"We may need to solve some problems not by removing the cause but by designing the way forward even if the cause remains in place."
– (Edward de Bono)
A man and his son are in a car crash. The father is killed and the son is taken to the hospital. When he arrives, the surgeon says "I can't operate on this boy, he is my son!"
This brain teaser is an example of issues in problem solving where cultural stereotypes work to block the mind's ability to explore alternatives. In this case, most people imagine a surgeon as a male and conclude that either the surgeon or the "father" in the car crash was not the boy's real father.
Dismissing gender as a factor allows the exploration of alternative options. One parent was in the car and the other parent is the surgeon. Since it is stated that the parent in the car was the father, the answer is suddenly obvious, the surgeon is the boy's mother.
Lateral thinking is the method of switching perceptions to allow the alternate view point. The practical application of lateral thinking to requirements gathering in Business Analysis can result in innovative and humane interface designs. | 
