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De bono seminar / report / 2,694w

Edward de Bono on creativity and innovation

Nyenrode Business Universiteit underscored its commitment to new and creative ways of thinking
by hosting a seminar on March 8 that combined in-depth presentations by Dr. Edward de Bono, a
global authority in this field, and a discussion with a panel of five innovative and successful
entrepreneurs.

At 9.30am on March 8 a capacity audience packed the Pfizer Auditorium at Nyenrode. This was Edward
de Bono’s second visit to the university, more than a decade after the first. Although he is now in his
seventies, the man introduced by Harry Starren, director of De Baak Management Center VNO-NCW,
seemed to have lost none of his vigor. Starren chose to mention just one of De Bono’s accolades, which
says it all: “He has had a planet named after him.”

Interaction
De Bono’s modus operandi was straightforward. Rather than using prepared sheets, he drew simple
pictures and wrote down key words, which were projected on a large screen and on strategically placed
monitors. Much of his presentation hinged on interaction with his audience, who were given two, three or
four minutes to consider the questions put to them. After giving the matter at hand some thought
individually, they were invited to discuss it with their neighbors. De Bono stopped discussion like a football
referee stops play: by blowing a whistle.

Coming straight to the point, De Bono asked the participants: “Why do we need creativity?” When they
had formulated their thoughts, he replied: “Because computers will do everything else. Everything else will
become a commodity. Our competitors abroad are catching up fast. In India, for example, 50,000 schools
are using my training methods, so competing on cost is clearly no longer an option.” Creativity, he later
added, is necessary to solve problems and conflicts and to develop opportunities, and also for invention,
design, improvement and simplification.

Considering possibilities
Even at top universities, De Bono said, the importance of considering possibilities is neglected. He
illustrated the point with an example from his medical background – De Bono holds a D.Phil. in medicine.
An Australian doctor who suggested a new way of treating peptic ulcers was initially laughed at, but he
was proved right and went on to win the Nobel Prize.

One of the obstacles that have to be overcome to give creativity a chance is language, because words
have rigid meanings. Modern democracies are not designed to welcome new ideas either. To counteract
this, De Bono recently visited Serbia to help set up a Council for New Thinking. “The main reason why
creativity is difficult is that the human brain is designed to be non-creative,” he said. “It uses stable,
routine patterns to deal with a stable world.” Harking back to the “Greek Gang of Three” (Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle) and the clergy that controlled thinking in the post-medieval period, he explained that
traditional thinking is successful in science and technology, but inadequate in human affairs. We are often
too quick to make a case or pursue an argument instead of exploring a subject more broadly.

Thinking hats
To persuade people to abandon their customary thinking patterns and think in parallel with others for
more constructive results, De Bono devised the system of the Six Thinking Hats, each of which
symbolizes a mode of thinking. Using colored pencils, he drew a white hat for information, facts and
figures; a red hat for feelings, intuition and emotions; a black hat for caution, criticism and risk
assessment; a yellow hat for value, benefits and opportunities; a green hat for creativity, fertility and new
ideas; and a blue hat for organization, focus and objective. By using these imaginary colored hats to
orchestrate the thinking of participants in a meeting, for example, a subject can be efficiently explored
from every angle.

De Bono’s book about the six hats has been an international best seller. The hats, he claims, will fit
anyone, from schoolchildren to top executives. “One company is so sold on this way of working that it has
had the hats woven into its carpets,” he said. ‘Talking hats’ can become a kind of code language between
people familiar with the theory, as in: “What’s your yellow-hat thinking on this?” ‘Wearing the hats’ is
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popular among managers because it saves valuable time and removes cultural inhibitions, for example in
the Far East.

For a ‘hats-on’ exercise De Bono asked his Nyenrode audience to consider the subject ‘working at home’.
When asked which hat should be worn to make a decision, he replied: “If you have worn all your colored
hats in turn and thoroughly explored a subject, the decision should be obvious.” He considers six
participants the ideal number for a discussion using the hats principle, with one minute allowed per
person per hat. He pointed out, however, that the system is flexible enough to adjust to a much larger
number of people.

