“NO is the basic tool of the logic system. YES is the basic tool of the belief system. PO is the basic tool of the creative system.” — Edward de Bono
PO = Provocative Operation
Process
- Make Provocative Statement
- Begin with a provocative statement that appears entirely absurd or contradictory. For example, I might say, “Cars don’t need wheels.”
- Engage the Statement
- Fight back against your bias to reject the statement. Engage with it in good faith. How might the statement be true? What would that world look like? Explore the new ideas and possibilities. Using our example, I might start envisioning how a car would move without wheels (perhaps glide or sit on a magnetic field?).
- Extract Useful Concepts
- From the exploration, pull out any creative ideas or perspectives that can be refined for use. Concluding our example, I might pull out a few futuristic design ideas that enable cars to move in any direction and improve traffic flow.