‘’A Problem well stated is a Problem half Solved.’’

 

John Dewey 

 

Problem-Solving is a critical skill that all Managers and Leaders must master to increase the Productivity of the organization as well as to up level their careers. 

 

You need to solve problems because decision-making is of utmost importance in your day-to-day work life. 

 

Whether you’re trying to figure out how to complete a project at work, or how to fix an issue with your direct report, it is essential to learn the critical thinking skills necessary to formulate a solution and make strong decisions.

 

As the quote above states, defining a problem before trying to solve it is really important if you want to solve it and if you want to be efficient.

 

Well-defined (well-structured) problems are those that contain a clear specification of three elements of the problem space: the initial state (the problem situation), the set of operators (rules and strategies) to solve the problem, and the goal state (the solution).

 

The purpose of this post is to provide you with a list of resourceful books on Problem Solving so that you can hone your problem-solving skills and solve all your problems as well as your organization’s problems more productively and prosper in your career.

 

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1.PROBLEM SOLVING 101:

Ken Watanabe

 

A Simple Book for Smart People by Ken Watanabe

 

“When you do take action, every result is an opportunity to reflect and learn valuable lessons. Even if what you take away from your assessment seems to be of small consequence, all of these small improvements taken together make a huge difference in the long term.”

 

In the fun and simple problem-solving guide that took Japan by storm

Ken Watanabe shares some of the techniques he learned as an elite McKinsey consultant to help readers approach problems in productive ways.

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He uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. 

 

 To help readers visualize the process more clearly he has added scenarios and illustrations.

 

He breaks down the problem-solving process into the most simple parts and gives step-by-step instructions for choosing the best action in any situation.

 

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2.STOP GUESSING -THE 9 BEHAVIOURS OF GREAT PROBLEM SOLVERS 

 

Nat Greene

 

Bad problem-solving costs individuals and society incalculable amounts of time, money, and sanity. 

 

In this book Nat Greene—who’s been solving hard problems professionally for over twenty years—shares nine behaviors anyone can adopt to find solutions to even the most seemingly intractable problems.

 

The book is unique in that, that it shows no method but step-wise behavior you need to adopt to solve the right problem.

 

Greene shows you how to adopt the behaviors great problem solvers use to arrive at solutions efficiently—without guessing.

 

The Nine Behaviours are as follows: 

 

1. Stop guessing

2. Smell the problem

3. Embrace your ignorance

4. Know what problem you are solving

5. Dig into the fundamentals

6. Don’t rely on experts

7. Believe in a simple solution

8. Make fact-based decisions

9. Stay on target

 So stop guessing and start solving today!

 

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3.FIXED: HOW TO PERFECT THE FINE ART OF PROBLEM SOLVING 

 

Amy E Herman

 

 

Unlike what most of us think about Problem-solving in terms of logic and reasoning, Amy shows the use of creative thinking and imagination for solving problems in this book.

 

She provides a framework for more creative thinking.

 

Herman teaches us to see things differently, using art to challenge our default thinking and open up possibilities otherwise overlooked.

Her unexpected, insightful, and often delightful methodology is sought after by leaders and professionals for whom failure is catastrophic.

 

In this book, Amy insists that things go wrong most of the time. It is what we do to fix them that matters. 

 

She has consulted on leadership training with Silicon Valley companies and military organizations and provides us with expertise used by the Leaders of the FBI, NATO, the State Department, Interpol, Scotland Yard, and many more organizations to solve their most intractable problems.

 

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4.UPSTREAM:THE QUEST TO SOLVE PROBLEMS BEFORE THEY HAPPEN

Dan Heath

 

 

“The postmortem for a problem can be the preamble to a solution.”

 

Upstream delivers practical solutions for preventing problems rather than reacting to them.

How many problems in our lives and society are we tolerating simply because we’ve forgotten that we can fix them?

 

Dan Heath explores how to prevent problems before they happen, drawing on insights from hundreds of interviews with unconventional problem solvers.

 

So often in life, we get stuck in a cycle of response.

We put out fires. We deal with emergencies. We stay downstream, handling one problem after another, but we never make our way upstream to fix the systems that caused the problems.

 

Upstream probes the psychological forces that push us downstream—including “problem blindness,” which can leave us oblivious to serious problems in our midst., along with a reminder that many problems are more controllable and avoidable than first assumed.

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It is full of real-world examples of how minor adjustments helped organizations to avoid serious hold-ups and achieve major results.

 

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5.SPRINT HOW TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEEMS AND TEST NEW IDEAS IN JUST FIVE DAYS

 

 Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky

 

 

From inside Google Ventures, a unique five-day process for solving tough problems, proven at thousands of companies in mobile, e-commerce, healthcare, finance, and more.

 

Entrepreneurs and leaders face big questions every day:

What’s the most important place to focus your effort, and how do you start?

What will your idea look like in real life?

How many meetings and discussions does it take before you can be sure you have the right solution?

 

In this book are described best practices for conducting sprints and solving problems in limited timeframes.

 

The approaches for problem-solving and product design can be useful for any position that needs to find fixes in an emergency.

 

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6.SUPER THINKING :THE BIG BOOK OF THE MENTAL MODELS

 

 Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann

 

The purpose of the guide is to teach readers how to evaluate information and make quick yet accurate judgments. 

 

It helps readers decide the best approach to use for each circumstance.

 

The world’s greatest problem-solvers, forecasters, and decision-makers all rely on a set of frameworks and shortcuts that help them cut through complexity and separate good ideas from bad ones. 

