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For example, suppose you are eating dinner in a restaurant and a man who appears to be in his mid-50s, dressed in a well tailored suit, walks in accompanied by a much younger woman, dressed in jeans and a T shirt. They look vaguely alike, and you immediately decide that they are a father and daughter. When they sit down at the table next to you, however you notice telling attributes and slowly learn more about them. Perhaps the man is presenting the young woman with an investment opportunity. And you decide she could well be a client of his. Perhaps, they hold hands and you decide he is her spouse. Or they are trying to distract you, while their colleagues steal your wallet. Regardless of any explanations, you cannot avoid building boxes.

Excerpted from ‘Thinking in new boxes’ by Alan Iny and Luc de Brabandere