Customer Reviews

The Paradox Process: Creative Business Solutions...Where You Least Expect to Find Them

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The Paradox Process is a 'must' text for anyone searching for answers. Derm Barrett gets us thinking about the obvious so that we can find the not so obvious. His book gets the reader to think, reason, and to 'see' differently by sharing examples of opposites and paradoxes. In doing so, he frees the mind to see creative possibilies in futuristic thinking. Well worth the price, this one!

This work by Derm Barrett takes a different spin from most other creativity books. Barrett considers paradox as the key to creativity whereas most other creativity authors list paradox as a technique or a tool. Barretts identifies three types of paradoxical thinking: 1) contrarian, where you look at opposites; 2) Janusian, where you look at ideas where opposites co-exist, and 3) Hegelian, where opposites are integrated to create something new. Barret also places paradoxical thinking in what he considers a separate category of thinking skills. First are the basic skilles of memory, reason, logic and judgment. These are differentiated for what he calls the paralogical skills of perception, intuition, imagination and paradox. Barrett claims that the first set of skills are needed for day-to-day living but the latter are required for innovation and breakthroughs. In making these distinctions, Barrett agrees in principle with Edward de Bono who feels that reason and logic have been used to support the status quo. In contrast to Barrett, de Bono offers lateral thinking as an escape from the chains of traditional thinking.

In addition to explaining the technique of paradoxical thinking, and providing many examples, Barrett's book is also motivational - "We have been endowed with the ability to bring constructive change into existence in two ways: either by deliberately creating something new or by altering whatever already is." (p.71)- and insightful - "If you are having trouble with a problem, don't look only at it; look at yourself as well." (p. 132). I recommend this book highly for anyone who wants to get motivated to become more creative and wants to add to his arsenal of creativity tools.

Thoroughly enjoyabl