Tales, parables and instructive stories. Standard and non-standard management solutions

One of the main goals of big business is to be at least one step ahead of its competitors. This can ensure the emergence of new customers, new sales and worldwide fame. Nowadays, little can be achieved with trivial decisions in managing your business. To be on top, you need to come up with something unconventional and original. The companies that will be discussed below were able to fool their competitors precisely thanks to creative ideas and solutions.

Many of the cases presented have already entered the world business history and can serve as an excellent example of how to find and implement recipes for success.

Robert Taylor and liquid soap

In the 1970s there was one American entrepreneur, who invented liquid soap and sold it through his small business. However, the invention was not patented, since the idea itself was not radically new. And the pump mechanism, without which using liquid soap would be difficult, was also invented a long time ago. Taylor understood that if large manufacturers of household chemicals began to mass produce liquid soap in dispensers, then the prospects for its development small business not to be seen.

And then the resourceful entrepreneur decided to simply not allow other manufacturers to obtain the coveted plastic pump dispensers that are attached to bottles of liquid soap. At that time, there were only two factories in the United States that produced such pumps, and Taylor placed orders from both for their production at a cost of twelve million dollars. For this amount, it was possible to produce about one hundred million dispensers, and thus, for the next few years, both factories worked only to fulfill Taylor's order. Robert's competitors, of course, could produce liquid soap itself, but without convenient packaging with a dispenser, such a product was not competitive.

Consciously taking a huge risk, Taylor made the right decision - within a few years his small company turned into the huge Colgate-Palmolive business, producing liquid soap, toothpastes and other hygiene products.

Oakley and sunglasses

In the summer of 2010, a mine collapse occurred in Chile. The consequence of this tragedy was that 33 workers found themselves at a depth of approximately 700 meters without the ability to get out on their own. Rescue operations began, which lasted for three months. Concerned people and organizations sent food, water and other things to the affected miners necessary funds for survival. The Oakley company also decided to send its products – sunglasses – to the miners.

When the rescue of the miners was finally successful and they got out of captivity, they had to put on the glasses they had received as a gift, since it was difficult for their eyes to look at daylight after being in the dark for such a long time. Of course, correspondents from almost all TV channels and print publications arrived at the scene of the incident, filming the faces of the rescued workers wearing Oakley glasses with photo and video cameras. Thus, the company made itself free advertising, which was seen by millions of people around the world, including views on the Internet.

Puma and tying shoelaces

Everyone knows that major football matches are always an excellent platform for advertising. Some companies paste advertising posters over stadiums, others run tickers on television during live broadcasts of matches. The Puma company decided to act much simpler, and at the same time much more ingenious. They paid the football player Pele just to tie the laces of his sneakers in the stadium just before the start of the match. Of course, his sneakers were from Puma, and of course, the actions of such a great football player were always shown in close-up on the main screens.

"Asus" and computer production

Once a manufacturer motherboards For the American company Dell, one small company in Taiwan was engaged. After a long cooperation, this company wanted to supply Dell with other components and produce entire computers. Dell agreed, because it saw only benefits in this. Over time, the Taiwanese partner also offered to participate in supply management. Dell again happily accepted the offer. Collaboration boiled with new strength. For Dell, such cooperation was more than profitable: they were promoting their product on the market, and their Taiwanese partner did all the routine work for them.

At one point, Taiwanese specialists in Once again came to America, but not to negotiate with Dell. They went straight to the headquarters of one of the largest chains of electronics stores and offered computers for sale own production. These computers were the same High Quality, like Dell products, but their price was slightly lower. By the way, the Taiwanese company in question is now one of the leading manufacturers computer equipment in the world and it is called Asus.

MCI and consumer inattention

In the 1990s, the international telecommunications company AT&T began implementing new promotion for your clients. According to its terms, each client of this telecom operator must dial the number 1-8-00-operator, after which he could take advantage of new communication tariffs at a reduced price. AT&T's main competitor at the time was MCI. Its specialists immediately realized that in this case you can get good benefits for yourself.

The word “operator” is not in itself difficult to understand, but it is still possible to make a mistake in it. MCI added one more to their numbers, which looked like this: 1-8-00-operator. It differed by only one letter (the penultimate one) from the AT&T promotional number, but otherwise completely coincided with it. Thus, all AT&T customers who misheard or wrote down the number ended up in MCI. Well, then the specialists of this company already communicated with them, using all their skills and knowledge to turn them into regular customers.

When toothpaste They just started producing it in tubes, the hole in them was made very narrow - about 2 millimeters. Of course, squeezing toothpaste out of such a hole was not very convenient. One day, Colgate decided to hold a competition among its regular customers to best idea to improve the product. One of the consumers put forward his idea about increasing the diameter of the hole in toothpaste tubes. Colgate employees were immediately hostile to this idea: they did not understand how it could increase sales.

As a result of much deliberation, it was decided to launch a trial batch of toothpaste in tubes with an enlarged opening. Sales skyrocketed. Why? It's simple: people squeezed out much more toothpaste at a time from large holes, so the tube ran out faster and they had to buy toothpaste much more often than before.

