Oblique Strategies: Unlocking Innovation Through Creative Disruption
Introduction
When corporate innovation stalls, it’s rarely due to a lack of frameworks or data. More often, it’s a result of over-structure—teams locked into rigid ways of thinking, stifled by expectations, and unable to break their own mental models.
Enter Oblique Strategies, a creative technique originally developed by musician Brian Eno and artist Peter Schmidt in the 1970s. Designed to jolt creators out of ruts, this method uses unexpected prompts to disrupt conventional thinking and introduce productive ambiguity.
At Hangar 75, we’ve reinterpreted Oblique Strategies for modern enterprise use—embedding it within the IDEATE∞ platform to unlock innovation where logic alone falls short.
What are Oblique Strategies?
Oblique Strategies are a set of abstract, sometimes cryptic prompts that encourage new perspectives during moments of creative impasse. Classic examples include:
“Honor thy error as a hidden intention.”
“What would your closest rival do?”
“Remove the boundaries.”
“Use an old idea in a new context.”
“Emphasize differences.”
Unlike structured methods like SWOT or Design Thinking, Oblique Strategies are deliberately ambiguous, designed to bypass analytical filters and activate lateral thinking.
This ambiguity is not a weakness—it’s the source of their power.
Why This Technique Matters in Corporate Innovation
Most corporate teams suffer from path dependency—an over-reliance on what’s worked before. While this promotes consistency, it can kill creativity, especially in high-pressure or bureaucratic environments.
Oblique Strategies offer a lightweight, high-impact intervention that helps teams:
Interrupt predictable patterns
Spark intuition over logic
Reframe challenges without overthinking
Reconnect with creativity under constraint
Unlock emotional and associative insights
In many cases, one well-timed prompt can change the entire trajectory of an ideation session.
Pros of Oblique Strategies
Highly Versatile: Can be used at any point in the innovation process
Quick and Lightweight: No setup or training required
Disrupts Predictability: Jars teams out of comfort zones
Stimulates Intuition: Encourages non-linear thinking and metaphor
Adaptable for Solo or Group Work: Ideal for individuals, teams, or cross-functional sprints
Cons of Oblique Strategies
Abstract by Design: May frustrate highly analytical thinkers
Needs Psychological Safety: Some prompts may feel uncomfortable or confusing
Requires Skilled Facilitation: Interpretation is subjective and must be constructively guided
Not a Standalone Framework: Best when paired with more structured techniques
Effectiveness Depends on Context: Some situations may call for clearer direction
Illustrative Example: Unblocking Strategy in a Sustainability Sprint
A global energy company was struggling to align cross-functional teams on a new sustainability initiative. Workshops kept circling the same ideas: offsetting, electrification, packaging efficiency.
We deployed a short Oblique Strategy prompt sequence through IDEATE∞, including:
“State the problem in reverse.”
“What would make this initiative fail beautifully?”
“Discard your normal solution path.”
These abstract reframes led to ideas around sustainability through subtraction—radically reducing touchpoints, removing product components entirely, and even exploring “net-negative” branding strategies.
The final result? A portfolio of counterintuitive but bold sustainability plays that captured internal attention and unlocked new budget.
Where Oblique Strategies Fit Within the IDEATE∞ Platform
In IDEATE∞, Oblique Strategies are featured in the Creative Reframing Toolkit. Users can:
Pull random or AI-curated prompts based on the innovation stage
Customize prompt sets by industry, personality type, or team role
Track which strategies yielded the strongest ideas
Use prompts asynchronously across distributed teams
Combine strategies with scoring frameworks for idea prioritization
Oblique Strategies often precede or follow techniques like SCAMPER, Dark Horse Ideation, or Design Thinking to shake up team momentum.
The Strategic Role of Oblique Strategies in Innovation Portfolios
Best used when:
Teams feel stuck, fatigued, or overly rational
You need divergent thought in time-limited sessions
Exploring abstract topics like brand, purpose, or identity
Leading innovation sessions with highly diverse teams
Complementing data-heavy or engineering-driven conversations
Not recommended for:
Compliance-heavy environments with tight scope
Deliverables that require precision or rigor over creativity
Executive steering committees seeking direct ROI justification
Final Thoughts: When You Need Progress, Not Perfection
In corporate innovation, the path to breakthrough rarely follows a straight line. Oblique Strategies create intentional detours—structured disruption that invites new neural connections, emotional resonance, and lateral leaps.
At Hangar 75, we use Oblique Strategies within IDEATE∞ not as novelty, but as necessity. Because sometimes, the best way forward is sideways.
Ready to Unlock Transformational Ideas?
This is just one of the many powerful techniques embedded within IDEATE∞, Hangar 75’s enterprise-grade ideation engine. Whether you’re launching a new product, solving complex challenges, or evolving your innovation strategy, IDEATE∞ helps you generate, enrich, and prioritize high-impact ideas—fast.
👉 Explore how IDEATE∞ can be deployed inside your organization.
Schedule a no-risk, personalized demo and discover precisely how IDEATE∞ can drive strategic advantage for your organization.