In most B2B industries, business leaders tend to solve problems in similar ways. They examine data, brainstorm ideas, study competitors, and strive to enhance existing solutions. These approaches feel safe, rational, and businesslike.
But they also lead to the same predictable ideas.
True innovation — creating new revenue, categories, and advantages — demands more than logic. It requires breaking from established thinking and exploring ideas your competitors wouldn’t consider.
That’s why Edward de Bono created one of the most underrated creativity tools for business leaders: Provocation, also called “Po.” When used effectively, it becomes a strategic tool that helps you break free from industry norms and generate bold, valuable ideas.
Let’s look at what makes Provocation unique and how your organization can use it to gain an edge.
What Is Provocation (Po)?
Provocation is a lateral thinking tool. You make a statement that is illogical, impossible, or absurd on purpose to help your mind see new possibilities.
De Bono introduced the term “Po” to show that the statement should not be judged or dismissed. It permits you to set logic aside.
Some of de Bono’s classic provocations include:
- “Po: houses should be heated from the ceiling down.”
- “Po: Cars should have square wheels.
- “Po: A restaurant should serve dessert first.”
- “Po: a company should hire people with no qualifications.”
These statements are not meant to be true. Their purpose is to provoke new thinking.
When your brain tries to make sense of something absurd,
it can discover insights you would never find through normal reasoning.
Why CEOs Should Use Provocation
1. It breaks your team out of “industry thinking.”
Every industry’s unspoken assumptions limit innovation:
- Customers expect this.”
- “You can’t do that in B2B”.
Provocation helps your organization break through these invisible barriers.
2. It creates ideas your competitors cannot predict.
Most companies use the same strategy tools. Few business leaders use anything that challenges logic itself.
Just one provocation can lead to a solution that gives you a lasting competitive advantage.
3. It accelerates breakthrough thinking.
Rather than just improving your current model, Provocation helps you imagine new models more quickly than traditional brainstorming.
4. It helps teams escape the “gridlock” of expertise.
Even smart teams can get stuck quickly because their expertise makes them repeat old patterns.
Provocation breaks these patterns right away.
When to Use Provocation
Use it when you’re facing:
- stalled innovation
- slow growth
- declining differentiation
- strategic inflection points
- customer complaints that keep repeating
- complexity you can’t untangle through analysis
- an opportunity that requires fresh thinking
It’s especially effective when you know the root cause of a problem but don’t have a solution yet.
Why it’s so effective:
Make a statement that defies logic, best practices, or common sense.
Example from de Bono: “Po: Cars should have square wheels.” Absurd? Yes.
Is it useful? More than you might expect.
Step 2: Explore the consequences. Ask:
- What would happen if this were true?
- What problem might this solve?
- What assumptions does this break?
Square wheels cause vibration, which could be useful for compacting surfaces.
Insight: “Movement doesn’t have to be smooth to create value.”
Step 3: Extract the core insight.
From the absurdity, a principle emerges.
In business, a provocation such as “Po: we should eliminate customer service completely” might reveal this insight:
“Customers want products so simple they require no service at all.”
Step 4: Move toward practical solutions.
Turn the insight into practical ideas. This final step leads to breakthroughs.
For example:
- Self-guided onboarding
- AI-assisted support
- Proactive issue detection
- A radically simplified interface
All of this starts with an idea that doesn’t seem to make sense.
Why Provocation Works Better Than Brainstorming
Traditional brainstorming:
- Stays within known boundaries
- Reinforces existing assumptions
- Produces incremental ideas
- Favors loud or senior voices
Provocation:
- Breaks boundaries
- Challenges assumptions
- Produces non-linear ideas
- Democratizes creativity
This isn’t just brainstorming. It’s a structured way to shake things up.
Which kinds of B2B challenges benefit most from Provocation? Consider these categories:
- Strategic reinvention
- Product or service redesign
- Customer experience transformation
- Business model innovation
- Process simplification
- Identifying new revenue streams
- Differentiation challenges
If the problem is routine, logic is enough. However, if the problem is complex or affects the entire system, a strategic approach is necessary. In these cases, Provocation works better.
Final Thoughts
Your competitors are focused on optimizing. But optimization rarely creates a real advantage. Innovation, led by leaders like you, is what makes the difference.
Most teams attempt to generate new ideas by employing the same thinking that led to their existing ideas.
- They brainstorm logically.
- They make lists.
- They stay realistic. But Provocation gives you the power to:
- Disrupt old thinking
- Unlock breakthrough thinking with one powerful word: Po.
If you want your team to think in new ways, try a new technique. That’s where Edward de Bono’s Provocation can help.
Jim Zitek
I turn complex product problems into creative solutions with a competitive advantage.