Lego and X-rays

Lego constructors are a favorite pastime for millions of children around the world. Even the little ones love them, as they can accidentally swallow small parts of the construction set. Consumers began increasingly complaining that their children were “eating” Lego pieces that were extremely difficult to detect during x-ray examinations.

Lego did not stop producing small parts, as this could significantly reduce children’s interest in their products. The company approached the problem from the other side: they began to add a special component to the material from which the small parts of the designer were made, which is easily visible on an X-ray image. This may not have reduced the number of cases of swallowed parts, but it has made it much easier for parents and doctors to detect these parts in the stomachs of children.

We all, in one way or another, face the need to solve problems that arise at work. For some reason, only one always manages to find original, or even breakthrough, solutions. And others, no matter how hard you try, only move “along the knurled track.” But the ability to find a graceful way out of any situation is not a gift from heaven. It is quite possible to develop it in yourself. And you don’t need much for this.

Solving problems using the subconscious

Non-standard solutions... This formula refers us to the possibilities and limitations of personal creativity, to the willingness to take risks, while evaluating possible consequences their innovative ideas for reasons of “good business”. This is probably one of the basic characteristics of leaders - people who must remain multi-variant and “fresh” in their decisions, relying on the already acquired experience of the possibilities of the current situation, and ready to explore new, emerging “here and now” creative potentials of what is happening.

What is needed for this? What abilities provide us with the opportunity to develop our courage and ultimately refuse standard solutions in problematic, critical situations? The answer is simple. This requires curiosity, keen interest, willingness to take risks, a desire for the unknown - it is on these energies that we can turn to search for a non-standard solution. The next logical question is: how to develop all these useful qualities? In other words, what kind of “soil” can they grow in?

Be different!

Entrepreneurial Creativity: 4 Pillars

The source of victories and defeats

This is what psychology tells us about this. New things are always exciting. But it’s always scary. Why? It's simple: when we are adults, we already have a library of “proven solutions” that helped us out “there and then” in problematic situations. And the older and more experienced we become, the more extensive it becomes. And the more tempting it is to quickly formalize a solution to the problem in a familiar, mastered and repeated many times way. Avoiding fear, the danger of risk, the possibility of making a mistake.

Failures as stepping stones to success

Of course, you can make a mistake in this case too, by “pulling” from the library a method of solving it that is unsuitable for the current problem. But here our brain is always ready to come to our aid, justifying the decision by referring to the success of the method used in the past. And if our head “tells” us that the decision was justified, then we begin to feel like heroes. It’s not our fault that the method didn’t work this time! It's all because of the past. It is with him that in such a situation we share responsibility for our present. And this calms us down.

But once upon a time, in distant – or not so distant – childhood, we simply did not have such opportunities. We formed our life experience day by day, and day by day we directly lived both our successes and our defeats. However, here's what's important: children's curiosity and willingness to explore new things only emerge when we feel safe. And the sensations “dangerous - safe” are rooted, first of all, in our body! So the first step to finding a new solution to a problem situation should be paying attention to the sensations of your body at those moments when you “enter” the problem field. How can you “listen” to what is happening in your body at these moments?

Step 1.Provide yourself with at least 5, preferably 10 minutes of guaranteed privacy, including turning off your phones. Sit on a chair with a comfortable backrest so that both feet feel the firm and safe support of the floor. The hips and back provide strong and safe support for the chair (Fig. 1). And for a minute or two just watch your breathing. This will help you “breathe” the tension in your body and relax your usual “mobilization spasms.” For now, let go of what is happening. Your task now is to return to yourself, to yourself, to your strong body, securely located in friendly and safe surfaces. From which your smart head, now excited by the situation, grows. “Scan” your body, try to feel the reality of your legs, arms, torso, neck, head. For this, it is good to “tap” with your fingertips those areas that are now difficult to mentally connect to yourself. When you bring your entire physicality into awareness, ask yourself where exactly is the most excitement right now? How do you feel about it? And where is the most tension? How is it manifested?

Step 2.The second step can be the distribution of the energies of excitement - excitation throughout your body. Here's how it works. For example, visualizing waves of heat or color (the one the image of which suits you now), or following your bodily sensations. A suitable tool here can be your breathing, on the wave of which you can “deliver” energies to the areas of your body that you are aware of here and now. Stay in this process for as long as you feel comfortable right now.

Step 3.The third step in researching how much you can trust the safety of what is happening can be the following. Remaining in your pictures and sensations, try to tell yourself, without using the prefixes “not”, that your bones, your muscles and other tissues, your skin are quite a strong “container” so that the energies of your excitation can spontaneously unfold in a new way. you situation. Yes, it is possible that such situations have already happened many times in your life, and it is really difficult for you to believe in its novelty. But for your body, in its endless process of cell renewal, in its time dimension, every next moment of life is exactly new. Try to grasp this now. In fact, this is exactly what can become the best medicine out of boredom “for all time.” After all, the root of boredom is the safety of eternal repetition. Yes, without the fuss of excitement and explosions of anxiety. Yes, with stronger guarantees against errors. But how boring!

