Is Speed Thinking the same as Intuition?

I was interviewed today by a reporter from a HR magazine in Singapore who asked me a very good question–How is speed thinking different from intuition? The answer is yes and know.

 Speed Thinking shares many of the qualities of intuition:

 - Both are modes of thought that are quick, In fact, intuition is almost instantaneous -see the book by Malcolm Gladwell (Blink) for example.

 - Both rely on more right brain processes. Speed Thinking is more about accessing the unconscious and Intuition the emotions.

 - Both benefit through experiential learning (i.e. you get better at both the more experience you have).

 -  Both modes of thought are often viewed with some suspicion by the more rational business people as somehow compromising quality (yet there is plenty of evidence that people rely on intuition a great deal when making decisions for example).

 But there are differences:

- Intuition is more of an internal process, speed thinking an external one.

 - Intuition is more individual, speed thinking is both an individual and a group process. It can be used in meetings for example.

 - Intuition is typically used by someone who has a particular (often extensive) expertise and experience whereas speed thinking can be used by anyone, any age, in any role with little or no experience.

 - Intuition is used for mainly used for decision-making, speed thinking can be used to create new ideas, solve problems and make decisions.

 - Intuition is more difficult to teach whereas Speed Thinking (I believe) is more teachable because of its four step process (start, evaluate, build, do), 2 minute-nine possibility mechanic, speed links template and 30 tools etc.

 In short, Speed Thinking is a more structured, external, tool-driven process than intuition.

Ken Hudson