22 Nov Dimensional Thinking Helps You Look Beyond
If you’ve ever been to an art museum, you might notice that some people will look at a painting up close, then step back a few feet and look at it again. While the people doing this realize that the images themselves won’t change, their own viewpoint could change how the painting looks to them.
A common criticism of novels is that the characters are “flat” or “two-dimensional.” This means there isn’t much to them. We live in a three-dimensional world, and we want our characters to reflect the world we live in. Below we’ll take a look at three-dimensional thinking, how to think about the bigger picture and some ways to think beyond what is in front of you.
What is three-dimensional thinking?
This is a simple question with a complicated answer. Three-dimensional thinking is a way of thinking about problems and their accompanying solutions in a different, nonlinear way. It involves broadening, deepening and shifting your thinking. Think about it—a square only has a length and width, while a cube has a length, width and depth. There are many more ways you can view a cube than a square because of that extra dimension. With three-dimensional thinking, you want to learn about how to think about the bigger picture while also considering ways to think beyond what is in front of you.
How do you broaden your thinking?
You can broaden your thinking by gathering more information, and you can gather more information by asking pertinent questions of the right people. For example, if you’re trying to solve an organizational problem, you’d want to start by asking as many “W” questions as possible. End with a “How” question or questions.
- Why is this happening?
- Which part of this problem has happened before?
- Who’s causing the problem?
- Where can I find out more about the problem?
- What will happen if I can’t solve this problem?
- How can I fix this problem?
How do you deepen your thinking?
When presented with a problem, you should ask some relevant questions like those mentioned above. Once you’ve done so, you should consider the problem, and then try to identify any underlying assumptions about that problem.
For example, if you manage a retail store and very few of your employees are stocking their items in the time you’ve allotted them, you’re probably going to make some assumptions. You might assume your employees are lazy or apathetic, or that they simply aren’t working fast enough. Recognize those assumptions and challenge them. Maybe if almost none of your employees can meet your time goals, the amount of time you give them to stock the shelves should be increased.
How do you shift your thinking?
This is one of the simple ways to alter your thinking. You can take what you’ve learned in other realms and apply it to your current situation. For example, if you find that most teams that win championships in sports share a commitment to a common goal, you can try to craft a work environment where members of your team are devoted and pulling in the same direction toward a common objective.
Bringing three-dimensional thinking to architectural design
At Emotive Architecture, we emphasize the value of three-dimensional thinking in our approach to design projects. We’re cognizant of the bigger picture, always looking and thinking beyond what’s directly in front of us to come up with innovative, effective approaches to solving problems and completing projects. To learn more about how we work, get in touch with us today.