In scan mode

I really hope that these three simple exercises will help you strengthen your sense of safe readiness to deviate from the norm. And here is the time to turn from your “physical life” to a work situation.

Step 4.The next step could be to “scan” your experience in search of standard solutions. After all, you need to start from something reliable and durable in moving towards the unknown and new? And the “floor” for this push can be precisely the enumeration of proven methods for solving this kind of problem. It is quite possible to write them down on a piece of paper in order to understand exactly how you have already acted in a similar situation.

Step 5.And so you have created a “margin” of safety for yourself, having formed the feeling that at any moment you can turn onto the “beaten path”. It's time for the next step - it's time to launch a “search engine for a new solution.” How to do it? I suggest you look for a solution to the problem, devoting 10 minutes to this process. last minutes every hour. When you feel absorbed by your excitement - thoughts - searches, immediately tell yourself in a calm human voice: “Yes, this is necessary and important. And I will definitely think about it from 9.50 to 10.00. In the meantime, I...” And what should I fill this ellipsis with? Of course, your work schedule provides a lot of opportunities for this: answering emails, holding a meeting, talking on the phone. But in order to start moving towards non-standard, it would be best to really “move your body”. Go for a run, go to the pool, just walk along the corridor, go up and down the stairs. They're good here active methods filling time. But 10 minutes of every office hour you need to return to finding solutions to the problem.

By the way, don’t be upset if a solution doesn’t appear within a day. Good dream- Same great helper in these matters. When you go to bed, ask your Unconscious to show you your problematic event from deep, irrational layers. And in the morning, set your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier than usual. And for these 10 minutes, try to focus on the memories of the dream. It is quite possible that you will receive a creative, elegant solution to a problem as a gift.

"Eureka!"

Inspiration

Creativity

And now the longed-for moment has come: a couple of fresh, lively ideas were born in my head! It's time to take the next step - test possible risks. That is, correlate the freshness and “calorie content” of the “catch” with real opportunities current situation to “digest” all this, and due to this develop into best option. And here it makes sense for you, first of all, to give yourself the right to make mistakes. If you really bother looking for the “best solution” - that’s it, you will get stuck in analyzing possible “bald spots” forever. What can you rely on in this situation? Yes, first of all, based on the experience of your failures. If you are a living person, then you definitely have such experience. Another thing is, what do you usually do with it? Do you diligently ignore him, try to forget him quickly? Do you deny?

Step 6. Here I suggest you take a very uncomfortable step at first glance. Retire yourself in space - it’s better to do this at home - with all possible attention to your body (see step 1) and feel as authentically as possible with your body - live with your soul - the experience of possible failure. While paying attention to the real safety of the support of your body (By the way, what could this be in your life? Who or what would really support you in difficult moment?). And in order to “complete the circle”, I would invite you - again through body sensations - to relive the story of your real success once again. Big or very small – it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that this is an event in which both yourself and other participants like you. A situation where something really good happened as a result of your decisions, your efforts, your experience and intuition. And a successful completion of this work on yourself can be a simple, very reliable formula, which you should “scroll” in your head: “I am more than my current problem. I am stronger than I sometimes seem to myself in a problematic situation. I am richer than my work role. Life is changeable and multifaceted, and step by step I have more and more experience and opportunities to change what is in my power, to accept what is impossible to change, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.”

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MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

FEDERAL STATE BUDGET EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

"ST. PETERSBURG STATE INSTITUTE OF CULTURE"

Department of Management and Economics

ABSTRACT

in the discipline "Management Decisions"

on the topic “Standard and non-standard management decisions»

Is done by a student

gr. SKT/SZ511-5/1

V.A. Mortuary

Supervisor

Ph.D. econ. Sciences, Associate Professor

E.V. Gaponova

St. Petersburg - 2015

Introduction

The result of the manager's work is a management decision. The entire activity of the organization depends on what this decision will be, and whether the goal will be achieved or not. Therefore, making a decision by a manager always presents certain difficulties. This is due both to the responsibility that the manager assumes and to the uncertainty that is present when choosing one of the alternatives. Decision making is not the preserve of managers alone. After all, we all literally make decisions every day. True, not all of our decisions are as fateful as those that company managers have to make. But still, our decisions have a significant impact on our lives. Almost each of us sometimes thought: why did I act this way at that moment and not otherwise, because because of this I now have new problems? It turns out that at some moments we get rid of some problems, but in the future we are faced with new ones.

But on the other hand, you can’t decide nothing at all and let things take their course. In this case, the person loses understanding of the situation and cannot further control what is happening. Taking various solutions Every day, we begin to act so mechanically that we no longer notice the processes that precede the decision itself. IN Everyday life, between our awareness of a problem and its solution, fractions of a second pass, and we often cannot say why we acted this way and not otherwise. This is explained by the fact that if a problem arises very often and every time it is solved in the same way, then the algorithm for solving it already becomes a program that our brain executes automatically. But most of the problems that arise in the work of a manager are not repeated so often, and therefore their solution is also a kind of problem of choice, which is not always easy to make.

