Reframing HR Problems to Drive Practical Solutions using Lateral Think

In organizations with large-scale operations, multi-branch structures, and field-based workforce, HR challenges often persist not because of lack of effort, but because problems are approached with repetitive and conventional thinking patterns.

Issues such as recruitment bottlenecks, high turnover in operational roles, inconsistent implementation across branches, and low impact of HR initiatives often require a different way of seeing the problem. In practice, many HR solutions appear strong conceptually but fail during execution due to operational constraints, resource limitations, and process realities. Therefore, this program focuses not only on generating ideas, but on ensuring solutions remain relevant and applicable in real working conditions.

This program introduces Lateral Thinking (Edward de Bono) as a structured approach to help HR professionals diagnose problems more accurately, challenge underlying assumptions, and generate practical solutions that can be explored within their organizational context. The session is designed as an interactive problem-solving workshop, where participants work on real HR challenges and produce structured solution outputs.

After completion of this program, participants will be better able to:

• Differentiate between conventional (vertical) and exploratory (lateral) thinking in HR decision-• Differentiate between conventional (vertical) and exploratory (lateral) thinking in HR decision-making
• Diagnose HR problems more accurately by distinguishing root causes from symptoms
• Challenge existing assumptions that limit effectiveness of HR processes
• Apply key lateral thinking techniques (Provocation, Random Input, Alternatives)
• Generate solution options beyond standard approaches
• Structure solutions into actionable formats aligned with operational realities
• Evaluate trade-offs, constraints, and feasibility in implementing HR solutions