Lateral Thinking
Solving problems through an indirect and creative approach, i.e. using reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involving ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.
Origin
Maltese-born physician and psychologist Edward de Bono coined the term in his 1967 book The Use of Lateral Thinking, to distinguish indirect, generative problem-solving from "vertical thinking" — the focused, logical, step-by-step reasoning favored by traditional education. De Bono argued that many problems persist not from a lack of logic but from being locked in a dominant pattern of thought, and that disrupting that pattern required deliberate techniques. He later formalized methods such as the Six Thinking Hats and random-word provocation, bringing structured creative thinking into business schools and corporate training worldwide.