The process of developing management decisions is one of the most important management processes. The success of everything undertaken by the manager largely depends on ensuring its effectiveness.

When making many management decisions, you may be faced with unpredictability, the probabilistic nature of the result, which is influenced by many different factors: both internal and external. The lower the level of professionalism of the manager, the higher the unpredictability of results (insufficient knowledge in the field of organizational management, personnel management, insufficient skills in using methods of socio-psychological influence, technologies for developing and making management decisions).

Only a manager who knows the technologies for developing, making and implementing management decisions is able to implement effective management organization in a complex, constantly changing economic environment.

1. Management decision, essence and objectives

A management decision is presented as a social act aimed at resolving a problem situation.

Any management decision goes through three stages:

1. Understanding the problem

2. Drawing up a solution plan

3. Execution of the decision

In management, a decision connects all aspects of a manager’s activity: from formulating a goal, describing a situation, characterizing a problem, to developing ways to overcome a problem and achieve a goal. A management decision, including an assessment of the situation, identification of alternatives, selection of the best one, formulation of the task and organizational and practical work for its implementation, ultimately determines the effectiveness of the entire system and management processes.

A management decision is the result of analysis, forecasting, optimization, economic justification and choosing an alternative from a variety of options for achieving specific purpose management systems.

The impulse of a management decision is the need to eliminate, reduce the relevance or solve a problem, that is, to bring the actual parameters of an object (phenomenon) closer to the desired, forecast ones in the future.

2. Classification of management decisions

Solution is a choice of alternative. At the same time, a decision is a product of management work, which ultimately increases or decreases the efficiency of the enterprise.

Usually in making any decision there are varying degrees three points: intuition, judgment and rationality.

When making a purely intuitive decision, people base it on their own feeling that their choice is correct. There is a “sixth sense” here, a kind of insight, usually visited by representatives of the highest echelon of power. Middle managers rely more on computer information and assistance. Despite the fact that intuition becomes sharper along with the acquisition of experience, the continuation of which is precisely a high position, a manager who focuses only on it becomes a hostage to chance, and from a statistical point of view, his chances of right choice not very high.

Decisions based on judgment are in many ways similar to intuitive ones, probably because at first glance their logic is poorly visible. But still, they are based on knowledge and meaningful, unlike the previous case, experience of the past. Using them and relying on common sense, adjusted for today, the option that brought the greatest success in a similar situation in the past is selected. However, common sense is rare among people, so this method decision-making is also not very reliable, although it is captivating with its speed and cheapness.

Another weakness is that the judgment cannot be related to a situation that has not previously occurred, and therefore there is simply no experience in solving it. In addition, with this approach, the manager tends to act primarily in those directions that are familiar to him, as a result of which he risks missing good result in another area, consciously or unconsciously refusing to invade it.

3. Types of management decisions

Since decisions are made by people, their character largely bears the imprint of the personality of the manager involved in their birth. In this regard, it is customary to distinguish balanced, impulsive, inert, risky and cautious decisions.

Balanced Solutions accepted by managers who are attentive and critical to their actions, put forward hypotheses and their testing. They usually have an initial idea formulated before making a decision.

Impulsive decisions, the authors of which easily generate a wide variety of ideas in unlimited quantities, but are not able to properly test, clarify, and evaluate them. Therefore, decisions turn out to be insufficiently substantiated and reliable; they are made “at once”, “in jerks”. management decision standard resolution

Inert solutions become the result of a careful search. In them, on the contrary, control and clarifying actions prevail over the generation of ideas, so it is difficult to detect originality, brilliance, and innovation in such decisions.

Risky decisions They differ from impulsive ones in that their authors do not need to carefully substantiate their hypotheses and, if they are confident in themselves, may not be afraid of any dangers.

Careful decisions are characterized by the manager’s thorough assessment of all options and a hypercritical approach to business. They are even less distinguished by novelty and originality than inert ones.

For strategic and tactical control any subsystem of the management system are accepted rational decisions methods based economic analysis, justification and optimization.

According to the tasks to be solved, they are distinguished informational, organizational and.

Information management solutions designed to establish the necessary management structure. They answer the question: “What can be used here?”

Designed to establish the necessary management structure. They answer the question: "What needs to be done?"

Operational management decisions represent action decisions and answer the question: “How to act?”

Depending on the degree of coverage of problems, management decisions are divided into general and private.

General management decisions relate to the entire management system, to all aspects of its activities.

Private management decisions As a rule, they relate to one problem of particular importance, or to some aspect of the activity of the production site.

Depending on your goals, you can highlight strategic, tactical and operational management decisions.

Strategic (prospective) decisions determine the directions and ways of development of the management system for the long term.

Tactical (medium-term) solutions are designed to ensure the achievement of specific goals and the solution of specific problems.

