Productive Disruption

Navigating Complex Systems Through Lateral Inquiry

🎯 What to Expect In this interactive workshop, we dive into lateral inquiry and systemic problem-solving through structured collaborative activities: Origins & Mechanics of Lateral Constraints: Understand how Eno and Schmidt's prompt deck operates to short-circuit cognitive biases and break habitual linear thinking. Dual-Perspective Mapping Exercises: Participate in interactive group challenges alternating between internal inquiry (examining personal assumptions and biases) and external inquiry (mapping relational systems and stakeholder dynamics). Mental Model Generation: Use oblique cards as systemic levers to build custom analytical models for real-world dilemmas, strategic roadblocks, and complex scenarios. Cross-Disciplinary Debriefs: Share findings across groups to stress-test ideas and experience how the same constraints produce radically different, high-leverage solutions. Note: No prior background in systems theory or design is required. Please bring a notebook, a current project or challenge you are working on, and an open mindset. 🎁 Your Benefit After completing the course, you will take away: Knowledge: Theoretical and practical grounding in constraint-based problem solving, cognitive de-biasing, and multi-perspective systems modeling. Materials: A comprehensive digital toolkit with curated Oblique Strategies prompts, mental-model reflection worksheets, and facilitation guidelines for your own teams. Skills: Sharpened critical thinking, agility in reframing complex problems, heightened self-awareness of cognitive blind spots, and collaborative systemic analysis.