Meetings are hard work and unproductive when colleagues spend most of their time thinking of reasons why something won’t work. Dr Edward de Bono is the world’s leading authority on how to get the best out of people’s thinking. We … Continue reading
You can be Big, Bold, and Agile – Dr Edward de Bono
Large organisations can get bad press for being unwieldy and lacking in imagination and smaller companies tend to get good press for being nimble and innovative. But the story is not so straight forward. Big companies are in a unique … Continue reading
Lean project management – isn’t that the point?
When an organisation needs to make a strategic improvement, it needs to flex its project management muscles. Good project managers get to work defining and planning the project – identifying key deliverables. The deliverables are the benefits that will be … Continue reading
It ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it
Bill Barnett – 8th May 2013 I had a fantastic day training yesterday, courtesy of my good friends at Indigo, playing on their “Stakeholder Engagement (including Simulation)™” simulator. The simulator is a great piece of kit, which actually takes participants … Continue reading
Can you laterally think?
Personally I have, until recently, considered ‘lateral thinking’ to be a buzz-phrase. Often when I hear it, my children are preparing a contrived, stupendously hard to answer question, with a blatantly obvious solution – existing only in hindsight. These playful … Continue reading
Indigo sponsor scientists through a “Dragons Den” style competition…
Indigo are thrilled to announce that, for the third successive year, we are a proud sponsor of the Environment YES (Young Entrepreneurs Scheme) competition this December 2013. This innovative scheme raises levels of entrepreneurial awareness amongst PhD students and post doctoral researchers working in the environmental sciences. Continue reading
Dr de Bono – you can be Big, Bold and Agile
Large organisations can get bad press for being unwieldy and lacking in imagination and smaller companies tend to get good press for being nimble and innovative. But the story is not so straight forward. Continue reading
Try Before You Buy – The Free Webinar Line-Up
In these cost conscious times,we appreciate that it is often difficult to get approval to attend a workshop. For this reason we have created a number of FREE webinars to help you gain a clearer understanding of our events, before you decide which one to attend. Continue reading
Edward de Bono confirmed as keynote at the Learning Technologies / Skills Conference 2012
Indigo is thrilled to partner with the thirteenth annual Learning Technologies Conference on 25th January Creativity expert and author, Dr Edward de Bono, will open with a keynote speech on one of the fundamental issues facing business: how we think! Continue reading
Free Webinars – Indigo’s “try before you buy” series.
In these cost conscious times, and with travel budgets being cut, we appreciate that it is often difficult to get approval to attend a workshop, without a full understanding of how it will meet your training requirements, and link to your companies strategic plan. For this reason we have created a number of free webinars to help you gain a clear understanding of our events, before you decide which one to attend. Continue reading
Edward de Bono Update – The Audacity of Thinking
“The motivation of politicians is to survive,” he points out as he recounts an anecdote later about when he told British Prime Minister David Cameron in a letter to appoint a Minister of Thinking. “They’re always cautious about taking an initiative which could expose them to criticism.” Continue reading
The de Bono Message: “100 Years From Now…”
If we take a hundred year perspective from now, what is going to be seen to be important? A lot of things which seem very central and important at the moment will be seen to be trivial and peripheral. Continue reading
You’re hired! Why innovation is the key to business success.
Every year I say I am not going to get hooked on the BBC’s hit show ‘The Apprentice’, and then it draws me in and I am there to the bitter end! But at least, this year’s record viewing figures for the show prove that I was not the only one! But what struck me with this year’s change of circumstances – with the candidates vying to become business partners with Lord Sugar – was that, as well as the ‘nice guy’ coming first; this was a triumph for innovation too. Continue reading
Calling all trainers – Free Webinar: 2pm, 1st June 2011
Organisations are desperately searching for proven, practical tools to ramp-up the creative thinking capacity of their workforce. Yet we frequently hear clients saying “We know we need to be more creative, but we don’t know how”. What’s the Problem? Increased … Continue reading
The de Bono Message – Comfort for Defeat
How often do we deliberately design comfort for others? In an argument do we seek to design a comfortable way for the other party to accept defeat? Continue reading
Six Hats = Smart Business – nothing silly about it!
