vertical thinking

[ vur-ti-kuhl thing-king ]

noun

1. a more traditional approach to problem solving that relies primarily on analytical and linear thought processes: Compare lateral thinking.

   In the first session we did a lot of brainstorming, and then used vertical thinking in the second session to select the feasible ideas.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vertical thinking¹

Coined in 1967 by Maltese psychologist E. de Bono (1933–2021)

Example Sentences

Helgemo has a reputation for preternatural skill and vertical thinking: he has won titles all over the world and in 2008 he and his partner, Tor Helness, were recruited by a Swiss-born, Monaco-based real-estate multimillionaire to play for the Monégasque national team.

From The Guardian

It is no longer a business of silos and vertical thinking, but rather an open network with all the hubs and nodes and spokes—and the uncertainties—that this implies.

From Forbes

This distinction between vertical thinking and horizontal thinking is as important in brain science as it is in contemporary economics.

From Forbes

The key to challenging the inviolable may lie in the difference between vertical thinking and lateral thinking.

From Time Magazine Archive

Vertical thinking is deductive, systematic, eminently useful and always necessary.

From Time Magazine Archive