Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono, a Maltese psychologist, physician, and writer, although it may have been an idea whose time was ready. De Bono defines Lateral Thinking as methods of thinking concerned with changing concepts and perception. He invented the term ‘lateral thinking'. It was first written up in a book called “The Use of Lateral Thinking�. (1967) It is similar to creative thinking. It is also seeking to solve problems by unorthodox or apparently illogical methods. “A set of systematic techniques used for changing concepts and perceptions and generating new ones�, (de Bono, 1967) “Exploring multiple possibilities and approaches instead of pursuing a single approach.� (Infinite Innovations, 1997)There are numerous ways of defining lateral thinking, ranging from the illustrative to the technical. First, “You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper� (de Bono, 1997a) This means that trying harder in the same direction may not be as useful as changing direction.
