This is a summary review of Thinking in New Boxes containing key details about the book.

What is Thinking in New Boxes About?

“Thinking in New Boxes” by Luc de Brabandere and Alan Iny challenges readers to break free from conventional thinking and develop new perspectives to solve complex problems. (Full Summary…)

Thinking in New Boxes Summary Review

“Thinking in New Boxes” by Luc De Brabandere and Alan Iny is a groundbreaking exploration into the dynamics of business creativity. The authors, strategic innovation experts from The Boston Consulting Group, present a refreshing perspective on how to navigate the complex landscape of contemporary business challenges. This review delves into the book’s key concepts, highlighting its innovative approach and practical insights.

The central premise of the book revolves around the idea that conventional thinking can be limiting, trapping individuals and businesses within mental “boxes.” The narrative begins with a compelling real-world example of BIC, a pen manufacturer, expanding its product line to include disposable lighters. This seemingly unconventional move highlights the importance of thinking beyond the obvious and embracing a new paradigm.

The authors emphasize that merely thinking “outside the box” is insufficient. Instead, they introduce a revolutionary five-step process for sustainable creativity:

1. **Doubt everything:** The importance of challenging current perspectives is a recurring theme. By questioning assumptions and preconceived notions, individuals can overcome mental barriers that may hinder creative thinking.

2. **Probe the possible:** Exploring a wide range of options is essential. This step encourages individuals to consider alternatives and be open to diverse possibilities.

3. **Diverge:** Generating numerous and even seemingly absurd ideas is crucial for fostering creativity. This divergent thinking helps in breaking away from conventional thought patterns.

4. **Converge:** Evaluating and selecting the most promising ideas for breakthrough results is the next step. This process involves refining and focusing on the ideas that show the most potential.

5. **Reevaluate:** The authors stress the need for continuous reevaluation. No idea should be considered sacrosanct, and a relentless pursuit of improvement is essential for sustained creativity.

The book offers a structured and comprehensive guide to sharpening creativity in the workplace, providing practical tools and frameworks. Through captivating case studies ranging from BIC to Ford to Trader Joe’s, the authors illustrate the application of their methodology in diverse business settings.

“Thinking in New Boxes” transcends the conventional self-help genre, presenting a sophisticated exploration of creativity. It is not a simplistic checklist but rather a nuanced guide that encourages readers to reevaluate their mental models continually.

The authors’ expertise shines through as they seamlessly blend theoretical insights with real-world applications. The engaging writing style ensures that the book is accessible to a broad audience, making it valuable for both seasoned professionals and those new to the concepts of business creativity.

Essentially, “Thinking in New Boxes” is a must-read for anyone seeking to reinvent themselves in an era of rapid change. The book provides a refreshing perspective on creativity, challenging readers to break free from mental constraints and approach problem-solving with renewed vigor.

Who is the author of Thinking in New Boxes?

Luc de Brabandere is a senior advisor to The Boston Consulting Group’s Strategy practice. He specializes in creativity, scenario building, and strategic vision techniques applied to business. Luc served as a BCG Fellow from 2008 through 2017, and was a partner at the firm from 2001 and 2008.

Alan Iny is the senior global specialist for creativity and scenario planning at The Boston Consulting Group. He has trained thousands of executives and BCG consultants, runs a wide range of workshops across industries, and speaks around the world about coming up with product, service, and other ideas, developing a new strategic vision, and thinking creatively about the future.

How long is Thinking in New Boxes?

• Print length: 352 pages

What genre is Thinking in New Boxes?

Business, Nonfiction, Leadership

What are good quotes from Thinking in New Boxes?

“profound: Hard as you may try to anticipate uncertainty and the randomness of future events, opportunities, and hazards, you will probably underestimate just how chaotic and unpredictable these things truly are and can become. You need to actively doubt the way you think about what could happen tomorrow, because the amount of chaos and uncertainty at play is (on average) more than you expect. All of these examples demonstrate the importance of doubt and can help you realize that even when you try to use your most rational, deductive skill sets, you are still prone to biases and errors.”

“They are moments of sudden recognition—moments of shock—in the face of revolutionary change (Caramba!) or a brilliant new possibility (Eureka!).c Both can eventually lead to success (Eureka can lead to a brilliant new idea; Caramba can spark a fantastic reinvention of your boxes) or failure (not capitalizing on a Eureka moment, not recovering from a Caramba moment). And so avoiding Caramba and achieving Eureka is not merely a function of having more or even better ideas. Most Caramba moments are not due to a lack of ideas; rather, they are due to the way ideas are processed. They happen when people don’t move to a new box in time.”

