Driving Public Sector Innovation with Edward de Bono
Posted by webmaster 14 June 2009
Today 400 members joined CIN Chair Jim Betts in welcoming Edward de Bono back to the CIN stage to talk about techniques the public sector can apply to become more innovative.
Dr de Bono commenced by describing a historical background to the way we think. This has been handed down from the “Greek Gang Of Three”: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Socrates advocated the use of language as a means to understand the world. Plato encouraged us all to seek out underlying “truth”. Aristotle believed in drawing distinctions – seeing the world in black and white rather than shades of grey. Together they gave us a system of thought that today underpins our law, government and society.
The whole purpose of this type of thinking is to point out error and find fault. If we can remove errors, it is assumed, then we have the truth. Finding and pointing out error has been the basis of Western thinking for 2,400 years. Hence our obsession with problem-solving.
He then described how the brain functions as a asymmetric patterning system and how it is this lack of symmetry which gives rise to both creativity and humour. It is this same characteristic that makes it difficult for linear thinkers to understand that very different types of thinking are required for consistent and serious creativity.
Good new ideas and innovations are always logical in hindsight, however they cannot be seen with foresight without new and novel ways of thinking that go beyond the traditional argument, logic and criticism that dominate our thinking. These types of thinking are referred to by Dr de Bono as EBNE (excellent but not enough).
Innovation in Government cannot come from policy papers and plans but rather from a far more fundamental shift in the way we think. Bureaucratic mindsets based solely around assumptions of cause and effect, logic, criticism, risk and argument need to be complemented with increasing levels of design thinking which move us away from talking and planning ad infinitum to a level of Operacy in which we do things and make things happen based on our design thinking.
Many of the now famous tools for design thinking that have been developed by Dr de Bono over the years were briefly described, including the Lateral Thinking tools, Challenge, Concept Extraction, Provocation and Random Entry and the multiple perspective parallel thinking of the Six Thinking Hats.
The CIN would like to thank Dr de Bono and the de Bono Institute for their assistance in planning this session and their ongoing support for the things we do.
The CIN has 20 copies of The Six Thinking Hats for the session attendees who provide the most interesting insights into the thinking described and areas in which it can be applied in Government. (Using the comments function below.)
June 10th, 2009 at 11:22 pm
What an honour it was to see the master of creative thinking in action. Really liked de Bono’s idea of posting a “Hit List” on the intranet of current business challenges that “require creative attention”, to seek ideas from the whole organisation to find a resolution(s).
This is a great forum for staff to unleash their creative thinking (anonymously if they so wish) and especially that elusive tacit knowledge that is so rarely captured. Maybe their could also be incentives like a monthly award for the most creative thinker of the month that created an amazing result??
Have always loved he Six Thinking Hats approach and de Bono told us how great it continues to be.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I found de Bono to be a very entertaining presenter and it was fascinating to see how visual he is. I would have preferred for him to present some examples of how his work has been used in government and the outcomes, but terrific to have seen him in person.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Thanks Therese,
If you are interested I have a number of examples of where the methods have been applied in Govt with telling effect.
These include one Dept applying the Six Hats in a crisis meeting and identifying 12.5 million dollars worth of saving that hitherto could not be identified under their normal meeting methods and another Dept that saved in excess of $600,000 over a dinner discussion on the strength of incorporating yellow hat thinking into their conversation.
Unfortunately we are far too humble and not too good at sharing our successes, but I know of a number of our VPS people who are currently applying the methods with great effect in the workplace.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:40 pm
I really enjoyed the lunch presentation. Particularly interesting was the discussion on how humour is a significant indicator of the development of the human brain and that all creative ideas are logical in hindsight as are all great jokes. Have put a larger post on our blog at http://www.emergentfutures.com/blog/?p=45
Paul
June 11th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
I found the seminar very interesting, especially when he went through the importance of creativity and the need to harvest those creative ideas and how they can ‘benefit’ the organisation. It was presented very creatively, and with a lot of humour. I really enjoyed it.
June 11th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
A really enjoyable session, that now has us at Land Victoria in DSE champing at the bit for our own Six Thinking Hats Facilitator training with the CIN next week.
Things I took away…hmmm.. lots of things resonating that I’m going to mull over but the logic in hindsight issue is something we don’t consider often enough. So how do we create environments that allow people to come up with ideas that may seem illogical based on how we’ve done things in the past, but could be logical if we thought outside a narrow focus (the example of the mills and the water pollution was eye-opening).
