Dominant Idea (Different Dominant Ideas)
Different readers can identify different dominant ideas in the same material. De Bono’s exercise asks students to name the idea organizing their view, then explore alternatives so that the first interpretation does not constrain the whole task.
THE IDEA
Different dominant ideas
If students are asked to pick out the dominant idea from a newspaper article there are usually several different versions of what the dominant idea is. From an article on parks the following may be chosen as the dominant idea:
- The beauty of parkland.
- The value of parkland as a contrast to the city surroundings.
- The need to develop more parks.
- The difficulty of developing or preserving parks.
- Parkland as a relaxation or pleasure.
- The author is exercising the function of protest and parkland happens to be a suitable theme.
- The danger of the demands of urban growth.
These are all different but related ideas. It is easy to say that some of the ideas are more truly dominant than others and yet to the person picking out the idea this idea has a valid dominance. It is not a matter of finding the dominant idea but of getting into the habit of trying to pick out the dominant idea. It is not a matter of analysing the situation but of seeing it clearly enough to be able to generate different points of view. It is not a matter of making use of the dominant idea but of identifying it in order to avoid it.
Designing an apple-picking machine illustrates the organizing effect of a dominant idea. The dominant idea is never actually stated but for different groups the idea is different. When children try to design a machine for picking apples the dominant idea is ‘reaching the apples’. The children think in personal terms which involve wanting one apple at a time and also the difficulty (for a small child) of actually reaching the apples. When the same design problem is given to an industrial engineering group the dominant idea is ‘effectiveness in commercial terms’. This is a wide concept which includes speed and cheapness of operation without any damage to the apples. From this point of view reaching the apples is not so much a problem as finding them, picking many at a time, bringing them to the ground without damage, and all this with a cheap machine that can easily be moved from tree to tree. In short the dominant problem for the engineers is ‘advantage over manual labour’ whereas for the children is ‘getting the apples’.
When to use it
Generating multiple design concepts by identifying and challenging the assumed dominant problem.
Improving team collaboration by surfacing the different dominant ideas each member brings to a discussion.
Enhancing media literacy by recognizing that news articles can have multiple valid dominant ideas.
Creative problem-solving: deliberately shifting the dominant idea to unlock new approaches.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Different dominant ideas from a park newspaper article
From an article about parks, different readers might identify the dominant idea as beauty, contrast to city, need for more parks, difficulty of preservation, relaxation, protest theme, or threat from urban growth.
Designing an apple-picking machine
Children see the dominant idea as 'reaching the apples' (personal, one apple at a time), while industrial engineers see it as 'commercial effectiveness' (speed, cost, no damage, advantage over manual labor).
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a current problem or project you are working on. What might be the dominant idea you are unconsciously fixated on? Try to list at least three alternative dominant ideas.
How can you deliberately step away from your initial dominant idea to generate fresh solutions?
Recall a disagreement you had with someone. Could it have arisen from each of you holding a different dominant idea about the same situation?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Lateral Thinking A Textbook of Creativity (Edward de Bono)