“Rothberg’s story is a powerful reminder that relying on the status quo is not a viable option in a changing world. People will either develop new ideas on their own (Eureka!) or others will do it for them (Caramba!).”

“The beginning of wisdom is found in doubting; by doubting we are led to question, and by questioning we arrive at the truth.a1 —PETER ABÉLARD, medieval French philosopher To have doubted one’s own first principles is the mark of a civilized man.2 —OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES,”

“boiling frogs” and “elephants in the room”—combine them with your list of trends and spend some time pondering how you could exploit them. Ask yourself,
• Which of these would be the most disruptive?
• For which ones are we least ready?
• Which ones are right in front of us, yet we are hesitant to admit they’re there?
• What about our competitors—why are they ready for some more than others?
• How do these future events, whether likely or unlikely, influence the kinds of new ideas we want to generate during Step 3 divergence?
• How do they change our central line of inquiry?”

“chapter 9). Senegal-born industrialist Gaston Berger,d a noted pioneer of the prospective approach, once said, “If you’re driving on a road that you know really well in pitch darkness, you’ll only need a lantern. But if you’re driving down a road in unfamiliar territory, you’re going to need powerful headlights.” Prospective”

“Prospective thinking is about anticipating long-term changes, including highly disruptive ones (some known, and others entirely unknown), and responding to them early. Prospective thinking—which relies a lot on induction—is at the heart of practical creativity. It’s about acting rather than waiting.”

“When you use predictive thinking, by contrast, you’re usually foreseeing events that are considered to be highly likely. It can work well if

3) you’re able to use established algorithms to make decisions about short-term outcomes. Predictive thinking prioritizes your deductive mind. An example might be the way in which traffic control experts at airports are able to decide when to ground planes and when to allow them to fly. Long-term weather patterns are not easy to anticipate but meteorologists can predict short-term hour-by-hour weather with relative accuracy and thus traffic control officers can use”

“Suppose you are told there is a rule for producing sets of three numbers, and the set 2, 4, 6 fits the rule. How would you determine what the rule is, and provide other sets of numbers that fit the rule? Almost everyone will immediately say that the rule is about subsequent increasing even numbers, and so another set is: 8, 10, 12 or 20, 22, 24. Although this rush to judgment—that is, wherein you say to yourself, “I should continue along my first hypothesis, the pattern of even numbers based on the factor 2”—is normal, it leads you to overlook the full range of possible answers. The rule could be only about increasing numbers (so 3, 5, 7 could work), or only about even numbers (so 6, 4, 2 would be a good answer, too).”

“This chart contrasts predictive and prospective thinking: Predictive Thinking Prospective Thinking Mindset Forecasting, “We expect …” Preparing, “But what if …” Goal Reduce or even discard uncertainty, fight ambiguity Live with uncertainty, embrace ambiguity, plan for set of contingencies Level of uncertainty Average High Method Extrapolating from present and past Open, imaginative Approach Categorical, assumes continuity Global, systemic, anticipates disruptive events Information inputs Quantitative, objective, known Qualitative (whether quantifiable or not), subjective, known or unknown Relationships Static, stable structures Dynamic, evolving structures Technique Established quantitative models (economics, mathematics, data) Developing scenarios using qualitative approaches (often building on megatrends) Evaluation method Numbers Criteria”

“This chart contrasts predictive and prospective thinking: Predictive Thinking Prospective Thinking Mindset Forecasting, “We expect …” Preparing, “But what if …” Goal Reduce or even discard uncertainty, fight ambiguity Live with uncertainty, embrace ambiguity, plan for set of contingencies Level of uncertainty Average High Method Extrapolating from present and past Open, imaginative Approach Categorical, assumes continuity Global, systemic, anticipates disruptive events Information inputs Quantitative, objective, known Qualitative (whether quantifiable or not), subjective, known or unknown Relationships Static, stable structures Dynamic, evolving structures Technique Established quantitative models (economics, mathematics, data) Developing scenarios using qualitative approaches (often building on megatrends) Evaluation method Numbers Criteria Attitude toward the future Passive or reactive (the future will be) Proactive and creative (we create or shape the future) Way of thinking Generally deduction Greater use of induction”

“SECOND, ENUMERATE AND CHALLENGE YOUR CURRENT RULES, ASSUMPTIONS, PARADIGMS, AND OTHER BOXES”