Logical thinking is often held up as the highest form of thought, largely because it is systematic and makes sense. However, logical thinking is not always the best approach for every decision-making problem. When a problem is new and has never been solved before, or when a better solution than the logical one is needed, creative thinking is the optimum approach. Logical thinking is useful when the best answer can be obtained by stepping through the thought process using logic, but logic tends to be stifling to innovation. If what a company needs is an innovative new product, it does not need logic; it needs creativity. The logical mind thinks in terms of known parameters and then limits itself by fears of not being able to solve the problem or worries that the solution will not be acceptable to others ("'Logical' vs. Creative Problem Solving," n.d.). Creative thinking, on the other hand, is freer and considers every idea as a possibility.
Not everyone is a creative thinker, however. People that tend to think logically most of the time may find it difficult to "break out of the box" and think creatively. One method for achieving this is to use the "SCAMPER" technique, which stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Magnify/Minimize, Put to other uses, Eliminate, and Reverse/Rearrange ("'Logical' vs. Creative Problem Solving," n.d.).
Another way of describing logical versus creative thinking is "left-brain" versus "right-brain" thinking. Left-brain thinking is logical, sequential, rational, analytical, and objective, with the thinker looking at things in parts, often from a bottom-up perspective ("Right Brain vs. Left Brain," n.d.). The right-brain thinker, on the other hand, thinks in a more random manner, and his thinking is intuitive, holistic, synthesizing, and subjective; he tends to look at things as wholes, often from a top-down perspective ("Right Brain vs. Left Brain," n.d.). Thus, the lef
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