Who coined the phrase 'lateral thinking?

Question

For example:
'If it took two hours for two men todig a hole five feet deep, how deep would it have been if ten men had dug it?

Answer 1

Edward de Bono

Answer 2

Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono, a Maltese psychologist, physician and writer. It first appeared in the title of his book The Use of Lateral Thinking, published in 1967. De Bono defines lateral thinking as methods of thinking concerned with changing concepts and perception. Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic.

Lateral Thinking is more concerned with the movement value of statements and ideas. A person would use lateral thinking when they want to move from one known idea to creating new ideas.

A notation used in lateral thinking, is Po. This stands for provocative operation and is used to propose an idea, which may not necessarily be a solution, or a 'good' idea in itself, but moves thinking forward to a new place where new ideas may be produced. People in conversation could use the word "PO" to notify others that they are intentionally making a provocative comment that should be best applied using lateral thinking techniques.