Not Only a Hammer

Cognitive flexibility is what is generally referred  to as “out of the  box thinking.” It is the ability to find multiple solutions to problems, analyze them and find what truly is the best one. Cognitive flexibility allows people to apply what they already know to new situations (Tough 114). In his book Think Again, Adam Grant refers to this as “scientific thinking” (Grant 2021, 20). Whatever the term, it is a way of approaching the world in that the first idea is not the best idea. Steven Johnson says one’s best idea doesn’t come until the 26th idea. Taking the time to conceive of that many ideas  takes some cognitive self control, where one doesn’t jump to the first solution that they may always rely on, the time worn “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” sort of thinking. Sometimes the best solution is hidden by that hammer. In one activity created by the Stanford d.school, they  recommend including a dinosaur or an alien into one of the solutions, to expand the possibilities. 

Recently, I have begun to take it to a different place and think about, in the future, What will I hate, or at least be frustrated by with the solution in the future. Especially when I am building something. Unfortunately, I have created many things that frustrate me everytime I use them or think about them--sometimes to the point where I wish an actual dinosaur were available to make the changes I need.

Grant, Adam. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know. Viking, 2021.

Tough, Paul. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.