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Thinking outside the box and creative thinking are terms that are common in today's lexicon and many people use them, but what do they mean, why are they important and can they be taught? Ed Bernacki offers this definition for "thinking outside the box"

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.
* Supporting and respecting others when they come up with new ideas.

An excellent example of thinking outside the box from the sports world. The Fosbury Flop was made famous by Dick Fosbury at the Olympic games in Mexico City 1968 and dramatically altered the techniques used in the high jump. Before 1968, high jumpers used a variety of techniques to clear the bar. Fosbury's method is to "sprint diagonally towards the bar, jump off the outside foot, then curve and leap head-first, back-downwards over the bar in a rolling motion keeping as much of the body as possible below the bar. When high jumpers perform this jump, they bend their body in such a way that it is possible for the athlete to clear the bar while his or her center of mass does not. In fact, the body's center of mass can be kept as much as 20 cm under the pole." Only twelve years later, 75% of high jumpers were using the Fosbury Flop at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. All of the competitors used at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

In essence, creative thinking is simply reframing the perception of a situation. It isn't necessary to revolutionize anything to think creatively, in fact most people think creatively without being aware of it. Scrabble players rearrange their letters as they study the board. Card players rearrange their cards according to suit or numbers or groups during a game. Choosing a new hair style, deciding how to arrange a kitchen and trying to find an alternate route around a traffic jam are all examples of creative thinking.

A problem at drive thrus in the fast food industry were mistakes with the orders that were delivered to the drivers because the person at the window had no way of knowing what the driver had ordered. Most fast food restaurants now attach a paper ticket to each order which the worker uses to double check the order
with the customer.

In "Equal Rites" by Terry Pratchett , the main character, Esk had a problem. She owned a magical staff. She had hidden it in a place that she couldn't return to. That staff was crucial to her, so she decided to bring it to herself. Summoning it wasn't a good idea because people would see if flying through the air. She decided to "think" the staff in front of her rather than in its hiding place. "If Esk had been properly trained in wizardry she would have known this was impossible." Since she hadn't been properly trained, she did simply did it.

There are many ways to practice thinking outside the box and creative thinking; study others to see how they did it and look at themselves on a day to day activities to find their personal examples of thinking outside the box then expanding on those. There are games, books and puzzles designed to help the mind develop those skills.

Be aware of the possibilities and be brave enough to try things out. If it doesn't work, that is information that can be tucked away for future reference. Creative thinking can be dramatic or common, but no matter what it accomplishes, it is a useful skill that people should be aware of and cultivate. The potential for new practices and conventions are almost limitless.

Learn more about this author, Piper Wilson.
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