Your Worst Idea Might Lead to the Best Idea

Sometimes thinking outside the box just isn’t enough. If you’re ever really stuck, try getting to the right answer by thinking of the wrong answer first. "Reverse thinking” or the idea of turning a problem upside down can be an incredibly helpful tool for creative teams.

An example of this was illustrated by artist William Kentridge who used the dirt and grime along the walls of Rome’s Tiber River to create a large mural to tell the city’s history. He began by reverse thinking: Grime and graffiti is good for the city. That led him to the right idea: Let me use grime as an art material to create a mural that highlights the history of the city.

Steps for Using This Tool:

1. Clearly identify the problem or challenge, and write it down.

2. Reverse the problem or challenge by asking, "How could I possibly cause the problem?" or "How could I possibly achieve the opposite effect?"

3. Brainstorm the reverse problem to generate reverse solution ideas. Allow the brainstorm ideas to flow freely. Do not reject anything at this stage.

4. Once you have brainstormed all the ideas to solve the reverse problem, now reverse these into solution ideas for the original problem or challenge.

5. Evaluate these solution ideas. Can you see a potential solution? Can you see attributes of a potential solution?

Another example of this process being utilized was when a commercial training institute was working to remedy the fact that they had been getting a lot of complaints from students. The student management planned a reverse brainstorming session with members of the customer service, teacher management and marketing team. The problem is defined as follows: ‘How can we improve student satisfaction?’ Subsequently, this problem then reversed: ‘How can we increase the students’ dissatisfaction?’ This resulted in the following suggestions:

• Not returning students calls immediately upon a call request;

• Returning students’ emails after at least 1 week;

• Scheduling exams for students without consultation, making it difficult for them to get the time off from work.

• Collecting the fees by means of direct debit without prior consultation with the student;

• Not scheduling students at their preferred location, but making them drive at least 50 miles for a class.

Another metric you can use when conducting reverse thinking is to ask yourself, "what is the worst idea that I can think of? The one that would get me fired if I told my boss." That is the level of "wrong thinking" you want to go for. Remember you're playing with ideas here and deliberately breaking your own prejudices.

Next time you're stuck, try reverse thinking. Be playful and remember to push the wrong ideas as far out as possible. Then use the wrong answers to generate new right ideas!