A "Po" is an idea which moves thinking forward to a new place from where new ideas or solutions may be found. The term was created by Edward de Bono as part of a lateral thinking technique to suggest forward movement, that is, making a statement and seeing where it leads to. It is an extraction from words such as hypothesis, suppose, possible and poetry, all of which indicate forward movement and contain the syllable "po." Po can be taken to refer to any of the following - provoking operation, provocative operation or provocation operation. Also, in ancient Polynesian and the Maori, the word "po" refers to the original chaotic state of formlessness, from which evolution occurred. Edward de Bono argues that this context as well applies to the term. Edward de Bono (born May 19, 1933) is a Maltese psychologist and physician. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up Hypothesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Possibility comprises that which one can achieve, or alternatively ones potential. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, a making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... The Polynesian languages are a group of related languages spoken in the region known as Polynesia. ... Māori or Te Reo Māori, commonly shortened to Te Reo (literally the language) is an official language of New Zealand. ...

For example, Sales are dropping off because our product is perceived as old fashioned.

1. po: Change the colour of the packaging
2. po: Flood the market with even older-looking products to make it seem more appealing
3. po: Call it retro
4. po: Sell it to old people
5. po: Sell it to young people as a gift for old people
6. po: Open a museum dedicated to it
7. po: Pretend it is a new product

Some of the above ideas may be impractical, not sensible, not business-minded, not politically correct, or just plain daft. The value of these ideas is that they move thinking from a place where it is entrenched to a place where it can move. The above ideas might develop into... Retro is a term used to describe the culture of the past. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Political correctness is the alteration of language to redress real or alleged injustices and discrimination or to avoid offense. ...

1. po: Change the colour of the packaging
   • update the product casing to bring it up to date (electronic goods can often do this)
2. po: Flood the market with even older-looking products to make it seem more appealing
   • take a cut down version and release it as an older cheaper one to make this product seem like the top of the line
3. po: Call it retro
   • instead of retro say "tried and tested" or "industry standard"
4. po: Sell it to old people
   • good idea
5. po: Sell it to young people as a gift for old people
   • good idea
6. po: Open a museum dedicated to it
   • exhibit only your competitor's products
   • sell this product in the museum
   • make the experience educational within your sector
   • open a café
   • accept group bookings
   • add a theme park
7. po: Pretend it is a new product
   • give it a new name and call it state of the art

The point of these examples is that an initial po may seem silly, but a further development may seem very good indeed. The intermediate silly idea is a necessary step to find the good idea. If silly ideas are not allowed to form, the subsequent good idea will be undiscovered. Po allows silly ideas to form so that good ones can follow. High end refers to the best and generally most expensive of a class of goods or services. ... Standardization or standardisation (sometimes abbreviated s13n), in the context related to technologies and industries, is the process of establishing a technical standard among competing entities in a market, where this will bring benefits without hurting competition. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... Coffeehouse in Damascus A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... Theme Park is a simulation computer game designed by Bullfrog Productions, released in 1994, in which the player designs and operates an amusement park. ... The state of the art is the highest level of development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field, achieved at a particular time. ...

References

• Edward de Bono. Po: A Device for Successful Thinking (1972). ISBN 0-671-21338-5, introduced the term po
• Edward de Bono. Po: Beyond Yes and No (1973). ISBN 0-14-021715-0
• Edward de Bono. Serious Creativity (1992) ISBN 0-00-255143-8