Introduction
In today's fast-paced and ever-changing world, the ability to think creatively and innovate is more crucial than ever for businesses and individuals alike. However, many of us find ourselves trapped in rigid thought patterns that limit our ability to generate fresh ideas and solve complex problems. Enter "Thinking in New Boxes" by Luc De Brabandere, a book that challenges conventional wisdom about creativity and offers a practical approach to breaking free from mental constraints.
De Brabandere introduces the concept of "boxes" – mental models or frameworks that shape our understanding of the world. While these boxes are essential for processing information and making sense of our environment, they can also become limitations when we fail to recognize their existence or adapt them to changing circumstances. The book's central premise is that true innovation doesn't come from thinking outside the box, but rather from creating entirely new boxes.
Through a series of engaging examples, practical exercises, and thought-provoking insights, "Thinking in New Boxes" guides readers through a step-by-step process for cultivating creativity and fostering innovation. Let's dive into the key ideas presented in this groundbreaking work.
The Inevitability of Boxes
One of the fundamental concepts in "Thinking in New Boxes" is the recognition that we all think in boxes, whether we realize it or not. These mental models are essential for processing the vast amount of information we encounter daily and making sense of our complex reality. Without boxes, our minds would be overwhelmed, and we'd struggle to function efficiently.
Consider, for example, how we categorize vehicles on the road. If you live in Germany, you might associate light beige cars with taxis. This "box" allows you to quickly identify potential rides without having to examine every car on the street. However, if you travel to New York City, you'll need to create a new box for yellow taxis. This illustrates how our boxes are shaped by our experiences and environment.
It's important to understand that there isn't just one box that constrains our thinking. Instead, we operate with multiple boxes simultaneously, each influenced by various aspects of our identity. For instance, your perspective might be shaped by your profession, nationality, gender, and numerous other factors. This multiplicity of boxes means that stepping out of one box often leads us into another, rather than into a box-free state of mind.
The key takeaway here is that we can't escape thinking in boxes entirely. Instead, the goal should be to become aware of our existing boxes and learn how to create new ones when necessary.
The Power of New Boxes
While we can't avoid thinking in boxes, we can harness their power to drive innovation and creativity. De Brabandere argues that revolutionary ideas don't come from thinking outside the box, but from developing entirely new boxes.
The danger of relying solely on existing boxes is the risk of developing tunnel vision. This occurs when we become so entrenched in our current perspective that we lose sight of alternative viewpoints or possibilities. Tunnel vision can be particularly damaging in business settings, where it can lead to missed opportunities and stagnation.
A prime example of this is the story of Bic, the pen manufacturer. For decades, Bic defined itself as a producer of plastic ballpoint pens. This narrow box limited their innovation potential to minor variations in color and design. It wasn't until they redefined their box from "pen manufacturer" to "disposable plastic products manufacturer" that they were able to expand into new markets, creating products like lighters and razors.
Similarly, our understanding of the Earth's shape has evolved over time. The shift from a "flat Earth" box to a "spherical Earth" box opened up new possibilities for exploration and scientific understanding. More recently, our model of Earth has been refined to a more potato-shaped representation, illustrating how even seemingly established boxes can be improved upon.
The lesson here is clear: by creating new boxes, we open ourselves up to a world of fresh possibilities and innovative solutions.
Step 1: Recognizing and Challenging Your Boxes
The first step in the process of thinking in new boxes is to become aware of your existing mental models and learn to challenge them. This involves developing a healthy skepticism towards your own thought processes and intuitions.
One of the key obstacles to recognizing our boxes is our tendency to trust our gut feelings. The human mind is naturally inclined to cling to familiar patterns and ideas, unconsciously accepting information that confirms our existing worldviews while discarding contradictory evidence. This makes it difficult to adjust our perspective, even when presented with compelling alternatives.
A striking example of this is the story of Dick Fosbury, who revolutionized the high jump in the 1968 Olympics with his unconventional backward jumping technique. Despite setting a new Olympic record, Fosbury was initially ridiculed because his method felt "wrong" to observers accustomed to traditional jumping styles. It wasn't until his technique consistently outperformed others that it gained acceptance and became the standard.
Another factor that complicates our ability to recognize our boxes is cognitive bias. These are subconscious mental shortcuts that can lead us to make logical errors and miscalculate probabilities, values, or risks. For instance, many people feel safer ice skating on a frozen pond when others are present, despite the fact that additional weight increases the risk of the ice breaking.
To overcome these challenges, De Brabandere advises us to constantly doubt our worldview. This means regularly examining our assumptions, beliefs, and values to identify which boxes might be holding us back. It's crucial to remember that there are no inherently "right" or "wrong" boxes – the key question is whether a particular box will still be useful in the future.