Operational management decisions provide for immediate intervention in the process of activity of the managed system. These decisions are developed on the basis of current, operational information about the functioning of the managed system and its elements. Such decisions are caused by deviations in the functioning of the managed system from the planned process of activity, from the solution of previously set goals. Such decisions are called regulatory or corrective.

In terms of scale, management decisions can be global, affecting the entire organization as a whole, and local relating to only one division or specific aspect of production activities.

According to the time frame, there are retrospective decisions, the consequences of which will be felt for a long time, and current ones, focused on the needs of the present time.

Depending on the duration of the implementation period, there are long-term(over five years), medium term(from one year to five years) and short-term(up to one year) decisions. The longer the period for which a decision is made, the more uncertain its result will be, and the more risky the decision itself will be, and vice versa.

According to the degree of obligation, management decisions are divided into directive, recommendatory and guiding. In practical activities, such a division depends on many factors: the level of decision-making, the timing of its validity, and its significance for a given enterprise.

For example, policy decisions most often accepted higher authorities management in stable conditions regarding the most important problems of the enterprise and are intended for mandatory execution.

Recommendation solutions are usually prepared by advisory bodies - various kinds of committees and commissions. The implementation of such decisions is desirable, but not mandatory, since those who are affected by these decisions are not formally subordinate to those who make them.

Orienting Forecast decisions are considered that outline desirable prospects for the development of a given enterprise.

By functional purpose can be considered organizational, coordinating, regulating and controlling decisions.

Organizational management decisions, for example, distribute official responsibilities between individual performers.

Example coordinating decisions- the procedure for distributing current work among performers.

Regulatory management decisions most often they prescribe a way to carry out certain actions in certain situations. They are expressed in various kinds of rules, routines, schedules, norms, and standards.

Controlling decisions serve to evaluate the results of certain actions.

Depending on the degree of completeness and reliability of information, there are deterministic and probabilistic solutions.

Deterministic management decisions accepted if complete and reliable information is available. Such decisions are usually easily formalized and can be made using economic and mathematical methods and computers.

Probabilistic decisions have to be made in conditions of insufficient and incomplete information. To justify such decisions, methods are often used expert assessments, game theory, jury opinion, brainstorming, etc.

Management decisions are distinguished by management levels territorial, sectoral, individual firms, enterprises, bodies, divisions, departments.

By field of activity, management decisions are divided into social, economic, organizational, technical, technological, environmental, legal, etc.

According to the organization of development, management decisions can be divided into individual, collegial, collegial.

Sole management decisions are accepted by the manager without agreement with specialists, without discussion in the team. Such decisions include operational decisions that provide for rapid intervention in the activities of the managed system.

Collegial management decisions are adopted on complex issues requiring comprehensive discussion. Managers at various levels and specialists in the relevant field are involved in the development of such solutions.

Collective management decisions accepted at team meetings by all participants.

According to the preparation and acceptance procedure, we can distinguish standard and non-standard management decisions.

4. Standard and non-standard management solutions

Standard decisions (also called program or standard) include management decisions, the essence of which is clearly defined, the adoption procedure is well established, and implementation is characterized by a certain frequency. A standard solution is a solution that involves an unambiguous choice of option. Standard decisions are made, as a rule, in well-known (standard), repeating situations. When making such a decision, the manager understands that it may not be the best, but due to various circumstances (limited time, desire to follow traditions, reluctance to search for optimal solution etc.) he opts for a well-known, proven the best side in the past, option of action.

Examples of a standard solution include: reprimanding an employee who has committed a serious violation of labor discipline; holding a meeting of department heads to coordinate their actions at the initial stage of implementing a plan; receiving bank loan to provide financial resources for a new project, etc.

Such solutions significantly simplify the management process. Therefore, it is necessary to strive for the maximum possible standardization of the structure of techniques and procedures for making and implementing management decisions.

Non-standard (problematic, atypical) creative problem solving, which requires new information, searching for other combinations of decision-making, developing and evaluating previously unknown alternatives, etc.

Such management decisions cannot be formulated and planned in advance. They appear in the management process when problems arise that were not foreseen standard tasks and decisions, and are determined by the state of the control object, the influence of external and internal conditions.

An example of a non-standard management decision.

Antarctica. Scientific village. People worked for several months and counted the days until the ship came for them. But for some reason the ship's arrival is delayed for a month or two. The tension in the team is such that sparks fly when there is a collision. Just look, someone will kill someone! And then the station manager decides to take the fire on himself: he begins to find fault with everyone, mocks the workers, and comes up with the stupidest prohibitions. Soon the entire team unites in the fight against management. Then they admitted that they were thinking about revolting and isolating him from the team. But he achieved his goal: people waited for the ship, no one went crazy or hurt their comrades.

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The power of “I don’t know” and the disease of experts

Most people consider it shameful to show their ignorance and appear ignorant. In their opinion, it is better to try to look like an expert in something that you do not understand at all. In this situation electronic methods communication is only at hand. On the other hand, the reluctance to admit one's ignorance and incompetence means that the person's mind is closed to learning and real knowledge.

