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Lateral thinking involves approaching problems from an unusual angle, stepping back from preconceptions. It can be applied to many situations, such as job applications and crisis management, and requires cognitive ability and creativity.
The concept of lateral thinking comes from the ability to think about situations or approach problems and issues from a quite unusual or different angle than expected. That is to say, lateral thinking depends to a large extent on the individual’s ability to figuratively step back from a problem and approach it from a point of view that is contrary to what would be the norm for that particular situation. There is no limit to the application of lateral thinking and it can be applied to many situations that require the use of cognitive skills.
An example of the application of lateral thinking can be seen in the case of a job candidate who is trying to get a job at a Fortune 500 company. Knowing that many equally or even more qualified candidates will apply for the same position, a person they might decide that the best way to dramatically increase their chances of getting hired would be to think outside any preconceptions about the job application process, while still managing to stay within the bounds of the acceptable. Exactly how to achieve lateral thinking in this situation would depend on the individual’s cognitive abilities and their willingness to blend that cognitive ability with plenty of creativity. In this case, it might involve some form of positive differentiation from other applicants through some action which will cause such an applicant to be favorably noticed over others.
Another situation where lateral thinking might be applied would be in the case of an impending crisis where there doesn’t seem to be a solution in sight. This view that there is no solution to the problem, which can be held by the vast majority of participants and observers, can be attributed to the fact that they have been conditioned to think in straight lines of thought, meaning that when they reach a dead end, that would be the end of it. For a lateral thinker, the problem would be approached from every conceivable angle other than the obvious one, even from unexpected points of reasoning that may even seem totally foreign to those who have been conditioned to right thinking.
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