Edward de Bono
The originator of lateral thinking. Leading authority on creativity.
Edward de Bono is regarded by many to be the leading authority in the world in the field of creative thinking and the direct teaching of thinking as a skill.
Edward de Bono has written 62 books with translations into 37 languages and has been invited to lecture in 57 countries. He is the originator of lateral thinking which treats creativity as the behaviour of information in a self-organising information system - such as the neural networks in the brain. From such a consideration arise the deliberate and formal tools of lateral thinking, parallel thinking etc.
He originated the concept of ‘lateral thinking’, which is concerned with changing concepts and perceptions. The methods are based on an understanding of the brain as a self-organising information system. The techniques of lateral thinking can be used formally and deliberately in order to generate new ideas.
Throughout his career, Edward de Bono has focused on the thinking process and its applications in the business world and believes that creativity is the most cost-effective way of getting added value from existing assets. Implementing creativity should double the profits of any company within 5 years, he says. In 1991 he founded the "International Creative Forum" to provide the framework and the tools for liberating and harnessing the creative energy within organisations to ensure lasting, global success.
Edward de Bono was a Rhodes Scholar at Christ Church, Oxford, and continued as a research assistant and later a lecturer in Medicine at Oxford and Cambridge. He holds a BSC MD Malta and a PhD from the University of Oxford. Since 1991 he has been the Director of the Cognitive Research Trust, Cambridge and since 1983 the Secretary General of the Supranational Independent Thinking Organisation.
He has written 62 books (the most recent published Autumn 1999 titled New Thinking for the New Millenium) with translations into 34 languages and has made two television series. A planet has been named after him by the official International Astronomical Union.
He has lectured in 57 countries. His instructions in thinking has been sought by governments and corporations. His programmes for the direct teaching of thinking in schools are widely used around the world and are mandatory in some countries.
