Thinking for breakthroughs

How can executives improve the odds of generating breakthrough ideas and solutions in their organizations? In contrast to methods like brainstorming and widely available ideation methods – this viewpoint proposes more disciplined approaches to thinking can greatly enhance the odds of breakthroughs. Through a series of illustrative examples primarily focused on creating differentiated thought leadership, this article outlines five approaches to critical thinking that can enhance the likelihood of new strategies and discoveries.

As a viewpoint this article is based on personal reflection and analysis of prior professional experiences

This viewpoint outlines five strategies that executives can use to sharpen their thinking skills to generate breakthroughs. These include: attending to anomalies; pushing ideas to their limit and beyond; changing coordinate frames; building on and adapting prior models to new contexts; and “black box” abstraction as approaches every strategist and researcher can adopt to generating breakthroughs. The five techniques are illustrated through personal and other examples.

This reflective viewpoint provides pragmatic critical thinking tools that can help strategists and thought leaders improve the options for creating breakthrough ideas and solutions.