Over the years Dr Edward de Bono has shared great insights through his messages. This series of blogs revisits some of those highlights. Need and value are not exactly the same. A need is something that is present at the moment. A value is something that may be entirely new and never even considered – but once considered is seen as a value. Traditional ‘focus groups’ are good at making improvements and at remedying defects. They are not so good at defining new values. They may be moderately good at defining needs. When I designed a wine glass that would allow the drinker the choice of sipping the wine or drinking more heavily, there was not a need for this. Nevertheless the value is there. If you want to savour the wine, but do not want to drink too much (for driving reasons), then it is useful to be able to sip the wine in small quantities. It is a common mistake to mix up problem-solutions, needs and values. The thinking involved may be different in each case.

Edward de Bono, September 2001

About the author: Dr Edward de Bono is a world leading authority on thinking skills.  Creator of the famous Six Thinking Hats®, Lateral Thinking and many other workshops he has authored 62 books published in 32 languages.

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