I also very much enjoyed the simplicity of Dr De Bono’s presentation – a man, a microphone, some coloured pens and an overhead projector – no razzle dazzle, just information and opportunities to reflect!
June 12th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I enjoyed listening to Edward de Bono – I have read many articles and initiated his Six Hats theory into my work practices, however it was a highlight to see him in action. I have returned to work and set a task for my team to look into the Thinking Hats and talk about how this can improve their way of thinking. thank you for this great opportunity.
June 12th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
This comment might not be stictly an ‘insight’ but I am sure that most government agencies are or will in the near future start to feel the pressure of the GFC. Small agencies in particular, struggle to find efficiency savings. Dr de Bono’s thinking theories might just help to stimulate the ideas and creativity needed to squeeze that little bit more out of already tight budgets. I am keen to test it out…
June 16th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Thank you CIN for giving us this rare opportunity. Edward de Bono certainly held our attention with his simple and effective presentation. It was so refreshing to see simplicity in practice.
It was interesting to hear about the foundations of linear thinking and how we now need to facilitate design thinking to creatively deal with the future.
June 17th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Excellent seminar.
Very practical and can be appplied in the workplace.
In attempting to create public value we need to think about the varous options that may be available to solve societal problems and target the root cause. This often calls for innovative and creative thinking.
Well presented.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Edward de Bonos straight forward approach to creative thinking was best demonstrated by his no bells and whistles approach in his presentation. We tend to make issues far more complex than they need to be particularly when trying to find solutions.
I learnt a great deal and found his presentation thought provoking. It was a honour to hear him speak. His examples of how the 6 Hats process has been used by multi national companies was fascinating.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Edward De Bono was engaging and insightful. Of particular use were his practical techniques for creative thinking, such as the random noun and six hats methods. I will be testing them out next time I am faced with a challenging problem.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:44 am
“The best insight into how we might best apply the thinking methods described in the VPS?”
The Public Service needs to get a sense of humour!
Classic ‘Green Hat’ thinking is not embraced by the VPS.
It is very evident from Edward de Bono’s lunchtime seminar and his books that the best ideas often evolve and are born out of initial ideas that are “way out there.”
The fear of humour and even a sense of the absurd must be overcome by the VPS before any true advancement can be made.
June 17th, 2009 at 11:59 am
Edward do Bono demonstrated with a simple, but effective presentation, that with the application of some equally straightforward thinking methods we can come up with some truly original and very creative solutions.
Perhaps when workshopping solutions to policy problems, these techniques can be used to stimulate group discussion and encourage people to think outside the box.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
I found the opportunity of listening to Edward De Bono talk about creative thinking a very motivating experience. His logic, humour and experiences made his hour long presentation very engaging. The venue, Zinc at Federation Square was centrally located and very comfortable. Edward De Bono used a projector to emphasise points and quite often drew diagrams to highlight a concept. I left with a hope that his teachings may become more prevalent in our day to day life.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
In this day of technology, it was refreshing to experience someone using basic tools such as a texta and overheads and more importantly, a creative and exciting brain! I really enjoyed hearing Edward de Bono’s anecdotes about the ideas that he has presented to large corporations. If only we could all tap into this type of creativity more often! I will definitely be trying to use some of his techniques.
June 17th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Seeing deBono in person was like visiting a gallery or a cathedral overseas – a bit awe-inspiring and also feeling like I picked up some credits just by osmosis – and wasn’t it refreshing that he didn’t use Powerpoint!
In terms of application in the VPS I’d like to make a mundane but potentially significant suggestion
MEETINGS!!
In terms of total human resources absorbed, meeting times must represent the largest potential productivity dividend across the VPS. Importantly meeting time is also expensive due to the prgressively higher requirement for senior staff to attend meetings. An expanding role for IDCs and joined up approaches will continue the trend.
An explicit commitment to structure meeting agenda around the thinking hats would significantly improve both efficiency and effectiveness eg Blue: confirm meeting purpose, white: bacground info / context, Green, Yellow Black: for decision-making. etc
A 1-pg guide to structuring agenda using the Thinking Hats, widely distributed would assist implementation. Cynics could be (somewhat) muzzled and brand ambassadors bolstered, if the reverse side of the 1-pger was marketing: using best practice case studies where the same approach has been implemented successfully by some of the largest corporations in the world
regards and well done to the CIN organisers
June 17th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
My first De Bono book was “Teach yourself to think” and in the introduction He spoke of the Gang of three and use of opposing points of view. It made a lot of sense to me 15 years ago and it was a pleasure to hear it from the author in person. The presentation style was a refreshing change from PowerPoint too.