Research recent years(e.g. Philip Tetlock) have shown that experts predict the future only slightly more accurately than "a random selection of dart-throwing chimpanzees." The accuracy of their forecasts is only about 47.4%. This is equivalent to predicting at random, the only difference being that it will not cost you anything, while forecasters will charge a lot of money for their services.

Interestingly, researcher Philip Tetlock characterizes the worst forecasters as overconfident - even if their forecast does not come true.

Nevertheless, people continue to listen to forecasts or are tempted to predict. Why? This is due to the fact that (given the extremely intricate cause-and-effect relationships of our world) few people remember failed predictions. But if the prediction comes true, then the person who made it can gain the glory of a prophet or receive a large reward.

How to admit ignorance?

The authors encourage people not to be shy about admitting their ignorance. To avoid putting yourself in a stupid position, say something that is unpleasant for you and end with the phrase: “... but maybe I can find out.” People are likely to respond positively to such openness, especially if you come back to them with the information they need.

Look to the root!

Cause-and-effect relationships are complex, confusing, and not obvious. However, most people continue to think and explain the causes of certain phenomena according to the patterns formed for them.

To see the true causes of events, you need to go beyond established ideas.

What is the cause of poverty and hunger? On the one hand, there is a lack of money and food. On the other hand, food supplies and material assistance to starving countries do not change anything. The problem is a dysfunctional economy, when those in power think, first of all, about satisfying their own needs.
Why are there so many wars in Africa? Of course, there are many reasons, but the main one is the colonial division of Africa by Europeans in the 19th century. Europeans divided territories simply by looking at a map (which is why borders between African countries are often completely straight lines). As a result, friendly African tribes could end up on opposite sides of the border, and warring ones could end up in the same country.
Why is heart disease more common among blacks in the United States? It was discovered that slave owners selected slaves based on the saltiness of their sweat. Because salt retains moisture, a slave with saltier sweat had a better chance of surviving the grueling sea voyage to the New World without dying of dehydration. Salt sensitivity runs in families, and studies show that African Americans are 50% more likely to have hypertension than whites (and blacks elsewhere) and have a higher risk of heart problems as a result.
Until the 1980s, it was believed that stomach ulcers were caused by stress and spicy foods. Barry Marshall proved that the cause of ulcers (which can then lead to cancer) is the bacterium Helicobacter Pylori. To overcome the resistance of the medical community, which did not take Marshall's hypothesis seriously, he performed a heroic act - he drank a liquid containing bacteria, after which he developed signs of gastritis.

Think like a child

Freaky thinking often involves the ability to think like a child. The authors note that this is one of the the best ways searching for non-standard solutions and generating ideas. Children are curious and ask questions that adults are afraid to ask. Having no preconceptions is a huge advantage for anyone who wants to get to the bottom of things.

Since big problems are usually made up of many small problems, it makes sense to start by focusing your attention on one of them. The advantage here is that a small task is easier to implement.

The main life principle of a freak

If you want to think like a freak, the authors advise always using real stimuli that affect people.

There are many incentives - monetary, social, moral. The ability to recognize and apply them is a whole science, because different incentives act in certain cases and with certain people.

Determining the stimulus that will affect a particular person is not easy. People usually do not admit to what they may be addicted to, and the authors do not recommend taking anyone's word for it on this issue.

There is another effect, the so-called cobra effect. It is due to the fact that manifestations of generosity often cause backlash. It received its name after the situation in which the English colonists found themselves in India. Deciding to reduce the snake population in Delhi, the colonists announced a monetary reward for each cobra killed. The result was the opposite - the Indians began to breed and raise cobras, receiving money for them, and when the rewards were canceled, all the cobras were released into the wild.

In addition, you should avoid incentives that look like thinly disguised attempts at manipulation. People feel them well.

The use of incentives is also useful from another point of view. Often, someone who cheats or lies will react in a particular way. Based on this, the authors derive a principle they call “teach your garden to weed itself.” The point is that you need to foresee in advance a situation in which a person with bad intentions will reveal himself.

As an example, the authors cite the well-known story of King Solomon. One day, two women with a child came to his court, each of whom claimed that the child was hers. Solomon announced to them that he had decided to cut the child into pieces and give half to each mother. This helped to identify the real mother, who said in horror that it would be better for her child to go to someone else, but to live. The impostor agreed to kill the child.

How to convince people who don't want to be convinced?

It is extremely stupid to present your proposal as ideal - this always alarms people, simply because this does not happen. So that the person does not feel there is a catch, tell us about it yourself. weak points your proposal.

But convincing someone is a difficult task due to the psychological effects. If a person's beliefs (which is often the case) are based on stereotypes and herd mentality, trying to convince them using logic and common sense is a waste of time. It is better to work not on the logic of the evidence, but on its effectiveness.

Another trick is to admit strengths opponent's arguments, which will help give weight to your own arguments.

In addition, in no case should you cross the line, attach labels and descend into insults. This will immediately take you out of all positions. The best persuasion strategy is to tell stories. Stories capture attention and help take you to another level of understanding, making your arguments and ideas better understood.