Recently, while keeping an eye on the virtual market place, we noticed that someone had taken our YouTube clip of Dr. Edward de Bono describing the Six Thinking Hats®, and added Arabic sub-titles to it! Continue reading
Indigo client is University of the Year
A small blog entry to say HUGE congratulations to the University of York; one of our premium clients recently recognised as the Times Higher Education University of the Year! (See full article at http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=414419) Continue reading
What’s keeping the CEO’s of global businesses up at night?
In this new era of perpetual change, rapid innovation and global competition, it may come as no surprise to learn that recent surveys indicate CEO’s worry most about… wait for it …UNCERTAINTY! Continue reading
YES! Indigo help science and commerce mix at London’s County Hall
Indigo sponsor Environment YES 2010 – An innovative competition harnessing the best science brains with commercial know-how. Continue reading
Six Thinking Hats® in action at mark-making*
At Indigo we are always eager to hear from our clients after their training. The key measure of Indigo’s success is how our customers benefit from the practical use of our Creativity, Communication and Project Management training. Here is a … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Do you recognise this problem?
The human brain is designed to recognise. I described in detail how the brain does this in my book “Mechanism of the Mind”. The leading physicist in the world liked my book and commissioned a team of computer experts to… Continue reading
Mastering Skills
Skill, innovation, Edward de Bono, communication, Project Management Continue reading
Lean thinking and creative thinking comes to life with Simplicity
Leaders in the public and private sector are being driven to do more with less. On the surface this does not seem to be rational. Surely the best we can hope for is doing the same with less? Since its … Continue reading
De Bono Update – All governments need a minister of thinking
New Delhi: Sell them to Playboy,” said the amiable 77-year-old guru of lateral thinking, Edward de Bono, after posing for pictures against a colourful backdrop at a Gurgaon hotel recently. The veteran creative thinker (and qualified physician), who believes that “thinking” must be taught as a subject in schools, was in India and spoke about his big idea for India in this interview. Continue reading
Mission Impossible?
You don’t need to look at many company websites before you realise that most organisations claim to be creative. Their bold mission statements are very clear – being ‘creative’ and ‘innovative’ is what sets them apart from their competitors. But … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – “We need to add”
Complacent, adequate, sufficient all imply that something is not wrong or bad. Our normal language and thinking behaviour does not have a convenient way of saying: “That is excellent but not enough”. Or we might need to say “That is excellent but that is only part of the picture”. Dr Edward de Bono Continue reading
Turn up the air con: this organisational ‘heat’ is stifling my thinking
On a recent business trip to Humberside I travelled from London’s Kings Cross to Hull. A train journey I have happily completed on a number of occasions. Apart from this time: the carriages were sweltering for the entire 2 hours … Continue reading
Can life really be made more ‘simple’?…
Yesterday in Central London, 24 delegates at Indigo’s Simplicity™ workshop were finding out. Dr Edward de Bono’s workshop follows the success of his globally-renowned Simplicity book, and helps people recognise the value and need for simplicity, teaching a range of … Continue reading
ROI with ROEye
Clients are telling us that Return On Investment (ROI) is the primary consideration when making any strategic decision. And rightly so in these turbulent times. Whether in the private, public or charitable sector competition is fierce. Each pound spent needs … Continue reading
Can’t beat Tiger Woods? Give up golf!
· Certain people are born excellent communicators. Correct. · Others are naturally creative. Correct. · I am neither, and never will be. Wrong! Vital business skills, such as communication and creativity, can be learnt practised and mastered using practical techniques. … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – A Different Sort of Logic!
Our habits of thinking are too much judgement based and not enough design based. This arises from the origin with the GG3 (Greek Gang of Three). When this thinking came into Europe at the Renaissance, the Church ran schools, universities and thinking in general. What the Church needed was truth, logic and argument to prove heretics wrong. So we developed an excellent thinking system for ‘finding the truth’ but we never developed thinking ‘for creating value (design)’. Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Out of the Box!