Even when we successfully create new boxes, it's important to recognize that they too will eventually become obsolete. The world is constantly changing, and our mental models must evolve with it. This ongoing process of questioning and adapting our boxes is essential for maintaining creativity and staying ahead in a rapidly changing environment.
Step 2: Gathering Fresh Input
Once we've learned to recognize and challenge our existing boxes, the next step is to actively seek out new information and perspectives. De Brabandere dispels the romantic notion that great innovations come from solitary geniuses finding inspiration within themselves. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of diligently gathering information from various sources to expand our understanding and challenge our preconceptions.
The author identifies three key areas where we should focus our information-gathering efforts:
- The global environment: This includes broad trends in society, economics, science, and other relevant fields.
- Your industry or field: This involves understanding customers, competitors, and specific market dynamics.
- Your company, team, or immediate context: This focuses on internal factors such as products, organizational structure, and company culture.
The goal of this step is not to find immediate answers, but to generate questions that will guide further exploration and creativity.
To illustrate this process, let's consider a hypothetical video game company called Ultragames. In examining global trends, they might notice an aging consumer base and the evolution of internet and mobile technology. Looking at industry data, they might discover that the average gamer's age has risen to 37 and that women now make up 42 percent of their customer base. Within their own company, they might conduct a survey revealing that their "no sex, no violence" policy is particularly appealing to adult gamers looking for family-friendly content.
By gathering this diverse range of information, Ultragames can then formulate thought-provoking questions like: "How can we develop products that appeal to all ages without compromising our family-friendly values?" These questions serve as springboards for innovative thinking and the creation of new boxes.
Steps 3 and 4: Generating and Testing Hypotheses
With a wealth of new information and questions in hand, the next phase involves generating a wide range of possible new boxes. De Brabandere likens this process to gold panning – you need to sift through a lot of sand before you find a nugget. The key here is to suspend judgment and encourage creativity, even if ideas seem far-fetched or impractical at first glance.
During this ideation phase, it's crucial to create an environment where there are no "bad" ideas. Encourage your team to look at problems from all possible angles, no matter how unconventional they might seem. The author cites NASA's development of the Pathfinder Mars lander as an example. The idea of landing a multi-billion dollar spacecraft by bouncing it around in a shell of airbags might have seemed absurd initially, but it ultimately proved to be an effective solution.
Once you've generated a substantial pool of ideas, it's time to evaluate them using clearly defined criteria. This evaluation should be methodical and objective, rather than based on intuition or gut feeling. This helps prevent cognitive biases from limiting your options.
The criteria for evaluation will vary depending on your specific context, but may include factors such as:
- Budget constraints
- Technological feasibility
- Regulatory requirements
- Brand image
- Areas of expertise
- Targeted timeframe
For Ultragames, this might mean assessing which ideas align with their family-friendly brand while also being financially viable. They might conclude that developing individual games for each new market segment is too costly, but creating educational games for all ages could satisfy both their financial criteria and their brand identity.
It's important to note that this process of generating and testing hypotheses may need to be repeated several times before you find a truly innovative solution. Even then, De Brabandere advises maintaining a healthy skepticism towards your winning ideas, as they too will eventually need to be challenged and updated.
The Power of Big Boxes
As you work through the process of creating new boxes, De Brabandere encourages thinking big. He argues that the most transformative innovations often come from challenging the most fundamental aspects of your business or perspective.
To illustrate this, consider the analogy of a business as a house of cards. When trapped in old thinking patterns, we tend to focus on making small changes at the top of the structure, fearing that altering the foundation will cause everything to collapse. However, it's precisely by questioning and reshaping these foundational elements that we can unlock the most creative potential.
Bic's transformation from a pen manufacturer to a producer of disposable plastic items is a prime example of this big-box thinking. Rather than limiting themselves to different types of pens or even office supplies, they redefined their entire purpose, opening up a vast array of new product possibilities.
Other companies have made similarly grand transformations:
- Nintendo evolved from a playing card company to a video game giant.
- LG transitioned from industrial chemicals to high-tech appliances.
When you dare to fundamentally shift your perception, it unleashes a cascade of new ideas. Each big box contains smaller boxes within it, allowing for a hierarchical structure of innovation. For instance, Bic's new "disposable plastic items" box contains sub-boxes for writing instruments, lighters, razors, and potentially many other product categories.
The key takeaway is that while thinking big isn't always easy, it has the potential to significantly broaden your scope of possibilities and lead to truly transformative innovations.
Planning for an Uncertain Future
In today's rapidly changing business landscape, the ability to adapt quickly to new circumstances is crucial for long-term success. De Brabandere argues that the difference between companies that thrive in the face of revolutionary changes and those that get left behind lies in their ability to change boxes in real-time.