Benefits of Retreat

It is important not to fall into the common mental trap - if we have already invested time and money in something, then we continue to invest money and time in these projects, even when they do not bring anything useful. This is called the sunk cost fallacy. Thus, by retreating in time from the unprofitable Concorde development project, the governments of France and Great Britain could save their budgets from billions of dollars in expenses.

We are afraid to stop because it will be an admission of our mistake. As a result, we are forced to continue a hopeless business. But, as noted earlier, thinking like a freak involves not being afraid to admit your own mistakes.

An effective way to avoid sunk cost pitfalls is to remind yourself of them. Always search for alternative ways and solutions to a given situation.

Ask yourself: “What would I do now, using the same time, money and resources?”

Convincing someone to think outside the box is as pointless as forcing a penguin to fly. But it also makes no sense to expect a different result from repeated actions. If you're tired of stepping on the rake, try looking at things from a different angle.

Our whole life is a continuous choice. We choose whether to get up at dawn or sleep longer, drink tea or coffee, walk or take the bus, buy or not buy, study or get married...

We make simple choices without straining ourselves. We agonize over difficult things, sometimes calling on friends for help. Our destiny depends on the choices we make. Like in a fairy tale: if you go to the right - ?.. If you go to the left - ?.. If you go straight - you won’t collect any bones.

Fearing making a mistake, a person faced with a choice usually follows the majority. After all, there is an opinion that the majority is not mistaken. However, the German philosopher Hegel said: “When everyone thinks the same, then no one thinks especially.”

To think like everyone else means to think standardly, in accordance with stereotypes. An example of stereotypical thinking: you definitely need to get a higher education, because people without a diploma are losers. Or: if a girl is beautiful, then she is stupid. Or: successful man Must have a car of a prestigious brand.

Do we think so ourselves or are we supposed to think so? Most people try to keep up with others, and if they do not conform to stereotypes, their self-esteem decreases. Stereotypes drive people into boundaries, limiting their ability to think, analyze and draw conclusions on their own.

It is easier for people to think in stereotypes, figuratively speaking, to ride on well-trodden rails - this will be standard thinking. Non-standard thinking can be compared to an arrow that moves the train to another path.

In our educational institutions They give knowledge, but do not teach them how to think, because people who think in a standard way, like everyone else, are easier to manage. (By the way, most of those who respond to a request to name a Russian poet, poultry, fruit and part of a face name chicken, apple and nose. Their answers are not original. How many will be able to answer the question: what comes first - the seed or the tree? Of course , a seed, the majority will say. But where will the seed come from if there is no tree?)

Knowledge can be called the raw material for decision making, but without the inability to think outside the box, it will be of little use. French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said that “to see clearly, sometimes it is enough to look from a different point of view.” To think differently than everyone else means to think outside the box, to be the master of your own destiny.

Why think outside the box

Why do some people manage to “catch the Firebird”, unlock their potential, become successful and happy, while others are said to be “neither a candle to God nor a devil’s poker,” while they themselves whine about missed opportunities and “villain fate”? The difference in the destinies of the first and second is in the ability or inability to go beyond standard thinking.

A person who thinks differently than everyone else is a creator, a seeker who has escaped the captivity of templates and stereotypes. Would our outstanding contemporary and other great people be able to make discoveries, realize themselves, leave their mark on Earth if they thought in a standard way? Of course not.

Gray mediocrity, who are comfortable thinking like everyone else - in stereotypes, which means not thinking at all, constitute a gray mass that blindly follows the person they have chosen as a leader. Even if he leads them to a dead end.

A gray life, gray thoughts and gradual degradation - that’s what the inability to think outside the box is. The harm of stereotypes is that they relax the brain, which no longer wants to do anything, and a relaxed brain means a degraded one.

And vice versa, life drive, the joy of creativity, a sense of personal strength and inner freedom, pride in oneself, recognition and respect - all this is received by a person who has escaped the captivity of stereotypes.

People who dream of becoming successful as individuals must learn to think outside the box, to move the arrows of their lives to a different path - away from templates, routine and boredom.

However, there have been, are and will be people who think in stereotypes. And they can even become professionals in some narrow industry. But, as a rule, they see life in a gloomy light, and they do not love themselves or people. They walk along the narrow corridor of life, not imagining that behind its walls a vibrant, interesting life is seething.

Rebooting to outside-the-box thinking and breaking patterns

How willing we are to think outside the box can be tested by asking questions like: “Are we willing to step out of our comfort zone or prefer not to? Are you doing something you don't like, but don't dare change jobs? Are we grumbling about how we’re fed up with everything, but not changing anything? How do we perceive something new - do we immediately reject it or think about it first?”

People who think in stereotypes really don’t like to leave their comfort zone. They will whine that everything is bad, but they won’t lift a finger to get out of the usual stagnation. All kinds of changes frighten them. Someone jokingly remarked on their behalf: “Dreams, adventures, great things called me. But the sofa screamed loudest.”

