A more lateral future –
stepping out of our comfort zone.

FROM STEAM TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

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“The comfort zone is a behavioural state in which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviours to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk”, said Judith Bardwick in 1991 (Page, 2020). To this day, we think we can all agree that this statement is true. Especially for an industry like ours, we generally look at it through a scope of business efficiency. Therefore, we love our fixed deadlines, and like to follow a clear plan. Although this has worked well for us for many years, it is and will become more important to leave our safe heaven and explore new waters. There is an ongoing process of change in the world. 250 years ago, we (or rather our ancestors) were excited about the possibility of mechanical production, through water and steam. But by the early 1900s, thanks to electricity and automation, we suddenly had the capability of mass production and the provision of immense quantities of goods, which changed the world in a way that we have never experienced before (Jin and Shin, 2021). 

Moving on, in the mid-twentieth century, the third industrial revolution took on technologies such as telecommunications, computers, IT systems, and automation which were all enabled by polarising nuclear energy to a whole new level. Although production was already high at that time, this industry was focused on maximising it even more. In turn, this led consumption to skyrocket and led the industry to focus on efficiency and cost reduction wherever possible. Fast, flexible, and precise production resulted in new business models, which were able to establish themselves and grow rapidly within our society (Ward, 2019). We guess we are all familiar with the big fast fashion companies like H&M and Inditex that were founded during that time. (Jin and Shin, 2021). 

The fashion industry is always moving fast. Especially companies on the forward side, like the two examples mentioned above. They pushed the fast-changing trends even further to always being one step ahead of the rest. For instance, Zara is developing 20 collections per year (Nguyen, 2020),  which obviously makes it hard to keep up with the rising production levels. It’s no secret that the fashion industry is polluting and responsible for more than 10% of humanity's carbon emissions. Do you know how much 10% is? That is more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined (Dottle and Gu, 2022). It is very clear that something needs to change, and fortunately for us, there is the potential to change while utilising the fourth industrial revolution that’s to come.  

This new revolution continues where the third one has stopped, centralising hyper personalization, productivity, and environmental sustainability (Jin and Shin, 2021). Environmental sustainability results from the immense negative impact of the previous industrial revolutions through mass production, unmatched demand and oversupply. In addition, consumer awareness of environmental harm is increasing and the majority of consumers are willing to change their consumption behaviour to a more sustainable one. Hyper-perzonalisation aims to satisfy the specific needs of an individual customer. Whether these are tangible things, such as personalised products, or intangible things, such as personalised advertisements, all made possible by the new technologies and big data. And last but not least productivity. With improved productivity, a more efficient and effective transformation of inputs into outputs should be achieved. This time, the focus should not be on producing more goods at lower costs, but on the accuracy, convenience and speed in the decision-making process behind it. In this way, the industry can, for example, make hyper-personalised products possible for the wide range of people in the first place (Jin and Shin, 2021).

The fourth Industrial Revolution and the main three pillars are mainly defined by new technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality. These are all terms that have become a big part of fashion today, and we have probably encountered them many times before but never really looked that much into them. Revolutions have always been driven by social needs, not by society catching up with new technological innovations. For instance, if we look into environmental sustainability, society noticed that something urgently needed to change due to the mass production and huge oversupply in the third industrial revolution (Jin and Shin, 2021). The fashion industry reacted to this by implementing more sustainable materials such as organic cotton, hemp, and other alternatives and then the industry started with implementing new technologies. 

As an industry, we need to find a way to take advantage of the fourth industrial revolution. A revolution we expect to challenge our comfort zone! Well, the only way to do this is by allowing it to happen and being ready to step out of it. Boarding this change which is happening in the industrial world around us, requires us to rethink the way we think first. We need to let go of our linear thinking patterns and try out a more lateral way of thinking. These two terms were new to us (and we feel like they are new to the industry as well), but after understanding them, we realised that they are part of our everyday lives. Understanding linear and lateral thinking methods could pretty much be the key that will unlock the door for this new revolution. 

THINKING IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS

“The state of mind in which a person feels totally at ease and away from possible danger or mistakes is their comfort zone” (Heyward, 2021). 

Linear and lateral thinking are different ways in which we perceive and process information. Linear thinking is linked to our left brain, while lateral thinking is related to the right side of our brain (Wood, 2022). As Tuarez mentions in an article by NeuroTray; “In the world we live in today, linear thinking is what we have been taught and we assume, what people consider to be their comfort zone” (Tuarez, 2021). The reason this is, is because linear thinking taps into concepts such as convergent, logical, or vertical thinking, a thinking process based on rationality, logic, and rules which is in line with being sensible, efficient, and  organised (Wood, 2022).  All these concepts sound like the traditional route that we’ve been taking in the past years when it comes to problem solving or working methods. In order to reach any sort of conclusion within our working methods, we tend to think in a cause-and-effect sort of way, so processes are only valid if there is evidence to support the different areas or conclusions used to solve the problem, just the way we usually like it (Tuarez, 2021). Lateral thinking, on the other hand, is divergent and creative, not following a step-by-step approach towards a solution, the thinking process occurs spontaneously and in a non-linear manner which in turn, generates and explores many different ideas (Wood, 2022). This concept is an introduction to the mental process of creativity, ingenuity, and insight in the elaboration of our thoughts, to be able to observe how reality looks from different angles and be able to restructure and change the ideas already learned. In other words, lateral thinking allows change in attitude and approach to concepts, while restructuring the outdated and already established linear-inspired-models into innovative ones (Tuarez, 2021). 

