Review of Why Not? How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book on creative thinking.It shows you how it does not take a rocket scientist to be a creative genius.The authors demonstrate several creative thinking strategies that work very well.They indicate that most great ideas come from two basic thinking strategies, including problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems.The first strategy (problems in search of solutions) leads to the development of many new incremental products and services.They are not so new in their concept, but they represent a different twist on existing concepts.The second strategy (solutions in search of problems) leads to totally brand new technological and innovative breakthroughs.Both strategies add tremendous value to our society, to commerce, and represents incremental hundred of $billion in national economic wealth.

The authors illustrate their creative concepts by many examples taken from the business world, and how corporations have introduced really innovative and successful products worldwide.Examples include many creative financial services and product concepts.So, if you work for a bank or a financial service company, you may find a lot of food for thoughts here.But, examples are also taken from many different industries.So, regardless of where you work, this book will have practical applications for you.

I work in a small think tank of one of the major financial institutions on the West Coast.Parts of my yearly MBOs entail coming up with new financial product structures for my employer.I was a bit in a creative thinking rut.Just by reading this book, following the strategies suggested by the authors, I came up with a couple of very interesting product concepts that I can t wait to present to my management.This book is really fun, and it will enhance both your creativity and your career.



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Review of Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition (Hardcover)

Over the millennia, our brains have been developed to be the most energy conserving part of our bodies due, in part, that our distant forefathers had to make quick decisions of friend or foe. Therefore, we rarely take time, and energy, to think or rethink things over. If one does not spend a little extra time to think thru your important decisions, you tend to be on "Thin Ice". For example, take another look at the title of the book, did you notice the double entendre ?!

This book is about mistakes and bad decisions of smart people, business executives, doctors, and others. Many of the reasons all these people and professions make bad decisions, in part, is that we all have a similar framework of having the same mental software basics. This can and does lead to false beliefs and bad decisions due to mental traps as the author describes. These default false beliefs that we all have inherited prevent clear thinking. As the author describes throughout the book, "To make good decisions, you frequently must think twice - and that is something our minds would rather not do."

The book is a nice enjoyable read, very clear with the necessary psychology jargon, and has a very nice set of notes to follow-up on if you would like. All in, though short, this book comes highly recommended for any bookshelf on how to make better decisions.


As a side note:I have pointed out in other reviews of other books below that are in the same genre and which are some of my favorites. So if you like this somewhat introductory book, then you may be interested in more hidden traps our minds fall into, or other social influences, I provide the following recommendations:Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (polymath classic),How We Know What Isn't So (very good),Mean Markets and Lizard Brains (Hidden Gem),The Psychology of Judgment & Decision Making (Classic), orPoor Charlie's Almanack (Charlie's Insights). Good reading and enjoy :)




Click Here to see more reviews about: Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition (Hardcover)

Review of Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition (Hardcover)

Over the millennia, our brains have been developed to be the most energy conserving part of our bodies due, in part, that our distant forefathers had to make quick decisions of friend or foe. Therefore, we rarely take time, and energy, to think or rethink things over. If one does not spend a little extra time to think thru your important decisions, you tend to be on "Thin Ice". For example, take another look at the title of the book, did you notice the double entendre ?!

This book is about mistakes and bad decisions of smart people, business executives, doctors, and others. Many of the reasons all these people and professions make bad decisions, in part, is that we all have a similar framework of having the same mental software basics. This can and does lead to false beliefs and bad decisions due to mental traps as the author describes. These default false beliefs that we all have inherited prevent clear thinking. As the author describes throughout the book, "To make good decisions, you frequently must think twice - and that is something our minds would rather not do."

The book is a nice enjoyable read, very clear with the necessary psychology jargon, and has a very nice set of notes to follow-up on if you would like. All in, though short, this book comes highly recommended for any bookshelf on how to make better decisions.


As a side note:I have pointed out in other reviews of other books below that are in the same genre and which are some of my favorites. So if you like this somewhat introductory book, then you may be interested in more hidden traps our minds fall into, or other social influences, I provide the following recommendations:Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (polymath classic),How We Know What Isn't So (very good),Mean Markets and Lizard Brains (Hidden Gem),The Psychology of Judgment & Decision Making (Classic), orPoor Charlie's Almanack (Charlie's Insights). Good reading and enjoy :)




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Review of The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage (Hardcover)

I start by declaring my conflict.Roger martin is a friend.I sit on the RIM board with him.

Dr. Martin is Dean of the Rotman School of Business. One of his previous books was Opposable Minds: Winning Through Integrative Thinking. The theory of that book was that the ability to hold 2 opposing thoughts in mind often lead to a third superior view. The Design of Business has some of this "opposable" view thinking.


From The Design of Business book:

"What is Design Thinking Anyway?

Design thinking, as a concept, has been slowly evolving and coalescing over the past decade. One popular definition is that design thinking means thinking as as designer would, which is about as circular as a definition can be. More concretely, Tim Brown of IDEO has written that design thinking is "a discipline that uses the designer's sensibility and methods to match people's needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity." A person or organization instilled with that discipline is constantly seeking a fruitful balance between reliability and validity, between art and science, between intuition and analytics, and between exploration and exploitation. The design-thinking organization applies the designer's most crucial tool to the problems of business. That tool is abuctive reasoning."

Dr. Martin is a big advocate of strategy. I have found that good strategy in business can make successful business almost look easy. Of course you need good tacticians to execute but it is the strategy that takes a company to the next level.

Design of Business suggests that we do not use enough intuition in business. The book advocates using intuition combined with analytical thinking to devise strategy. (The opposable - intuition and analytics can co-exist to the better good)

My experience is that people are more comfortable with neat and tidy analytics but often the more messy intuitive strategy and design works better. Successful business is a bit messy.

Martin suggests that Design Thinking can be learned, fostered and developed which is indeed a hopeful thought.

I found the book interesting because it uses RIM as an example (among others) and I am close to that one so can see exactly where Martin is saying when he says Design Thinking yields competitive advantage.

Dr. Martin argues that time bias - short term thinking (often caused by the public markets) can kill good decision making. I heartily agree. Long term thinking is key.

Good book.



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