Protected: Lateral Connections
Lateral connections is based on the principles of strategic transfer. Strategic transfer traditionally involves locating emerging technologies in other fields and determining how to apply them in your own field. This creative thinking tool uses the problem statement as the starting point and seeks solutions from other fields by making lateral connections.
1. State you problem, then determine the fundamental principle or ‘essence’ of the problem.
2. Make connections with other fields/industries unlike your own using that essence as the connector. Think ‘laterally.’
3. Make a list of things from the other fields that share the essence, and use to create new perspectives on your problem.
Example: A building equipment manufacturer wanted to determine ways to automate various aspects of the construction process. He focused on the construction of the foundation and walls.
- Problem: How might we automate the construction of foundations and walls? The essence of the problem is ‘applying materials in a highly controlled fashion.’
- Lateral thinking: What analogies could the manufacturer draw with other industries? He made a connection with the rapid prototyping industry. The lateral principle: applying resin in a highly controlled fashion using a 3-D modelling printer. A 3-D printer builds an object by literally printing it in layers using resin as the building material. In turn, 3-D printing is a lateral transfer from the inkjet printing industry, which shares the same essence - applying a material (ink) in a highly controlled fashion (to paper).
- New idea - create a giant robotic “3-D printer” which ‘prints’ foundations and walls using concrete as the printing material. Just like the prototyping printer and the inkjet printer, the nozzles will be controlled by computer, based on 3-D information from the building floorplans. Using this method, the builder wouldn’t be limited to traditional rectangular building layouts - complex shapes could be constructed rather easily.
This is a real-world example - the robotic ‘building printer’ is in development in California.
