EDWARD DE BONO'S MESSAGE
2nd March 1998

"Thinking Clubs 7"

More notes on the Thinking Clubs ...

Thinking Clubs (7)

We can now look at another of the 'attention directing' tools. These tools are to be found in the CoRT Thinking Lessons and also in the DATT tools for business (APTT training) - information on how to obtain these tools will be given next week.

We know the past but we can speculate about the future. Although we can never be sure about the future we can direct our attention to possibilities. Some of these possibilities are likely to be probabilities. If you jump off a ten storey building you are likely to be killed.

Like all the other tools the 'C&S' tool is very simple. It is the invitation to look at Consequences and Sequels. In short, it is an invitation to look at the consequences of an event, a choice or an action. Everyone always claims to do this but rarely does. Two hundred and fifty senior women executives were asked to consider the idea of paying women fifteen per cent more than men for the same work. Eighty-five per cent of the women were in favour. They were then asked to do a systematic C&S. The percentage in favour now dropped to ten per cent.

There may be different types of consequences:

1. immediate
2. short term
3. medium term
4. long term

The timing of each of these will vary with the subject being considered. In building a new electricity generating plant short term is five to ten years and long term more than thirty years. With a new clothes fashion long term is months and short term is one month. These time scales should be discussed, agreed upon and defined before seeking to do a C&S.

Here are some possible subjects:

1. What could happen if dogs could be talk to talk?
2. What would happen if all border controls between countries were to be abolished?
3. What about a flat tax of 17 per cent instead of graded income tax?
4. Everyone has to stay at school until they are 18.
5. All voters have a positive vote and a negative vote. The negative vote are then subtracted from the positive votes for each candidate.
6. There was a simple way of fixing the sex of a baby in advance so if you wanted a girl you would get a girl.
7. People could eat as much as they liked without ever getting fat (a metabolic stimulator).
8. A very serious viral disease spread by coughing and sneezing was spreading around the world. There was a thirty per cent mortality.

Edward de Bono
1st March 1998