The brain is designed to allow incoming information to form itself into routine patterns. Without this life would be impossible. With eleven items of clothing to put on in the morning, it would take seventy six years to go through … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Difficult Times / Problem Solving
There is a difference between difficult times and a problem. With difficult times the universe of action is changed. All logics are only relevant in their particular universe – just as the universe of a patterning system is different from … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Creative Challenge
Here is a creative Challenge for you. Most existing sports have been around a long time. The Challenge is to invent a new sport. There are the following requirements: Must look good on television. There must be build up and … Continue reading
Edward de Bono & Garrison doctor attend Lords event
Garrison doctor Patrick Treacy was at the House of Lords in London recently to participate in a pioneering humanitarian event. Dr. Treacy joined Dr Edward de Bono who headed up the event which saw the beginning of a ‘Thinking Evolution’ … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Football
I once suggested a change to the rules of soccer. When there is a draw then extra time is played. If there is still a draw then there is a penalty shoot-out. This introduces an element of luck. In addition … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Positive News Agency
The media, and especially the press, are usually full of negative news: murders, attacks, economic failures etc. It may be that experience has indeed shown that negative matters are of more interest to readers. Even if this is so, I … Continue reading
The Edward de Bono Weekly Message – Economic Crisis
The current economic crisis requires some new thinking. It will not get that. There will be a lot of analysis and references to the 1930 crisis. The methods for influencing the local economy are very limited. There are interest rate … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – About Education – EBNE
Education is all about knowledge and analysis. There is a complete lack of ‘operacy’ and design. Operacy covers the skill of doing and making things happen. Design is putting together what you have to deliver the values you want. Our … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Two Functions of an Organisation
There are at least two key functions in any organisation. The first function is continuity. This means keeping things going as they are going. That includes solving the problems that arise and interfere with the continuity. Most executives see … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Computer Analysis
There is a growing tendency for corporations to feed all available data into a computer. The computer analyses the data and this shapes the strategy of the corporation and makes decisions. This is a dangerous tendency because thinking is locked … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Creativity
As I have mentioned so often the word ‘creativity’ in English is too broad and ranges from creating a mess to painting a masterpiece. The emphasis is on ‘bringing something about’. At the same time repetition does not qualify. … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Property Market
When the property market is falling buyers tend to wait until it falls further. Why buy now when you can get a lower price in a few months’ time? So the market falls further because some people need to sell … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Credit Crunch
You may trust a person’s honesty – but can you trust that person’s intelligence? This may have some relevance to the current credit crunch or banking crisis. We can pick out at least five factors contributing to the problem and … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – Six Frames For Looking At Information
My most recent book is “Six Frames for looking at information” (Ebury Press, part of Random House). We are surrounded by ever more information. How do we look at information? It is like being thrown into a swimming pool of … Continue reading
The de Bono Weekly Message – EU Year of Creativity
“I understand the year 2009 has been announced as the EU Year of Creativity. I hope this is going to include creative thinking and not just the arts. I have offered to give a free seminar in Brussels to EU personnel … Continue reading
De Bono Weekly Message – Thinking through a problem
Because we often consider ‘thinking’ to be problem solving we do not think much about matters which are not problems. If there is a wide open road ahead of us we do not stop to consider the side roads. This … Continue reading
De Bono Weekly Message – Creative Task
If you spend a lot of time thinking about things in a creative way then the time is not wasted even if specific ideas are not used. You build up in your mind a reservoir of concepts and possibilities that … Continue reading
Don’t get deflated by inflation!
We are all hearing more and more about the rising costs of fuel, food and more right now. It is a hot topic. I even found myself having a debate with a London cab driver earlier this afternoon about what … Continue reading
Tough times call for a creative approach…
Globally the financial markets are in freefall. The sub-prime crisis has hit banks now, and is threatening to affect many other industries and sectors over the coming months. I friend of mine working in an investment bank, with the absence … Continue reading
