Thinking Outside the Box

Thinking Outside the Box

By Noreena C. Taming

​THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

• It came from​ the nine dots puzzle mostly used during 1970s to 1980s for management trainings.

• To be able to solve the puzzle, one must draw ​four straight lines that will connect all the nine (9) dots without lifting your pen or pencil off the paper.

Poll

Were you able to solve the puzzle?

• YES

• NO

Open Ended

What is the connection between the puzzle and the expression 'think outside the box'?

What is the connection between the puzzle and the expression 'think outside the box'?

The dot pattern forms a box shape, which tends to make us think the lines should be drawn within that shape. To solve the puzzle, you must draw lines that go beyond the box shape created by the dots.

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Open Ended

The puzzle is said to require 'lateral thinking'. What do you think this term means?

The puzzle is said to require 'lateral thinking'. What do you think this term means?

'Lateral thinking' is solving problems through an indirect or creative approach, possibly ignoring what may appear to be limitations. The literal meaning of 'lateral' is 'sideways', so 'lateral thinking' doesn't follow the 'straight line' of logic, but instead moves in an original or innovative direction.

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​The Parable of the Stones

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A long time ago, there was a poor but honest farmer who managed, through long days of labour and with the help of his two strong sons and his hardworking wife and daughter, to lead a happy, if simple, life. But during one hard winter, his wife and sons became terribly ill and then died.

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This tragedy was followed by several seasons of hot, dry weather with little rain. As a consequence of his great misfortune, the poor farmer had to borrow money from a rich landowner, just to feed himself and the one remaining member of his once-happy family – his daughter.

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The landowner, who was old and not very good-looking, had fallen in love with the farmer's daughter and wanted to marry her. He didn't care about the money itself, but he saw the situation as an opportunity to demand from the farmer something of great value. He said, 'Give me your daughter in marriage and I will forget about the debt.' This put the farmer and his daughter in a very awkward position, with no idea what to do, knowing that they had no way to repay the debt. One thing was certain: they were both horrified at the thought of the marriage, and the old man could see this.

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However, the hard-hearted old landowner wasn’t going to let the unhappiness of the poor farmer and the obvious dislike his gentle daughter clearly felt towards him be an obstacle. He was used to getting his way, and he was not opposed to cheating when necessary, so he immediately came up with a plan. As the three were standing in the road talking, a small crowd had gathered. The old man said, 'Why don't we let chance decide? I will put two pebbles in this bag – a black one and a white one.'

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The curious bystanders looked on as he picked up several stones from the path. 'If you reach into the bag and pull out the black pebble, you do not have to marry me, and I will forgive your father's debt. If you choose the white pebble, you must marry me and I will forgive your father's debt. If you refuse to pick a pebble, I will have your father thrown into prison.'

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The poor farmer knew that the landowner would probably cheat, but realized sadly that there was nothing he could do about it, and so he quietly agreed to the arrangement. The girl watched carefully as the old man put two stones into the bag, and to her horror, she saw that he put in two white pebbles – though she was the only one who had noticed. Now the girl had a serious dilemma.

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Logical thinking would seem to lead to the conclusion that there were three possible ways to respond: 1) Show everyone who had gathered round that the rich, old landowner was a cheat – and probably get thrown in prison as a result; 2) refuse to draw out a stone and allow her father to be thrown into prison; 3) reach in and take a stone, knowing that it could only result in her having to marry the old man. The old man stared impatiently at the girl, as the farmer looked away, too nervous to watch. But the girl looked confident. She knew the solution to her problem.

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Open Ended

What do you think the girl did?

Multiple Choice

A parable is a story that teaches a lesson. Which sentence is the best statement of the parable's lesson? Choose the correct answer.

• Some people lie and cheat to get what they want, so you must be prepared to lie and cheat yourself in some situations.

• Debt can force people into terrible situations, so when possible, you should avoid owing anyone a lot of money.

• Complex problems often have a simple solution, but  we may have to change our thinking about the problem to find it.