Out of the Box? Or In the Box?

Curious about where the phrase out of the box comes from?

In the 1930s, American industrial psychologist Norman Maier coined the phrase after the famous 9-dot puzzle which was a widely known brain teaser among Sunday newspaper readers from the turn of the century. Adapting it to his work in organisational problem solving. Maier asked staff to draw four continuous, unbroken lines through nine dots. But no lifting the pencil!

I don’t think I’m spoiling the answer by saying to solve the problem, you have to think outside the ‘visual box’ of the 9 dots. The clue to the puzzle’s solution demonstrated Meier’s hypothesis. People often use assumptions, perceived limitations and self-restrictions to prevent their natural problem-solving abilities.

So, to be specific, “out of the box thinking” means you need to think outside of those assumptions, limitations and self-restrictions to gain new solutions to solve problems.

So, is ‘in the box’ thinking bad?

A client last week asked if ‘in the box thinking’ was bad. Generally no, but.

It depends upon the topic itself and what you’re trying to accomplish. Many professions need consistency more than they need creativity. For example: law, science or accounting (Enron notwithstanding) are built upon repetition, consistency and rigor.

At the same time, don’t expect new outcomes if you only apply the same old thinking to new problems. That was the point behind Einstein’s definition of insanity.

Instead, think of in the box thinking as going by the rules, using existing or standard policies, or following common methodologies. As it’s been said before, only after you know and understand the rules can you break them. Or, in other words, to think out of the box.

Just as important, if you’re going to ask someone else to think out of the box, then you too must think beyond your own assumptions as well. Otherwise, it’s a pointless exercise for everyone involved.

Figured out the answer?

If you’re a smart cookie and can solve the nine-dot puzzle, put your genius to work on this variation of the old puzzle.

Try thinking ‘out of the triangle.’

Can you create four triangles from six lines of any length. Unlike the 9-dot puzzle, the lines here don’t have to be continuous.

If you don’t know the answers to either puzzle, go here.

What are you experiences with out of the box thinking?  Feel free to add your thoughts and comments below.