I agree with the other that lateral thing and vertical thinking need to be used in combination with each other for efficient propagation of the creative process. Lateral thinking in isolation may help open up unforseen possibilities but also takes time. Exploring unconventional ideas and establishing unexpected connections may take a significant amount of time and effort, which may be unrealistic in situations that require quick decisions or stringent deadlines (which normally is the case in real life). Another effect we might see with the rise of lateral thinking is a subsequent rise in unrealistic or unworkable ideas. Because lateral thinking encourages people to explore other views and unconventional ideas, there is a risk that they will generate ideas that are neither realistic or useful in real-world circumstances. This is all not to say that lateral thinking is impractical, but only that it needs to be used in combination with vertical thinking to bear fruit, as mentioned