101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: The Handbook of New Ideas for Business (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The author presents 101 techniques to stimulate creativity and innovation in individuals and groups.

Product Details

• Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: New Management Pub. Co. (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883629004
• ISBN-13: 978-1883629007
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #466,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough organized compendium on creative problem solving., December 6, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

How many times have you wished, as either a employee, facilitator or parent, that you had a creative problem solving book properly indexed so you can begin using the techniques right away? "101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques" helps you achieve these pronto.

Divided into Personal and Group techniques, you can handily zoom in to possible solutions quickly. And, because Jim Higgins has a extensive background in academia at the innovative Crummer School of Management at Rollins College, the book is thoroughly referenced and contains ample citations for those wishing to pursue sources further.

Furthermore, the book includes stimulating (and fun) graphics on nearly every page. Coupled with the case studies and examples, this makes for a highly engaging and very practical read.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative Tools for Practical Problem Solving, February 13, 2003

By	Les Lauber (Lawrence, KS USA) - See all my reviews

James M. Higgins' packs every one of his 220 pages with solid content. He collected problem-solving techniques from organizations and individuals from all types of business and several countries. He wrote them up, summarized them, and presented them to us in easy-to-read, digestible, format. Most important, he explains them so that they can be taken and used.

Higgins spends two short chapters discussing problem solving and innovation, then he gets down to the techniques. He has techniques for recognizing and identifying problems, analyzing the environment, brainstorming problem-solving ideas, and choosing solutions. One of my favorite facts about this book is that he has 38 techniques for individuals to brainstorm ideas, yet also has another 32 group brainstorming techniques. He really includes something for everyone in this smorgasbord.

I have adapted and used a number of these successfully: the Lotus Blossom and Two Words Techniques have been excellent brainstorming processes for me. I have shown a large number of people the Why-why diagram for uncovering the root causes of problems. I have shared my copy of this book with five or six people, each of whom went out and bought their own copy.

If you're looking for an easily read book that gets you started on formal, process-oriented problem solving (as advocated by Quality Management philosophies), this is a great starting point.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice collection of simple and effective tools, September 21, 2001

By	Linda Zarate "IT Ops Consultant" (Azusa, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This book in my opinion will enhance your thinking process in terms of exercising your own creativity to solve business problems. The tools in this book can be used to bring out your own originality and expressiveness in seeking solutions.

I liked the way the author James M. Higgins, gave real life examples of Giant Corporations that have used one or more of these problem-solving techniques.

The 101 techniques described in this book are broken down to by problem solving stages: environmental analysis, recognizing and identifying problems, making assumptions, generating alternatives, making choices and implementing solutions. Each one of these processes is described in detail with graphics and, some chapters will have exercises that are deemed helpful in understanding the technique.

The techniques are presented in alphabetical order and are numbered twice, the first number denotes the techniques position from 1 to 101, and the second number is the techniques position within that section of the problem-solving model.

Chapter 4 which focused on individual techniques is the one that I personally found to be most helpful. In my line of work as an IT Consultant I have exercised a few of these techniques such as mind mapping, but I also found other techniques that I can't wait to start using my next project.

There are many techniques to try in this book, some of these techniques you may not like, others won't fit, but overall this is a handy book to use for your problem-solving efforts.