Think Like a Shape

Linear thinking:
"Will Americans and the citizens of other countries learn to avoid linear thinking and adopt a cyclical point of view? It's a good question, but can only be answered by the youngest readers of this piece some 50 to 70 years from now."

Circular thinking:
"Human designers need to learn to think in circles—to expand their planning to include reclaiming the product at the end of its life and finding ways of redirecting industrial by-products to useful purposes."

Triangular thinking:
"Triangular thinking (is) directly focused on bottom-line business results. It involves doing three things together: picturing a step-change, building knowhow, and using creative thinking - all focused on achieving breakthrough, real-world results."

Elliptical thinking:
"Haiku revels in this kind of elliptical thinking, challenging its readers to reflect beyond the literal meaning of its words."

"I like to call spherical thinking where the balance is not merely a see-saw between two extremes, but an exercise in looking a topic from as many points of view as is humanly possible."

Tags: shapes, thinking, strategy