I have just finished reading Professor Daniel Kahneman’s book — Thinking Fast and Slow.
In the book he describes two thinking systems (built on earlier work by Stanovich & West):
System 1 — automatic, emotive, effortless, no sense of voluntary control, associations
System 2 — effortful, agency, concentration, choice etc.
Kahneman gives the example in his book of learning to drive a car as an example of the interaction between the two thinking systems.
When you start out you use System 2 as you must concentrate on every move.
Then through practice and repetition you become more skilled and you operate more using the System 1 approach (unless there is some danger or a difficult road or traffic for example).
He has a great insight and I quote:
‘When we think of ourselves, we identify with system 2, the conscious, reasoning self that has beliefs, makes choices and decides what to think about and what to do (page 21).’
And I believe there is never more so than when we are at work.
The world of work particularly in medium to large organisations is rational, logical and analytical.
It is a place and space where efficiency, planning and control is given prominence.
It is no wonder that the System 2 thinking mode is valued.
In this context my insight about Speed Thinking is a powerful one (if I do say myself).
I found that what stops most people being as creative as they possible can be is there own self-limiting, critical internal voice.
In other words their System 2 Thinking mode.
It (System 2) wants to control and monitor the thoughts, ideas, emotions and expressions of System 1.
So I found that the best way to bypass System 2 filtering system is to encourage people to deliberately think as fast as they could.
Hence with Speed Thinking and its tool — Ideas Blitz you work by yourself and try and create 9 ideas in 2 minutes.
What happens is often magical.
People unlock their amazing creativity as they focus on trying to get to 9 ideas in 2 minutes rather than filtering and judging their ideas.
This of course does not mean that quiet, reflective thinking about a problem is not beneficial.
Of course it is.
But System 1 thinking can be a wonderful, unlimited source of creativity.
Using Ideas Blitz we may have found a way to harness it.