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Even when we think we've explored all the solutions, someone comes along and shows us that
we are still limited in our thinking.
In the Harvard Business Review, an alternative solution to the nine-dot puzzle was presented. The challenge was to use just three
straight lines to connect the dots. The only way to accomplish this feat is to question another apparent constraint - the size of the dots.
According to the article, thinking across boundaries, or integrative thinking, is the ultimate entrepreneurial act. The article states that
to see problems and opportunities integratively is to see them as wholes related to larger wholes, rather than dividing information and
experience into discrete bits assigned to distinct, separate categories that never touch one another.
The article reminded us that blurring the boundaries is not always enough. We must also challenge the categories in order that new ideas and possibilities be allowed to emerge.
It is for this reason that we encourage an ongoing educational process among our staff. Only by keeping our eyes and minds open, reading trade journals and attending
conferences, will we maintain our ability to rethink categories and transcend boundaries.
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