Thinking Out of the Box

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Thinking Out of the Box
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Thinking Out of the Box
If you think you are going to be
successful running your business in the next ten
years the way you did in the last ten years,
youre out of your mind. To succeed, you have
to disturb the present. Roberto Goizuetta, Past
CEO-Coca-Cola Swim upstream. Go the other way.
Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everyone else
is doing it one way, theres a good chance
you can find your niche by going in exactly
the opposite direction Sam Walton, founder of
Wal-Mart Stores
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Thinking Out of the Box
Its not what you see that determines what you
believe its what you believe that determines
what you see. Fredrick K. C. Price Creative
ideas cannot be pressed out like olive oil but
must be massaged out through enablement,
motivation reinforcement. Steve Gandola
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What does it mean to Think Out of the Box?
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Thinking Out of the Box
The term Thinking Out-of-the Box has become
cliché in modern language. This does not diminish
its importance to the organization and the
creative individuals within. Here is a
real-world illustration of Thinking Out of the
Box 20 Years Ago. Your mission is to walk into
the boardrooms of the worlds largest banks and
convince the directors seated around the table to
visualize a new form of banking. This new form of
banking will not only revolutionize the way
people bank, but will also create new revenue
streams. All the banks have to do is to convince
their customers to PAY for the privilege of
depositing and withdrawing their money. Would
they believe you?
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Thinking Out of the Box
Ha! cry the directors. Who in the world would
PAY? We have a perfectly good system right now
people come into our brick mortar bank branches
from 900 to 500 on weekdays (maybe if your are
lucky, Saturday too). We PAY our customers to
deposit money with interest payments. Our
customers trust our tellers, who can help them on
the spot. The service is free. So what was
the break-through concept turned reality?
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Thinking Out of the Box
You guessed it! Automatic Teller Machines
(ATMs) and its progeny global debit cards,
Internet shopping carts, and online
banking. The ATM proved that people are willing
to pay for self service, either per transaction
or via a monthly banking fee. Merchants pay to
use debit transactions. The Internet is the
evolving model for self-service. Banks can now
offer banking services 24/7/365, reduce the need
for expensive tellers, and offer additional
products services (new profit centers).
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Thinking Out of the Box
To think out of the box is to defy norms. Defy
convention. To see what others cannot see or
refuse to see. Other terms or similar
concepts Thinking laterally Reframing Paradigm
shift All have to do with conceptualization
a right-brain responsibility.
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Inside the Box
Thinking inside the box means accepting the
status quo. For example in 1899 Charles H.
Duell, Director of the US Patent Office, said,
"Everything that can be invented has been
invented. Cleary he was in the box! I think
there is a world market for about five
computers. Thomas J. Watson Chairman, IBM,
1943. In-the-box thinkers find it difficult to
recognize the quality of an idea. An idea is an
idea. A solution is a solution. In fact, they can
be quite pigheaded when it comes to valuing an
idea. They rarely invest time to turn a mediocre
solution into a great solution. More
importantly, in-the-box thinkers are skillful at
killing ideas. They are masters of the creativity
killer attitude such as "that'll never work" or
"it's too risky."
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Inside the Box
The best in-the-box thinkers are unaware that
they drain the enthusiasm and passion of
innovative thinkers while they kill their
innovative ideas. They also believe that every
problem needs only one solution therefore,
finding more than one possible solution is a
waste of time. They often say, "There is no time
for creative solutions. We just need THE
solution." Even great creative people can
become in-the-box thinkers when they stop trying.
Apathy and indifference can turn an innovator
into an in-the-box thinker. In only one case is
in-the-box thinking necessary. This comes from a
cartoon a man talks to his cat and points to
the kitty litter box. He says, "Never ever think
outside the box!"
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Thinking Out of the Box
In any industry, there can be only one low cost
producer. Everyone else must compete on
value. Added value comes from innovation,
creativity, and understanding the
customer. Adding value requires utilizing the
power of right-brain thinking the ability to
see the big picture context pattern
recognition synthesis whole
concepts empathy high-concept
high-touch
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Thinking Out of the Box
When you last hired a person for a creative job,
did you check to see if they had any of these
following traits? question asker can synthesize
correctly able to fantasize flexible fluent im
aginative intuitive original ingenious energet
ic sense of humor self-actualizing self-discipl
ined self-knowledgeable sensitive not motivated
by money sense of destiny adaptable tolerant of
ambiguity observant perceive world
differently see possibilities specific
interests divergent thinker curious open-ended
independent non-conforming confident risk
taker persistent
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Thinking Out of the Box
"We cannot change what we do until we change how
we think, and we cannot change how we think until
we change who we are." Stephanie Pace
Marshall Administrator of the Illinois
Mathematics and Science Academy Aurora, Illinois
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Thinking Out of the Box
PART TWO SOLUTIONS SUGGESTIONS
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Strategies for Thinking Outside the Boxor Seeing
the New Paradigms
Why Do We Not Think Out-of-the-Box? Most of what
we do doesnt require us to be Creative. Most of
the problems we encounter dont challenge us to
think outside-the-box. Most of the decisions and
actions we perform are done with little or no
strategic thinking at all. Mostly we perform
task-driven activities centered around organizing
and staffing or logistical operations.
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Strategies for Thinking Outside the Boxor Seeing
the New Paradigms
Thinking outside the box requires different
attributes that include Willingness to take
new perspectives to day-to-day work. Openness
to do different things and to do things
differently. Focusing on the value of finding
new ideas and acting on them. Striving to
create value in new ways. Listening to others.
Accepting diversity. Supporting and
respecting others when they come up with new
ideas.
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Strategies for Thinking Outside the Boxor Seeing
the New Paradigms
Out-of-the box thinking requires an openness to
new ways of seeing the world and a willingness to
explore. Out-of-the box thinkers know that new
ideas need nurturing and support. They also
know that having an idea is good but acting on it
is more important. Results are what count.
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The Wave Group of Companies
CREDITS and REFERENCES 1. Revenge of the Right
Brain Article Daniel H. Pink NEUROSCIENCE Wired
Magazine, February 2005 2. Massive Change Book
- Bruce Mau Institute without Boundaries ISBN
0714844012 3. Good to Great Book Jim Collins
ISBN0066620996 4. The Dictionary of the Future
Book Faith Popcorn ISBN 0786866578 5. Blindsided
Book Jim Harris ISBN 1841122424 6. IBM Case
Study Interview WILLIAM J. HOLSTEIN - ARMCHAIR
MBA - Jan 2, 2005 New York Times 7. The Paradox
Principles Book MIT Change Integration
Team 8. The Learning Paradox Book Jim Harris
ISBN 1841121894 9. Paradigm Dissonance A
Significant Factor in Design and Business
Problems Article Jason Withrow and Mark Geljon
Boxes Arrows Online Article http//www.boxesand
arrows.com