PO
Updated 2026-08-08
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
PO is a lateral thinking device introduced by Edward de Bono. The word signals that the statement following it is a provocation rather than a claim: it deliberately violates logic, convention, or reality in order to move thought off its habitual track. Examples include asserting that cars should have square wheels or that shops should hold no stock. The signal matters because a provocative statement made without it invites immediate refutation, which terminates the idea before anything is extracted from it. The tool assumes a setting where such statements are not treated as positions to defend.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use provocation signal: prefix an intentionally absurd statement with PO so it is not judged as a claim. - Use extraction: ask what would follow if the statement were true, and which part has merit. - Use transfer: pull the usable insight back into a realistic proposal.
Anchor fast decisions
Reasoning inside a frame follows the paths the frame allows, which is why conventional brainstorming reproduces familiar answers. A provocation breaks the frame by asserting what the frame excludes, and because it is not a claim, the group cannot refute it. Attention then shifts from whether the statement is true to what it implies, which is where new connections appear. The step that produces value is the extraction: an absurd statement yields nothing on its own, but asking which part is defensible often produces a workable idea.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverified
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