We've all heard it a million times
"Think Outside the Box!"
It’s the cry of creative minds everywhere, encouraging us to break free from constraints and dream big. Well, it’s all a bit cliché and not really fit for what you’re actually trying to achieve. Just to be clear, when I say ‘creative’, I don’t just mean being able to draw or be artistic, I mean to think innovatively within one’s own specialism.
For years, the catch-phrase “think outside the box” has been the go-to advice for anyone looking to innovate. The idea is that stepping outside familiar boundaries allows for radical innovation and groundbreaking solutions. And sure, sometimes that works. But does it always lead to the best results efficiently?
Let’s face it, sometimes free rein can lead to ideas that are off-the-wall and, well, a bit impractical. When creativity runs wild without any constraints, a few things can happen. First, there’s the risk of missing the mark entirely. Ideas that drift too far from the original brief can end up being completely irrelevant to the project’s goals.
Interestingly, some of the best ideas come from working within constraints. Think about the Eiffel Tower or the Sydney Opera House. These architectural marvels were created with strict guidelines in mind. Gravity, construction materials, durability, budget, purpose, and so on. The constraints didn’t hinder the creativity of their designers; they fuelled it. So, in this engineering example, creativity thrives within the boundaries of specific requirements. These constraints push people to think deeper, to innovate in ways they might not have if given free rein.
Working within limits can actually boost creativity by providing focus, spurring innovation, and ensuring relevance. Clear guidelines ensure that all ideas are aligned with the project’s goals. When the objective is crystal clear, creative efforts become more targeted and effective. This focus helps in channelling the creative energy in the right direction, leading to solutions that are not just innovative but also achievable and functional. It’s grounded in reality and can be implemented effectively, ensuring that the final solution is both innovative and fit for purpose.
So, what is 'the box' in this analogy?
What does it represent?
Simply put, the box represents ‘the brief’, ‘the boundaries’ of the overall objective.
Every challenge or objective has a box around it.
Think of this!
If I asked you to serve me up a cup of tea, in any way you like, go on . . . think outside the box. You think hard, but every concept you come up with comes back to one basic function. Whatever you use to serve the tea in, must be able to hold a liquid. That’s the only essential criterion. You’ve put your own box, or brief, around this objective, and without it the tea will drip and spill everywhere.
If you were to commission an artist to paint you a picture, of whatever they liked.
You say: “Surprise me, think outside the box“.
The artist thinks ‘outside the box’ and comes back to you and presents an amazing charcoal illustration. You don’t like it, because you asked for a ‘painting’ and they came back with a charcoal sketch. They didn’t recognise the one and only factor in your brief, painting! Now everyone’s time and efforts are wasted.
Let's reverse this cliché
. . . and think inside the box. It’s all about being creative within the boundaries of the objective.
Here’s why it’s a win: Defining the parameters around the objectives provides a clear path, making creative thinking more targeted. Staying within the box saves time, resources, sometimes money, and leads quickly to a more agreeable solution.
Constraints don’t stifle creativity, they inspire it. While thinking outside the box has its place, and generally people understand what is expected when asked to do so, it does actually allow for inefficiency, inaccuracy, time-wasting and missing the overall objective.