Olympic success
De Bono kicked off the second session, after a coffee break, by juxtaposing intelligence and thinking.
“Being intelligent is not enough,” he said. “Thinking is a skill you can develop; it is something you can
learn.” A particularly good student was Peter Ueberroth, the organizer of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los
Angeles. By applying De Bono’s lateral thinking he made the LA Games the first in history to declare a
profit. The Chinese, organizers of the 2008 Olympics, are already knocking on De Bono’s door to help
them repeat the feat.

Commercial benefits aside, De Bono also demonstrated that there is a drastic reduction in criminal
behavior among people who have been taught to think differently. He distinguished three types of
creativity: one that tries to find a better way of doing something, one that looks for better things to do, and
‘crazytivity’ – his word for being different without adding value. De Bono went on to outline some common
misconceptions about creativity, for example that it must be connected with art, and that it is a talent that
cannot be learned. He also mentioned that being free and uninhibited is often mistaken for being creative.

Enlightening answers
The need to break out of existing boundaries and challenge dominant ideas and accepted assumptions is
at the heart of De Bono’s theories. Creativity enables people to jump to ideas that may at first seem
illogical, but whose logic becomes apparent with hindsight. De Bono liberally peppered his presentation
with examples, from unusually designed glasses and bottles to a sleepers-only plane that travels only on
overnight routes. His solution for a question he put to the audience – How to make it difficult to get from A
to B – was both simple and enlightening: you introduce a point C and make it easy to get to that.

De Bono doesn’t like polarization, such as the distinction between business and leisure travel, because it
denies the large gray area in between. “It’s hard to challenge something that is basically ok,” he
conceded. “So just look for alternatives without voicing criticism or attacking anyone.” First the concept
has to be identified and then the possibilities can be studied. At this point De Bono introduced the
‘concept fan’, which has a whole range of ideas at the wide end which can be narrowed down to the one
that best fulfills the purpose.

Provocation
Shortly before the lunch break De Bono explained the concept of provocation or provocative operation.
The idea is to disturb normal thinking patterns in order to move on. An illogical starting point may be
followed by steps that don’t make sense in themselves, but interesting and useful ideas may spring from
them. De Bono drew a parallel with annealing in science. He also gave the example of a taxi driver who
doesn’t know the way. He or she may seem useless, but if such taxis are identified and are only hailed by
residents who know where they want to go, they could be a cheap and practical alternative. De Bono: “To
arrive at a new idea, you first have to get movement.”

Misinformation and chance

Frequently switching between abstract ideas and mundane examples, De Bono continued his
presentation after lunch. Staying with the subject of provocation, he asked his audience to redesign the
umbrella and help a dog find its way to a bone. Misinformation and chance, he claimed, can lead to
epochal discoveries. His examples were certainly convincing. He quoted the famous story of Newton
hitting on the theory of gravity when he was hit on the head by an apple, and said that Columbus
embarked on his discovery of the New World because he thought the earth was much smaller than it
actually is.

For the next exercise the participants had to draw up a list of things you need to run a restaurant. They
then had to delete the fourth item on the list as a provocation, in order to get movement. The ideas
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springing from this exercise included bringing your own waiter and charging guests for the amount of time
spent at a restaurant. This method, De Bono explained, creates provocation by ‘using the escape’.
Provocation can also be facilitated by reversal, exaggeration, distortion – such as changing the sequence
of something – and wishful thinking.

Bridging the gap

De Bono used the idea that employees eager to get promoted should wear a yellow shirt as an example
of the signal function of color. After discussing the advantages of such a code, he asserted that
provocation must be strong and its user determined. If used in this way, provocation can bridge the gap
between where you are and where you want to go. He also gave some examples of the value of random
words to start a provocative chain of thought. Of course a tight focus is key to successful thinking.
“Normally, the focus is on your purpose,” he said. “But you can also focus on the area where you need
new ideas, for example by using random words.” The participants, he suggested, should draw up their
own creative hit list.

Humor can serve as a catalyst for a shift in perception, De Bono said. To illustrate the point, he told some
jokes on the subject of golf (a random word). After concluding his presentation, he shared some more
insights during question time: “What I do is putting idea creativity on a logical basis. The problem is
usually not having ideas, but being willing to do something about them. You need a single-minded
determination coupled with the belief that you can be successful.”

In reply to a question, De Bono described the three intellectual ages of man: “Up to age five, people ask
why. Up to 11, they ask why not. But after that they think they know the answers and concentrate on the
‘because…’.” He concluded the session by giving his audience a phone number “for free ideas” and a
website for information about his training programs (www.qreacom.nl).