Every day we perform the same actions and, as a rule, in the same sequence. We already do many things “automatically”, and our brain gets used to not thinking and relaxes. Simple ways to "enable" it are:

1. Do non-standard things

We are used to getting to work by the same road, we know all the traffic lights, bumps and potholes, we almost say hello to strangers whom you are used to meeting every morning? Let's change the route - this will force our brain to awaken, cheer up, and turn on attention.

After work, we rush home, but if there are no urgent matters waiting for us there, we will try to change our usual routine - we will invite our wife or husband, boyfriend or girlfriend, without waiting for the weekend, to walk through the park, look into a cafe. Or maybe we’ll go to the pool or workout, or go for a run if we haven’t done it before.

Are we waiting for a vacation to go on a short trip to the country or to a familiar resort? Let's change ourselves and go to an unfamiliar place, country, to the mountains, and not to the sea. Let's take a vacation in the winter, and not in the summer, as usual, and learn some winter sport. Let's try hitchhiking or riding bicycles.

Are you used to dressing in neutral colors? Let's buy ourselves something bright - look at ourselves in a new color! Do we avoid people and don’t like to communicate? Let's make new acquaintances. Or maybe you should change your job? For the best, of course.

If some ideas seem crazy to us, we don’t get indignant, we don’t immediately say “no,” but we analyze whether there is a rational grain in them. In any case, our brain should not sleep, but work. As the poet Nikolai Zablotsky wrote: “In order not to pound water in a mortar, the soul must work day and night, and day and night!”;

2. Break the usual sequence of actions

All our actions are practiced to the point of automaticity: did you wake up, wash your face, have breakfast, get ready, run to work? During the break, do we sit with our eyes on the computer? After work - home? Is one day the same as another? It was just Monday - and now it’s Friday, and it’s the weekend. On weekends - cleaning, walking. And again all over again: Monday - Friday, weekend. We go to the same store for groceries, communicate with the same people, go to the same cafe on the same days.

This means we break out of the usual rhythm and load the brain with new tasks. Of course, you won’t go to work on a day off, and you won’t be able to arrange one for yourself on Monday. But let's try sometimes to transfer from a car to public transport, don’t be too lazy to walk a few stops, start cleaning not in the usual order and not on weekends, but little by little throughout the week.

Buying groceries in different stores, going to unfamiliar cafes, tasting unfamiliar dishes, changing the diet and breaking the usual order of actions - all this makes the brain “not sleep”;

3. Work on the right hemisphere of the brain, which is responsible for talent, creativity and innovative thinking.

There is an opinion that among left-handers there are more people who think outside the box, and all because their right half of the brain is more developed. Therefore, we involve the left, non-working hand in the work, and arrange training for it in writing and drawing.

They improve non-standard thinking and dancing: they develop coordination, motor skills, the ability to distinguish musical rhythm and follow it. We learn to see the unusual in the ordinary: imagine what a cloud or a pattern of leaves reminds us of.

For those who seriously want to engage in the development of the right hemisphere, we can recommend the book written by psychoanalyst Marilee Zdenek, “Development of the Right Hemisphere.” The author offers 67 exercises to do during the week, and an interview with famous people, telling how they develop innovative creative thinking;

4. Read David Schwartz’s book “The Art of Thinking Big”

American professor David Schwartz, a famous author of books on motivation, believes that in order to think outside the box, you must first forget about the negative particle “not.” The words “impossible”, “it won’t work”, “we have never done this” need to be thrown out of your vocabulary and not uttered even in your thoughts.

In order not to think in stereotypes, you need to have a broad outlook. David Schwartz advises communicating with people of different professions, from different social groups, because communicating with them fills us with new ideas, thanks to which we can look at the situation in a new way and find new ways to solve problems.

To avoid stagnation, we must periodically ask ourselves: can I do more, can I do better?

10 fun challenges to develop lateral thinking

See the answers in the comments at the bottom of the page.

The hotel has 7 floors. The first floor accommodated eight people, each subsequent floor accommodated 2 more than the previous one. On which floor of the hotel is the elevator called most often?
It was given to you, and it belongs to you now. You have never passed it on to anyone, but everyone you know uses it. What is this?
If at 12 o'clock at night it's raining, then can we expect sunny weather in 72 hours?
They put it on the edge of the table tin can, tightly closed with a lid, so that 2/3 of the jar hung off the table. After some time, the can fell. What was in the jar?
There are a ruler, a pencil, a compass and an eraser on the table. You need to draw a circle on a piece of paper. Where to begin?
One train travels from Moscow to St. Petersburg with a delay of 10 minutes, and the other from St. Petersburg to Moscow with a delay of 20 minutes. Which of these trains will be closer to Moscow when they meet?
Three swallows flew out of the nest. What is the probability that after 15 seconds they will be in the same plane?
There are two coins on the table; they add up to 3 rubles. One of them is not 1 ruble. What coins are these?
How fast must a dog run without hearing the clink of a frying pan tied to its tail?
A satellite makes one revolution around the Earth in 1 hour 40 minutes, and another in 100 minutes. How can it be?

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