Customer Reviews
A unique book - By: Raghunandan Sugur, 26 Nov 2007 
This book is one of it's kind. Edward De Bono believes that "Lateral thinking" can be learnt...and gives us insight into how that can be done. My experience with this book is that it cannot be read from cover to cover. Along with "Six thinking hats" this one is one of the best books into helping us in seeing the need to think differently & to actuallly think "laterallly".
don't worry about the pop psychology - By: Clive Catterall, 24 Jun 2007 
I first read this book twenty years ago. The book is not easy to read cover to cover, as has been mentioned by another reviewer, but it is worth working through it. The text often smacks of the evangelical preacher, as do many modern management texts, but the techniques do work. You don't have to buy into the pop psychology, just treat the techniques as tools. The techniques are covered quite briefly, & to make them work in practise takes some effort. This is not going to turn you into a creative genius overnight.
For example De Bono covers brainstorming in some detail, but in my experience in a design consultancy the real secret to successful brainstorming is in the selection of the brainstorm team. No advice on this delicate subject is present in the edition that I read (1969). I found that a sense of humour was essential in alll brainstorm team members, as a good sense of the absurd & a willingness to appear a complete as can spark off reallly good ideas in others.
All in alll this *is* a little gem. As far as I can tell alll of his subsequent books simply expand & develop the ideas contained in this book. The most useful aspect is in being able to recognise the state of mind where ideas just pop into your head, & in being able to put yourself in a state where this will happen. Some techniques will work for you, some will not. Personallly I now use other methods than those listed in the book, but I may not have developed my own way of working without reading this book first.
Management Education - By: Stephen Parry, 29 May 2007 This is the first De Bono book I read, I have used many of the examples contained in the book to change Management thinking. These Ideas coupled with systems thinking & lean make a powerful combination for kicking old mindsets into touch.
It contains excellent games to demonstrate how our thinking locks us into old solutions. I found the book facinating & still use much of the material in my management education classes today. I recommend reading most of his work. It will always make you think.
Interesting subject killed by formal & turgid writing style - By: , 16 Feb 1999 
Written in a very formal style & aimed at the teacher of lateral thinking rather than the student. I pushed ahead with it despite my misgivings in the hope that I could distill the essential techniques & practices from the teaching-aid text- Unfortunately the turgid style overwhelmed my interest & I gave up reading the book two-thirds in, not through lack of interest but because reading it was becoming hard work. In it's defence the introduction to the book advises the reader not to attempt a cover-to-cover read, rather to dip into it as required but I wanted to gain a rapid instruction in the subject in order to put the techniques into practice. I believe that I was able to fulfil some of my goals but the whole experience was unsatisfactory.
