He also explains how he increased the output of oil companies by suggesting that rather than drilling vertically, as had always been the practice, they introduced a hydraulic pump and drilled along a horizontal axis beneath the ground to increase the area being mined. This method yielded between three and six times more oil. What is important in the provocation theory is to work on the concept of movement rather than judgement, he says. Movement is quite different from judgement. Either it is correct or it is not correct.
Movement is another basic principal of lateral thinking.
He is very upbeat about BT's Brightstar project which is helping research teams set up as independent development businesses to develop patented ideas into commercial products. I think it's the right thing to do. Many companies are sitting on a lot of ideas and intellectual property assets, and it is very worthwhile to make an effort to use them positively. Once a new company comes into existence, it can spread and get involved, adding value. And that, after all, is what the thinking of Edward de Bono is all about - adding value by design.