Panel discussion
At 4pm the final session, a discussion with a panel of successful entrepreneurs, kicked off with the
introduction of the panelists by moderator Harry Starren, a writer and presenter who heads a
management training center. He rounded up questions from the audience, which he reformulated and fed
one by one to various members of the panel.

On the panel, Edward de Bono was joined by Frank Crebas, who developed the hugely successful
website Marktplaats.nl and then sold it to eBay; Marijke Schaaphok, whose companies MasMedia and
Strix Television produce often controversial TV programs; Fokke de Jong, founder of Suitsupply, which
sells own brand tailored suits and shirts at prices that have shaken the tailoring business; Michiel Muller,
whose Route Mobiel has taken on the Dutch monopolist in roadside assistance; and Duncan Stutterheim,
founder and director of ID&T, which organizes large-scale dance events.

Secrets of their success

The first question to be fielded was a key one: is success a choice? Crebas’ reply tended to the
affirmative. The key is to keep a focus on your target, he said. His focus is currently on his latest venture,
which is based on the novel idea of making clothes out of stinging nettles. The next question, how to
stimulate creativity, was taken by De Jong. “We give our people the space to make creative mistakes,” he
said. “We even encourage it.” His company Suitsupply does not use advertising agencies but relies on the
creativity of its management. Unlike De Jong, TV producer Schaaphok does not stop at managers in the
quest for creativity; she wants everyone in her company to come forward with good ideas.

Duncan Stutterheim voiced his belief that ID&T’s creative forces are best used by keeping a tight focus on
mass dance events. “Creativity is the engine of the company. Our customers are between 16 and 26
years old – they’re looking for new things all the time.” Aware that he himself belongs to an older
generation, he added that he does not intend to stay in his current position for more than five years.

Goldmine
Asked why he set up in competition with ANWB, which has looked after the interests of its motorized
members for decades, Muller had this to say: “ANWB copied our idea of unmanned gas stations. That is
what prompted us to take a closer look at what else they did. We then realized that if even a fraction of
their members switched to Route Mobiel, it would be a goldmine. We attacked their strong point,
breakdown assistance, because we believed we could be more efficient, cheaper and better. Unlike them,
we have outsourced everything.”
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Challenging standards
Schaaphok is convinced that if your belief in your product is strong enough, you can sell it. She related an
example of her powers of persuasion, from a reality TV show where a millionaire is invited to take his pick
from a parade of would-be brides. At a late stage in the production the bridegroom told her he was gay.
She managed to convince him that he was in fact bisexual, and he went on to marry the bride of his
choice. When someone from the audience raised the ethical aspect of her actions, Schaaphok confessed:
“Sometimes I think I crossed a boundary there.” She is now toying with an idea for a show where paternity
is (dis)proved on the basis of a DNA test: “The standards have to be challenged, or you’ll never leave the
box.”

De Bono introduced a reality check by pointing out that the panel consisted exclusively of leaders of
successful ventures: “Many other people also tried – and failed.” He was not shy about his own success,
however. “I have 1,200 trainers doing my work for me around the world. I am the one who benefits.”

A lively discussion followed, about the need for a strong drive and how to maintain it for ongoing success.
“Success creates its own drive,” Muller asserted, “and so do the opportunities and ideas that lie ahead.”
“You only start a venture if you have the drive,” De Jong added. Schaaphok agreed: “It’s a given, you
don’t even think about it.”

Buying or being bought

The role of competition in entrepreneurial success was addressed next. Buying your competitors is one
option; being bought by them is another. Frank Crebas, former owner of Marktplaats.nl, experienced the
latter. “We showed eBay a simpler and cheaper formula than their own. We bought Marktplaats for
€300,000, and all we had to do was manage its growth. We needed a new server every month. Initially we
did not want to sell, so eBay had to pay a fortune for the site.”

For Stutterheim new, creative ideas are what his business is all about (“We have a market research
department, but only to see if we’re on the right track”). Some of his fellow panelists showed more
confidence in marketing. Suitsupply, for example, put a Pacman-style game on its website and offered
free shirts to prize winners.

The panelists concluded their contribution to the seminar with exhortations to go for it. The mottos they
quoted – “Just do it” and “Think different” – have proved their value for Nike and Apple, two of the biggest
brands in the global marketplace.