What are lateral thinking skills?
Lateral thinking skills involve an intentionally disruptive approach to examining complex business challenges from radically new angles to make unexpected connections. Unlike traditional linear thinking, lateral thinking uses a creative and unorthodox approach to break away from conventional thought processes. It embraces ‘out of the box’ ideas to explore diverse and counterintuitive concepts.
The lateral thinking process actively challenges assumptions to make connections that may have been overlooked, tackling issues from fresh angles and unlocking novel solutions. Dynamic organizations that adopt lateral thinking management can attract and interview candidates with these skills, promote innovation, enhance problem-solving abilities and gain a competitive edge.
Lateral thinking – an important human skill
Lateral thinking involves creative leaps and non-traditional approaches that AI may not currently be able to provide. It is an important ‘human skill,’ and companies prioritizing knowledge workers can help reduce AI anxiety, especially when more businesses are turning to generative AI for solutions.
People with these skills explore new ideas and challenge preconceived notions, often leading to unexpected breakthroughs that conventional methods miss. Businesses in rapidly changing markets like technology, design, advertising, marketing, consulting and healthcare can benefit from prioritizing lateral thinkers who demonstrate creative problem-solving abilities. A skills-first approach to hiring lateral thinkers can future-proof your workforce.
Related: AI in Business: Tips, Advantages, and Challenges
8 Lateral Thinking Skills to Hire For
A better recruitment strategy that seeks candidates with lateral thinking skills improves the hiring experience, fostering creativity and innovation in the workplace. Here are eight key lateral thinking skills for hiring managers to look for when screening candidates to build talent pools for the future:
1. Questioning assumptions
Lateral thinkers possess a curious growth mindset that drives discovery. They are willing to challenge the status quo and question existing assumptions to uncover new possibilities and drive progress.
2. Problem reframing
The ability to look at challenges from new, different and counterintuitive perspectives and redefine them in a way that opens up novel approaches and solutions is the hallmark of a lateral thinker.
3. Creativity
Lateral thinkers are highly creative with a strong desire to learn and explore. They are not afraid to experiment, take risks and think outside the box to develop a wide range of ideas.
4. Recognizing patterns to solve problems
This includes the ability to recognize patterns and make connections between seemingly unrelated concepts. Lateral thinkers can identify root causes and apply strong critical-thinking skills to help draw parallels between different situations and find innovative solutions.
5. Reverse thinking
Lateral thinkers consider the opposite of the conventional solution. They adopt different perspectives or roles to understand a problem from various angles to find new approaches, such as exploring what would happen if you removed a product feature instead of adding one.
6. Visualization
Organizing thoughts and ideas visually to explore different aspects and potential solutions is a common ability among lateral thinkers.
7. Adaptability and flexibility
Lateral thinkers have an ability to adapt to change and embrace new ideas. They share a willingness to learn new skills, adapt to new situations, and to pivot and change direction as needed.
8. Effective communication
Lateral thinking includes active listening to understand different perspectives, the ability to articulate ideas clearly and concisely, and a talent for persuading and influencing others.
Hiring managers can use interview score sheets to rate candidates for the skills and improve the hiring process.
Related: How to Create Effective Communication at the Workplace
How companies can use lateral thinking
Lateral thinkers use their imaginations to grasp the larger context. They consider overlooked aspects of a situation and explore alternative solutions and different perspectives. Disruptive thinking shifts the existing paradigm. Companies that hire lateral thinkers can benefit from this approach, challenge assumptions and move beyond conventional ways of understanding an issue, concept or solution.
Lateral thinking can help overcome mental blocks. It’s a valuable skill for problem-solving, decision-making and innovation. Here are four lateral thinking techniques to try next time your team is searching for solutions:
Provocation
Disrupt conventional thinking patterns with unusual ideas. Pick a transitional object that embodies certain qualities or characteristics that do not exist in your company and use it to inspire new ideas that differentiate your products, attract attention and gain customers.
Challenge
Question the status quo and look at things as if they might be wrong, even if they seem right, to encourage deeper analysis and alternative viewpoints. Reverse engineer your current strategy by asking what you should not do, think up as many bad or crazy ideas as possible and determine if they might have potentially good aspects. While it may seem counterintuitive, going against the grain can help to identify overlooked opportunities or potential risks.
Random Entry
Think about what would happen if you stopped something or asked others to stop something. In a world where the norm is to constantly add, perhaps less is more. Use random words or ideas as a starting point to create connections that may not be immediately noticeable and generate new concepts.
Alternatives
Shift thinking patterns by exploring various directions and possibilities. Reframe conventional narratives, pick a different story and change the plot to flip the market on its head.
Lateral thinking skills are indispensable because they enable individuals to deviate from traditional models and come up with innovative solutions. In the AI age, it’s important for businesses to prioritize human skills like creativity and innovation. Hiring for lateral thinking skills can solve current problems and shape a team prepared to adapt and thrive in the future. Skilled lateral thinkers can help your organization unlock its full potential and drive business success.
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