The author cautions against the common trap of planning for a single vision of the future based on our current understanding. This approach, which he calls predictive thinking, often leads to tunnel vision and missed opportunities. Instead, he advocates for prospective thinking, which involves asking open-ended questions like "What could happen?" and "What could we make happen?"
By imagining multiple possible scenarios, businesses can stay flexible and prepare not just a Plan A, but also Plans B and C. This approach helps companies remain resilient in the face of unexpected changes and positions them to capitalize on emerging opportunities.
De Brabandere introduces two types of reasoning that can be employed when planning for the future:
Deductive reasoning: This involves taking an existing box and sorting information into it. For example, asking, "What are the most important trends that will affect our industry?" While this approach can be useful, it tends to limit the range of possible answers and focuses too much on what is currently known.
Inductive reasoning: This works in the opposite direction, taking information and trying to find or create a box for it. Inductive thinking asks questions with an unlimited set of answers, inspiring creativity by moving away from commonly shared associations. For instance, you might ask, "How could scenario X become the most important trend affecting our industry in the future?"
By employing inductive reasoning and prospective thinking, companies can discover opportunities that their competitors might not even have on their radar. This approach allows for truly innovative strategies that go beyond merely reacting to current trends.
Consider the high-quality glass industry as an example. While many executives might agree that developing screens for mobile devices is a key market innovation, a more forward-thinking approach might involve exploring materials that could make glass obsolete or pursuing an entirely different technological revolution.
Practical Applications and Exercises
Throughout "Thinking in New Boxes," De Brabandere offers various exercises and techniques to help readers apply the concepts in their own lives and businesses. Here are a few key practices to consider:
Box Identification Exercise: Regularly set aside time to examine your assumptions, beliefs, and values. Ask yourself and your team questions about key objectives, hopes, and fears to identify which boxes might be constraining your thinking.
Information Gathering Matrix: Create a structured approach to gathering information across the three key areas (global environment, industry, and company). Use this matrix to ensure you're considering a diverse range of inputs.
Crazy Ideas Session: Host brainstorming sessions where all ideas, no matter how outlandish, are welcomed. Use techniques like random word association or role-playing to spark unconventional thinking.
Scenario Planning Workshop: Develop multiple possible future scenarios for your industry or business. For each scenario, consider how your company would need to adapt and what new boxes might be required.
Box Hierarchy Mapping: After identifying a new big box for your business, map out the medium and smaller boxes that could fit within it. This can help you visualize new opportunities and product lines.
Assumption Reversal: Take a core assumption about your business or industry and imagine its opposite is true. How would this change your approach? What new possibilities would it open up?
Future Backcasting: Start with a desired future state and work backward to identify the steps and changes needed to reach that point. This can help break free from the constraints of current thinking.
By regularly engaging in these exercises, individuals and organizations can cultivate a more flexible and innovative mindset, better equipped to navigate an uncertain future.
Conclusion: Embracing the New Box Mindset
"Thinking in New Boxes" offers a fresh perspective on creativity and innovation, challenging the notion that we should simply "think outside the box." Instead, De Brabandere argues that true innovation comes from recognizing our existing mental models, actively seeking new information, and creating entirely new boxes that expand our realm of possibilities.
The book's key messages can be summarized as follows:
We all think in boxes, and that's not inherently bad. The challenge is to recognize our boxes and create new ones when necessary.
Revolutionary ideas come from creating new boxes, not just thinking outside existing ones.
To foster innovation, we must constantly challenge our worldview and be willing to adapt our mental models.
Gathering diverse information and asking open-ended questions are crucial steps in the creative process.
Generate a wide range of ideas before evaluating them based on objective criteria.
Thinking big and challenging fundamental assumptions can lead to transformative innovations.
Plan for multiple possible futures to stay flexible and resilient in a changing world.
By embracing these principles and consistently practicing the techniques outlined in the book, individuals and organizations can cultivate a more creative and adaptable mindset. This approach not only helps in generating innovative ideas but also in navigating the complexities and uncertainties of today's rapidly evolving business landscape.
As we face unprecedented challenges and opportunities in the 21st century, the ability to think in new boxes will become increasingly valuable. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a business leader, or simply someone looking to enhance your creative problem-solving skills, the insights and strategies presented in "Thinking in New Boxes" offer a powerful toolkit for unlocking your innovative potential.
Remember, the goal is not to find a single, perfect box that will serve you forever. Instead, embrace the ongoing process of creating, challenging, and refining your mental models. By doing so, you'll be better equipped to adapt to change, seize new opportunities, and drive meaningful innovation in whatever field you choose to pursue.
In a world where the only constant is change, those who can think in new boxes will be best positioned to thrive and make a lasting impact. So, dare to question your assumptions, seek out diverse perspectives, and never stop creating new boxes. The future belongs to those who can imagine it in ways others haven't yet conceived.