I did six hats training several years ago and perhaps the biggest obstacle to adopting it in VPS is that some people fixate on the symbols used, not the potential results. Six hats allows all aspects of a decision to be dealt with in a balanced manner. It is a particularly useful tool for situations where there is a lot of emotion as it provides a way for participants to express their views without turning into an conflict.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
A very accurate summation Andrew – thanks. If the system is looked at superficially the symbols alone are focused on. I’ve had one person comment that the hats and colours were “childish.” My response was that you need to be sufficiently adult to understand the need for the “apparent childishness.” (which by the way they are not.)
The reason for the hats and colours is to help us to develop a discrete language and “filing cabinet” in our brains for the methods. Without discrete language and symbols the concepts cannot exist in the brain. Two common charateristics of those who focus on the symbols rather than the value derived are 1) they do not understand the methods and 2) have not seen the benefit of their application.
The hats offer a different way of going about things and these sorts of responses are usually fear driven. Changing the way you do things (particularly the way you think) can be very threatening to those who have got to where they are by doing the same things over and over. We can be very intelligent people but extremely poor thinkers at times.
Dr de Bono is an extremely intelligent person and brilliant thinker and I suspect I would back his judgement on such matters over critics who do not understand the parallel thinking of the Hats and the underpinning theory.
June 17th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I liked the fact that the creativity De Bono is talking about is everywhere if we are open to it and can come from outside of the hierarchy. Smart thinking isn’t the preserve of those in power but can sometimes come from unexpected places. His theories are a refreshing reminder of this.
June 17th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
[...] Driving Public Sector Innovation with Edward de Bono [...]
June 18th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I was fortunate enough to grab a spare spot and even more fortunate that the spot was at the table of the Master and to watch him work is an experience. Combined with the classic wry de Bono sense of humor, he crafted an argument for always looking beyond the excellent, that enough is never enough when new ways of looking at the world are left to be discovered. The lenses of the 6 hats really helps us work with looking at old problems in new ways and to springboard our thinking beyond the contraints of the bureaucracies we work in. For those there, you’ll understand when I say I felt very sorry for the poor dog! Thank you to the de Bono Institute for their role in making this happen.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Yes, what everyone else said! What a great seminar, and so refreshingly humourous.
Now down to business…did anyone else notice how much food we left behind?? What a sorry waste. There are hundreds of people within 5 km of Zinc who are starving every day.
I asked one of the staff what happens to all those leftovers, and she said it would be composted. That’s classic “ebne”, isn’t it? A very elaborate way to make compost!! All that carbon wasted (also the chefs’ creative input). How many VPS events wind up with excess food each day? Each week?
So how can we EFFECTIVELY(ref “Handbook for the Positive Revolution”) connect that food with the people who desperately need it? Surely it’s mainly a communication/timing exercise – letting the right people know at the right time. (Although presumably there are some food hygeine issues as well – who are the CINners in DHS who know about this?)
There are organsiations such as Second Bite (http://www.secondbite.org/)which i believe can act as the “middle man” between food and those who need it – is it about supporting them, or perhaps developing a new model which could be applied across all VPS events? Not some old stale linear model, something fresh (like the food?!) based on new “design thinking”…
regsles.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Edward de Bono’s wonderful insights about how to connect with the extraordinary power of imagination and creativity that exists in each member of the VPS, will hopefully lead to a different conversation about the public sector. A widespread conversation that is not locked into the old conversation about the public sector, but one which gets back to what it is that drives people to join the public service.
June 19th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Thanks CIN for the opportunity to hear Dr DeBono Speak. It was empowering!I agree with others above that the VPS needs to loosen its grip on logic alone as the way to solve problems. Introducing creative thinking as part of everyday work in the VPS would build employee engagement and take us in directions more appropriate for the changing world we live in.
June 21st, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Thanks CIN for another great event. I was inspired by the style and content of Edward de Bono’s presentation. It was a great snapshot of his work.
June 29th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
[...] methods utilised by these facilitators were those recently described by Dr de Bono in his presentation to CIN members as essential in adapting to, and thriving in a very different and rapidly changing world, where [...]