Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems [Hardcover]

Ian Mitroff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1998

Managers, organizations, and even whole societies repeatedly get trapped into solving the wrong problems precisely. Ian Mitroff demonstrates that the majority of serious management errors can be traced to one fundamental flaw: misdirected thinking, or the time, talent, and resource drains that result from solving the wrong problems. Mitroff explores the process of using critical thinking to ask the right questions and solve the right problems in any company or situation. He shows how to pick the right stakeholders, expand your options, phrase problems correctly, expand the boundaries of problems, and manage the paradoxes inherent in problems. In short, this book offers a guide to the art of asking the right questions and solving the right problems.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ian Mitroff, consultant and business policy professor, believes that organizations (and even entire societies) fail to resolve their most pressing predicaments because they commonly start out by addressing the wrong problems. Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems outlines his well-reasoned approach to turning that ill-fated scenario around by learning--right from the beginning--how to ask correct questions. In three clearly defined sections, he describes ways to gain understanding of the real problem, avoid solving the wrong one, and adopt "systems thinking" to manage for the future. --Howard Rothman

Product Details

• Hardcover: 69 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers; 1st edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576750205
• ISBN-13: 978-1576750209
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,972 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 thinking strategies for group problem solving, April 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems (Hardcover)

Mitroff's book offers a refreshingly fast walkthrough of the complexity of problem-solving. Scorning the usual breathless introductions about how fast things change, Mitroff focuses hard on 5 ways we confound ourselves when trying to address problems with ourselves or with others. I found the first two sections, on how to formulate problems, and how we choose (the wrong) stakeholders highly illuminating. The exercises were significantly difficult and useful, because they required real-life application, they did not simulate it. A limited amount of philosophy on aspects of cognitive science and psychology made the work feel as grounded in academia as it feels in business and professional contexts.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Effort!, May 7, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems (Hardcover)

In this book, Ian Mitroff attacks problem-solving by defining the first step: asking the right questions. He shows you how to use critical thinking skills to find the right problems, frame them correctly and implement appropriate solutions to solve or resolve them.

This book is thoughtful and well-organized, just as you might hope it would be since it teaches critical thinking. It is also well-written and well-illustrated, featuring numerous diagrams that illuminate better ways of thinking. Mitroff includes examples of well-known companies which have made major mistakes that cost millions of dollars because they failed to recognize the right problem in time. He also gives examples of companies that succeeded through improved critical thinking and problem identification. We [...] recommend this interesting book to all business problem-solvers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asks the right questions, July 28, 2003

By 

A. J. Vasaris (Akron, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Smart Thinking for Crazy Times: The Art of Solving the Right Problems (Hardcover)

The book's impact was made at the end of the first chapter. There I read Critical Questions and tried to answer them. These weren't questions about the material I had just read, but questions about me and my organization and how we deal with problems. Subsequently, the end of each chapter brought more questions to work on.

The book focuses on the problem solving process and the search for the real problem. Many management books solve predefined problems, which are good books, as long as you're sure you've picked the right problem.

The book is a quick read, interspersed with graphics that illustrates the text. Part 3 of the three part book delves into systematic thinking and touches on Jungian analysis, personality types, 5 Ways of Thinking, and even 12-Step programs.

As the saying goes, "Identifying a problem is half way to solving a problem." This book will help you find the right problem.