Creativity in business: the basic guide for generating and selecting ideas - Tapa blanda

HUMAN THOUGHT

This chapter will provide an insight into our thought processes. We’ll have a look at the hardware and software of our thought system. We know that thinking mainly takes place in the brain. But what exactly is thinking? And why don’t we constantly come up with new ideas? Do the construction and design of the brain provide an explanation for this? And of course, what is creative thinking?

Definitions
During the course of evolution, man developed a remarkable thought system with an incredibly fine and diverse structure. We will come to the physical aspect (hardware) of the brain in a minute. First let’s take a look at the functionality (software). To start with, let’s look at some definitions. This is worthwhile because it indicates perfectly why creative thinking is not as simple as we might wish it to be.

What is thinking? Out of many possible definitions, we chose this one:
Thinking = Processing Information

We are constantly surrounded by all kinds of stimuli and our perception system (the senses) makes it possible to capture these stimuli. Our thought system enables us to process very simple but also very complex information. Simple things might be: making a cup of coffee, lacing up your shoes, listening to the weather forecast and choosing suitable clothing. It becomes more complex when we consider the working environment where tasks might be accountancy, political decision making, developing an educational programme, solving a mathematical problem, repairing an engine, and so on.

An efficient thought system is able to process this complex information quickly and correctly. How do we manage this? By being champions in recognising, using and, if necessary, adapting our thought patterns.

What are thought patterns? Thought patterns are clusters of data that we recognise as clusters and that we will store if and when they generate success. In a comparable situation, we can quickly retrieve these patterns and apply them again. Eventually, this occurs automatically so that we can focus our attention on new or more important problems. Thought patterns are the habits of our thinking. Experience is the sum of all the patterns and habits we have acquired in the past that make us able to act efficiently and effectively in a certain context.