Customer Reviews

New Thinking for the New Millennium

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book contains Edward de Bono's thought on our current system of thinking. He believes that our current system of thinking is excellent, but not enough. He believes we focus too much upon judgement, rather than exploring a subject. He believes we focus too much at looking back to the past rather than designing a way forward.

These are all points with which I wholeheartedly agree. So why did I give this book a low rating? I've only read a few of de Bono's other books, however I can already state that 75% of this book was a rehash of older works. The book is very repetitive, and on numerous occasions he offers the same examples over and over again, albeit in different sections of the book.

How about the 25% that I hadn't seen before? Well, although there is new material, he covers it in a cursory fashion. He offers some new notations, some suggestions for design although I can't see any way to apply these to my thinking. If you haven't read any of de Bono's other books, then go grab them now! If you have read de Bono's other books, then you have already read this one. In summary I can't really recommend this book to anyone.

Come on, De Bono! if I hadn't managed to pick this for a couple of dollars in the discount bin I'd go for one star. De Bono says (in his book on wisdom) that the rules for mathematics don't change and so each of his books go over the same ground. But no one would explain the multiplication tables in every single one of their books, would they? If you nothing else from De Bono then maybe this is a good summary. Get 'Serious Creativity' instead though is my suggestion.

Another DeBono rehash of previous rehashings. Written without objectivity, stuffed with pompous observations, in a manner to suggest the author is being paid by the word without any interest in delivering original, useful information.

Edward de Bono is one of the leading thinkers in creativity. His system and philosophy of thinking, creativity and design deserve larger audiences. He makes many excellent points about the difference between logic and creativity, the former ruled by judgement and analysis, the latter guided by openness, directed thinking and what he refers to as "movement". Creative thinking can be taught in a very methodical way, and these specific methods are available and detailed in other of de Bono's works. That creative thinknig can be taught runs counter to the popular notion that creativity is the purview of a few special souls; instead de Bono teaches that creative thinking can be taught to the young and old, and even to the illiterate.

I took copious notes as de Bono's book is filled with important teachings and insights regarding creativity. Although some may find these self-evident and obvious, the fact is that we operate and think as if they are uncommon sense. For example, "A desing is not a design unless it delivers value." Obvious? Perhaps, but how many IT projects have failed to deliver value in terms of efficiency or improved analysis and decision making, or simply in ease of use? Or how about, "The main reason things do not improve is that there does not seem to be any need for improvement." which is a version of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." This makes sense on a certain level, particularly if there are other priorities and limited resources; however, this complacency means that we miss out on many opportunitis for delivering better value.

When I read de Bono's works I am always motivated to implement his thinking tools to both work and life problems and situations. Read this and I believe you will do the same.

I'll be straight up about this one, I didn't like it. It reads like a series of epithets from a Successories store. And although I think that was de Bono's intention when writing it (because he thinks we're stuck in a 2000 year old way of thinking and writing) that he wanted to create a new way of writing and thinking. It still doesn't help. As with other writers of his ilk, he focuses excessively on Western (Greek) thinking. Without even considering Asian (for example Confucius) thinking. The book is made up of randomly ordered chapters with each chapter made up of short paragraphs he wrote when travelling around South Africa and Australia. (We know this because he often tells us which flight he's on, just to let us know he's a successful international speaker.) Pages are also devoted to illustrations of "toles" (kind of like tadpoles, but not really) in diagrams doing things to help us think about situations, but not really.
Edward de Bono might be a great thinker, be he isn't a great researcher or writer. The book has no references, no sources and not even an index at the end. He makes broad sweeping generalisations about things, and then moves onto whatever is next without justifying his idea (but that's his point because that way of thinking is what has caused all the problems in the past.) But then, he commends Engineers and Inventors for the things he seems to be complaining about in other parts of the book.
I'll give an example of two of the howlers I found:
"What about the inventor of the rapidly growing Internet (Tim Berners Lee)?" (page 134)
and
"This is a most important operation." (page 230) and "The is the most important operation of all." (page 231)
"A most ..." how did the editor let that slip though. A most serious error.
Edward de Bono likes to make new words up because the English language doesn't have enough. For example "po". (Which I can't find now, because as he doesn't have an index in the book, I can't find the meaning.) Maybe he should learn to use English correctly before trying to make up new words.
He simplifies complex issues to such a level of simplicity as to make any considered thinking useless.
At the end he uses the Appendix as an opportunity to promote his other books and courses. I can see how he's been able to pump out over 30 books, by taking previous material and just repackaging it. Like this one. Don't bother with it, unless you're stuck in an airport lounge and some bored executive left their copy behind.

Being lazy and being lazy to think are human nature. Though we may have read a lot of books to learn how to be wiser, it's good to have someone remind us to think more from time to time. Someone might think it's not something new from De Bono, but in fact in the new millennium, many things are still happening stupidly. So everybody has to aware and keep in mind that it's our responsability to change ourselves to make the world a better place and create a better future for the next generation.

It's a brief summary of what De Bono had taught us in the past and he recap them in a new perspective at the begining of the new era.

I am always surprised of how De Bono is suggesting new ways we can think in a more constructive way.
The book conbines critics of our default way of thinking and propose DESIGN THINKING as a way out. Excellent suggestion and I belief there is more to come in future to complete the development of the concepts placed in this book.
De Bono, thanks and go on! :-)