The fun and simple problem-solving guide that took Japan by storm Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese schoolchildren. His goal was to help shift the focus in Japanese education from memorization to critical thinking, by adapting some of the techniques he had learned as an elite McKinsey consultant. He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills. Watanabe uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. A rock band figures out how to drive up concert attendance. An aspiring animator budgets for a new computer purchase. Students decide which high school they will attend. Illustrated with diagrams and quirky drawings, the book is simple enough for a middleschooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

The fun and simple problem-solving guide that took Japan by storm Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese schoolchildren. His goal was to help shift the focus in Japanese education from memorization to critical thinking, by adapting some of the techniques he had learned as an elite McKinsey consultant. He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills. Watanabe uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. A rock band figures out how to drive up concert attendance. An aspiring animator budgets for a new computer purchase. Students decide which high school they will attend. Illustrated with diagrams and quirky drawings, the book is simple enough for a middleschooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

Are you often overwhelmed by your problems in life? Do you sometimes think that if only you had an analytical mind, then you could fix all of the things that plague you? Are you constantly obsessing over the obstacles and challenges in your life but you feel like there's nothing you can do? Believe it or not, but you are a natural problem solver! With the Art of Problem Solving 101, we're here to teach you how to unlock your natural problem solving abilities and not only teach you how to solve problems, but also teach you how to become a problem solver. A problem solver lives a different life from other people. They learn to embrace adversity, develop important processes and work through any challenge in their life. With the help of our book, you can become one too, even if you don't feel like you have an analytical mind. With our threefold process of approach, discovery and action, you will learn everything that you need to become a problem solver as well as someone who is capable of handling extreme adversity. If you've ever been curious on the philosophy of those who are strong enough to endure hardship and chaos without losing their minds, then the Art of Problem Solving 101 is for you. We'll teach you everything you need to know about developing the kind of character that tells the world "I'm here to solve problems and nothing can stop me."

CB Insights study suggests that 42% of startups fail because they do not identify the right need, in other words: there is no need for the startup or product in the first place. The issue here is the lack of tools used to generate the ideas and validate those. Bottom line, this issue is about a structured approach to idea generation and problem-solving. Do you know that most people engaged in collective problem solving spend a lot of their valuable time in meetings, discussing ideas, which they think eventually do not add value to product or startup? Harvard Business Review survey suggests that 71% of managers feel that meetings do not help accomplish much, as they do not have specific templates and exercises to guide specific outcomes with engagement from participants. THE SOLUTION BOOK is going to help you in experimenting with ideas effectively by providing you steps on how to create a framework for coming up with new ideas and products, considering a variety of views, develop teamwork and collaboration keeping you better focused on your results and outcomes. The solution book consists of 101 easy to follow techniques on problem-solving and ideation. Startup, innovation and venture failures are expensive and justified only by lack of tools and data for analysis. The book caters to all stages in your lifecycle as a creative thinker and problem solver with tools to optimize your resources, go beyond conventional solutions and experiment with divergent (out of the box) thinking thanks to Elina Kallas, a researcher on entrepreneurship education with European Commission and in entrepreneurship at Harvard University, and Vidyangi Patil, an interdisciplinary professional of Biomedical Engineering with an extensive startup and research experience.

Complex problem solving is the core skill for 21st Century Teams Complex problem solving is at the very top of the list of essential skills for career progression in the modern world. But how problem solving is taught in our schools, universities, businesses and organizations comes up short. In Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything you’ll learn the seven-step systematic approach to creative problem solving developed in top consulting firms that will work in any field or industry, turning you into a highly sought-after bulletproof problem solver who can tackle challenges that others balk at. The problem-solving technique outlined in this book is based on a highly visual, logic-tree method that can be applied to everything from everyday decisions to strategic issues in business to global social challenges. The authors, with decades of experience at McKinsey and Company, provide 30 detailed, real-world examples, so you can see exactly how the technique works in action. With this bulletproof approach to defining, unpacking, understanding, and ultimately solving problems, you’ll have a personal superpower for developing compelling solutions in your workplace. Discover the time-tested 7-step technique to problem solving that top consulting professionals employ Learn how a simple visual system can help you break down and understand the component parts of even the most complex problems Build team brainstorming techniques that fight cognitive bias, streamline workplanning, and speed solutions Know when and how to employ modern analytic tools and techniques from machine learning to game theory Learn how to structure and communicate your findings to convince audiences and compel action The secrets revealed in Bulletproof Problem Solving will transform the way you approach problems and take you to the next level of business and personal success.

Employees who possess problem-solving skills are highly valued in today?s competitive business environment. The question is how can employees learn to deal in innovative ways with new data, methods, people, and technologies? In this groundbreaking book, Arthur VanGundy -- a pioneer in the field of idea generation and problem solving -- has compiled 101 group activities that combine to make a unique resource for trainers, facilitators, and human resource professionals. The book is filled with idea-generation activities that simultaneously teach the underlying problem-solving and creativity techniques involved. Each of the book?s 101 engaging and thought-provoking activities includes facilitator notes and advice on when and how to use the activity. Using 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and Problem Solving will give you the information and tools you need to: Generate creative ideas to solve problems. Avoid patterned and negative thinking. Engage in activities that are guaranteed to spark ideas. Use proven techniques for brainstorming with groups. Order your copy today.

This popular book shows students how to increase their power to analyze problems and to comprehend what they read. First, it outlines and illustrates the method that good problem solvers use in attacking complex ideas. Then, it provides practice in applying these methods to a variety of comprehension and reasoning questions. Books on the improvement of thinking processes have tended to be complicated and less than useful, but the authors of this renowned text emphasize a simple but effective approach. The "Whimbey Method" of teaching problem solving is now recognized as an invaluable means of teaching people to think. Problems are followed by their solutions, presented in easy-to-follow steps. This feature permits students to work without supervision, outside the classroom. As students work through the book they will see a steady improvement in their analytical thinking skills, and will develop confidence in their ability to solve problems--on tests; in academic courses; and in any occupations that involve analyzing, untangling, or comprehending knotty ideas. By helping students to become better problem solvers, this book can assist students in achieving higher scores on tests commonly used for college and job selection, such as: * Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) * Graduate Record Examination (GRE) * ACT Work Keys * Terra Nova * Law School Admission Test (LSAT) * Wonderlic Personnel Test * United States Employment Service General Aptitude Test Battery * Civil Service Examination New in the 6th edition: A totally new chapter--"Meeting Academic and Workplace Standards: How This Book Can Help"--describes changes in the educational system in the past 20 years and shows how the techniques taught in this book relate to the new educational standards and tests. Changes throughout the book reflect current educational and social realities: the names of some characters have been changed to represent more accurately the cross-section of students attending today's schools; dates in some problems have been changed; in other problems the technology referred to has been updated.