There are myriad of lateral ideas in action to solve everyday problems. We now take them for granted but when they were first proposed they may have been seen as risky, silly or impractical. Here is a random selection of some of my favourites exprssed in the form of a problem and a lateral solution.
Problem: Many trading shipping were dangerously overloaded and could capsize in stormy seas.
Lateral Idea: In 1870, Samuel Plimsoll, an MP and coal merchant, investigated the safety of ships and found the problem worse than he expected. He campaigned in parliament and proposed that a line be painted on ships to show how low they may safely rest in the water without the risk of sinking. The Merchant Shipping Act of 1876 made the ‘plimsoll line’ compulsory. The idea was adopted around the world. A line of paint saved many ships and many lives.
Problem: Customers were waiting in line to be served by a busy assistant in a grocery shop.
Lateral Idea. Michael Cullen turned the shop around and let customers serve themselves. He created the world’s first supermarket, the King Kullen store in Queens, New York in 1930.
Problem: Naughty children are being disruptive on a trip.
Lateral Idea. Take a bag of the children’s favourite sweets (unwrapped). Tell the children they will share whatever sweets are left. Every time a child is badly behaved throw a sweet out of the window. Peer pressure and loss aversion will see to it that the kids behave.
Problem: Thieves were stealing the lead from church roofs.
Lateral Idea: An enterprising priest installed hives in the church roof with a warning at the door ‘Beware of Bees in the Roof Space.’ Criminals were deterred and the honey produced by the bees was sold at the church bazaar.
Problem: A Chinese woman gave birth to four identical quadruplet boys. It was nearly impossible for her or anyone else to tell them apart. What to do when they went to school?
Lateral Idea: She had the hair on their heads shaved to display the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4.
Problem: A couple were going on holiday and were worried about a power cut ruining all the food in their freezer. There had been electricity power cuts both long and short in their area. If there were a long power cut and then the power was restored their food would have been defrosted long enough to go off, but it would be frozen on their return. How could they tell?
Lateral Idea: They placed a coin on top of a big ice block in a bowl in their freezer. If on their return the coin was still at the top, then there had been no power cut or a very short one. If the coin was underneath the ice in the bowl, then there had been a long power cut and their frozen food was suspect.
Problem: A rock star wants to gain significant PR exposure without spending a fortune.
Lady Gaga appeared at an awards ceremony in a dress made of meat. She knew it would be controversial, so she had prepared an explanation about it being a protest against exploitation. The news coverage was prodigious.
Problem: Washing machines are very heavy and therefore costly to transport. They contain a heavy concrete block which keeps the unit stable in the spin cycle.
Lateral Idea: Replace the concrete block with a large empty plastic box. When the washing machine arrives at the user’s house the box is filled with water. This provides the weight to stabilise the machine. Replacing concrete with water saves significant cost and CO2.
Problem: Some people might vote more than once in elections.
Lateral Idea: Apply a vegetable dye to the thumb of each person who votes.
Problem: Two glass tumblers are stuck together – one inside the other.
Lateral Idea: Put cold water into the inner glass and a bowl of hot water around the outer glass. The outer glass will expand and the two are easily freed.
Problem: The mining company De Beers mined diamonds which were used as industrial drill bits. What should they do with the many diamonds that were unsuitable or too small for drill bits?
Lateral Idea: De Beers put diamonds to a new use when they created concept of engagement rings. It opened up a large new market for them.
Problem: Graffiti artists who were known to authorities were told they would be prosecuted if they painted graffiti on city walls.
Lateral Idea: They did the opposite of applying something to the wall; they removed something. They used stencils and detergents on dirty walls. Their pictures and messages were left where the walls were cleaned. They were safe from prosecution because there was no ordinance against cleaning a dirty wall.
These examples and many others are contained in the book, Lateral Thinking for Every Day, published by Kogan Page.
