to follow this blog and learn from one of the most creative people I know!
I'm drawn to the quote of an obsession with history to a concern for the future. As a history major and a person who will go on to teach history in the high schools of western washington, i find this quote to be especially potent. Rather than just teaching kids what happened and the classic historical 'why?', lets teach a history about the future. Lets get people thinking about things differently, RRRenew their ideas. Great job! looking forward to new posts.
ReplyDeleteMiriam and Elyn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the thoughtful and affirming posts! I'm starting to get the real possibilities for co-creation with this medium. The idea of teaching history about the future reminds me of the idea of "back-casting" which I first came across in The Natural Step for Business (Nattrass & Altomare, 1999, New Society Publishers).
"The concept of “backcasting” is central to a strategic approach for sustainable development. It is a way of planning in which a successful outcome is imagined in the future, followed by the question: “what do we need to do today to reach that successful outcome?” This is more effective than relying too much on forecasting, which tends to have the effect of presenting a more limited range of options, hence stifling creativity, and more important, it projects the problems of today into the future."
This is clearly a good source for my blog, and I'll see if I can add a link today!