Perhaps this sounds abstract, and might as well be confusing, however, many companies are also struggling with this new concept as the majority currently operate in a linear way. And frankly, due to working in a linear system, the abstractness in this industry is holding us from changing, even so, this is more about developing a new approach and understanding how to cope with this shift without being fearful and stepping out of our comfort zone. Furthermore, both humans and companies aren't so different as we are all experiencing the same shift.  After all, the process of lateral thinking is different when compared to linear thinking, but both are complementary and necessary. 

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WHY ONLY USE ONE WHEN YOU CAN USE BOTH

“When it comes to linear and lateral thinking, neither one is better or worse. They are simply different ways we think and approach problems in everyday life and, as such, are complementary and necessary” (Wood, 2022). 

Linear and lateral thinking are part of the creative cycle since they allow us to register and process information, solve problems, make connections, analyse, and create (Wood, 2022). Since linear thinking seeks to reach a solution through a single direction already defined previously, pros and cons to this method can identify where the change has to take place. Pros of linear thinking are its direct approach, strong intellectual content, good structural sense, it concentrates and eliminates irrelevant approaches, and it does not disregard correctness. This method is in line with the ladder or hierarchy shape which is the way that the majority of organisations are still operating in.  These organisations operating in this method might have already experienced that it can become overly structured, predictable, boring, overly cautious, and that it needs correction at every step (Kocak, 2019). We are all trapped in a loop where we keep repeating collections every season, producing what was successful in previous collections with minor adjustments, and destroying the creativity in this process due to the linear working methods that we are used to. 

On the contrary, lateral thinking does not seek to follow a direction to reach a solution. It’s unfocused, unstructured, overly subjective nature, explores the probability of an optimal solution without guaranteeing one, and lacks capacity for criticism (Kocak, 2019). But  in spite of that, when confronted with ambiguous situations, trying to rationalise things and follow the patterns usually doesn’t lead to a solution. Lateral thinking gives original ideas at every stage of plotting, examines different approaches to find the most promising, provides personal/original voice, searches for postmodern approaches, and is open to all ideas. This concept is more in line with a lattice company structure, which is more focused on individual workers self managing and directing their own work. This structure will be further explored in the next chapter. 

“Both linear and lateral thinking concepts have their fair share of pros and cons, however, they typically complement one another as we most often use a combination of both types of thinking when processing information, problem-solving, and creating” (Wood, 2022). The only way for us to successfully make the shift into the 4th industrial revolution is by implementing lateral thinking (which is something a lot of us lack), on top of the linear methods we have now. Developing the ability to think laterally within an organisation's working methods is the way to start thinking outside of the box and discover innovative and creative solutions to any problems that may take place.  

HOW CAN OUR WORKING METHODS BENEFIT FROM THAT?

“The corporate ladder is vanishing, and it's getting more and more difficult to deny the changing world of work.” (Forbes Media, 2011)

As mentioned before, a common linear route through which companies are built up is called the ladder or hierarchy shape, in which decision-makers at the top of the ladder decide the framework. A well-known, linear example of this is a 9-to-5 work schedule which defines when, where, and how work is accomplished. A system in which employees are given very little responsibility, their potential is not fully utilised and are expected to be creative for 8 hours a day (CHRON., n.d.). 

That’s old fashion. And changing as the minority, but a growing number of companies are adopting a lattice structure. It is a move towards greater creativity and allowing individuals more freedom. Lattice is more in line with the lateral approach we are trying to take as the work is largely self-directed and managed by the individual worker. This method can be structured in three different ways. The first method is to organise the work according to the needs of the individual worker. The second method is to create a flexible work schedule to make it easier for employees to balance work and home life. Last but not least is the participation of the entire staff, which means they can provide ideas and suggestions across every division of the company (CHRON., n.d.). The advantage of lattice organisations is clearly the flexibility that an employee has during his or her employment. Additionally, it is possible to adapt very quickly to changing market conditions largely because the employer is able to take full advantage of the talents of its employees (CHRON., n.d.).  

An example of a lattice-structured company is W. L. Gore & Associates. It is known for diverse innovations, such as its "waterproof and breathable" textile material Gore-Tex (Grønning, 2016). W. L. Gore & Associates is a team-based company, which encourages the personal growth and initiative of its employees, also known as associates. There is no hierarchy and all employees communicate with each other on a peer-to-peer basis. Keeping both customer satisfaction and "associate" satisfaction at the top of the company's agenda is of the utmost importance for W. L. Gore & Associates. In addition to offering minimal barriers to creativity, its quality decision-making capabilities have proven to be very helpful. As a result of its lattice structure, it is consistently rated as one of the best employers in Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and France (Gore-Tex Brand, 2022).  

It is evident that shifting from a traditional company structure to a lattice structure can be of great benefit. Although there are many different companies and people in the world, each of which uses a different process to solve problems, it is easy to integrate all of the benefits of lateral thinking in a creative setting such as the fashion industry. Moreover, lattice structures not only provide numerous opportunities for the individual but also encourage creativity in all aspects. Get inspired by taking a look at our statement collection, "IT'S ABOUT TIME". Discover a collection built up laterally following a lattice structured work ethic within our studio.