 

They’re called mental models.

 

 Super Thinking is a fun, illustrated guide to every mental model you could need. 

 

 Well, here are just a few examples of how mental models can help you.

 

• If you’ve ever been overwhelmed by a to-do list that’s grown too long, maybe you need the Eisenhower Decision Matrix to help you prioritize.

 

• Use the 5 Whys model to better understand people’s motivations or get to the root cause of a problem.

 

• Before concluding that your colleague who messes up your projects is out to sabotage you, consider Hanlon’s Razor for an alternative explanation.

 

• Ever sat through a bad movie just because you paid a lot for the ticket? You might be falling prey to Sunk Cost Fallacy.

 

• Set up Forcing Functions, like standing meetings or deadlines, to help grease the wheels for changes you want to occur.

So, the next time you find yourself faced with a difficult decision or just trying to understand a complex situation, let Super Thinking upgrade your brain with mental models.

 

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7.SYSTEMATIC PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING 

Sandy Pokras

In this Book, Pokras outlines 6 main steps of problem-solving in the organization.

 

She shows how to do it together as a group so that everyone is on the same page with what the problem is and how to solve it.

 

Step 1: Problem recognition

Step 2: Problem Labelling

Step 3: Problem-Cause Analysis

Step 4: Optional Solutions

Step 5: Decision Making 

Step 6: Action Planning

 

It is a great resource for anyone looking for a step-by-step guide on how to solve problems within an organization and even by himself

 

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8.THINK SMARTER : CRITICAL THINKING TO IMPROVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING SKILLS

Michael Kallet

 

 

Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business and professional world, and sharpening your ability can have profound effects throughout all facets of life.

Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.

 

It is is a comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. 

 

Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs.

 

Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors.

Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem-solving, and creative innovation.

 

Kallet gives 3 main steps for solving problems and making a decision:

 

• Clarity

• Conclusions

• Decision

 

Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice.

Features include:

• A comprehensive critical thinking framework

• Over twenty-five “tools” to help you think more critically

• Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities

• Examples of the real-world use of each tool

Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and what mistakes to avoid. 

 

Recognize assumptions you can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. 

 

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9.SWITCH : HOW TO CHANGE THINGS WHEN CHANGE IS HARD 

 

Chip Heath and Dan Heath

 

 

Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and our own lives?

 

The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath. 

 

Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. 

 

The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie.

The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. 

 

This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly.

 

In Switch, the Heath shows how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results: 

 

• The lowly medical interns who managed to defeat an entrenched, decades-old medical practice that was endangering patients.

• The home-organizing guru who developed a simple technique for overcoming the dread of housekeeping.

• The manager who transformed a lackadaisical customer-support team into service zealots by removing a standard tool of customer service

            

 The purpose of this book is to teach how to use your internal “switch” and learn when to use each type of mind. 

 

So that you can have full control over when you decide to use the emotional side and the rational side. 

 

These factors will allow you to make decisions more concisely and therefore have a smarter mentality when it comes to problem-solving.

 

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10.THE SCOUT MINDSET: WHY SOME PEOPLE SEE THINGS AND OTHERS DON’T 

 

Julia Galef

 

 

 “Discovering you were wrong is an update, not a failure, and your worldview is a living document meant to be revised.”

 

Julia Galef encourages readers to act more like scouts than soldiers and gathers information without judging to make more informed decisions.

 

When it comes to what we believe, humans see what they want to see. In other words, we have what Julia Galef calls a “soldier” mindset.

From tribalism and wishful thinking to rationalizing in our personal lives and everything in between, we are driven to defend the ideas we most want to believe – and shoot down those we don’t. 

 

If we want to get things right more often, argues Galef, we should train ourselves to have a “scout” mindset. 

 

Unlike the soldier, a scout’s goal isn’t to defend one side over the other.

It’s to go out, survey the territory, and come back with as accurate a map as possible. Regardless of what they hope to be the case, above all, the scout wants to know what’s true.

 

In The Scout Mindset, Galef shows that what makes scouts better at getting things right isn’t that they’re smarter or more knowledgeable than everyone else.

It’s a handful of emotional skills, habits, and ways of looking at the world – that anyone can learn.

 

 With fascinating examples ranging from how to survive being stranded in the middle of the ocean, to how Jeff Bezos avoids overconfidence, to how super forecasters outperform CIA operatives, to Reddit threads and modern partisan politics, Galef explores why our brains deceive us and what we can do to change the way we think.

 

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11.WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM: TO SOLVE YOUR TOUGHEST PROBELEMS,CHANGE THE PROBLEMS YOU SOLVE 

 

Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg

 

Peter Drucker pointed out, there’s nothing more dangerous than the right answer to the wrong question.

 

We often start solving a problem before thinking deeply about whether we are solving the right problem.

 

In this book, the author insists that the most important step in the problem-solving process is to pick the correct problem. 

 

More often we pick the wrong points to focus on which only leads to more frustration and wasted efforts. 

 

This book teaches us to reframe and approach issues from a different perspective. 

 

The author provides a repeatable three-step framework “Frame, Reframe, and Move Forward” to ensure that professionals and leaders prioritize effectively and stay on track to achieve desired results.

 

 He teaches professionals of all levels how to be more flexible, more results-focused, and adopt a more agile approach to fixing issues. Learn how to reframe, and growth and success will follow.

 

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12.THE ART OF THINKING CLEARLY 

 

 Rolf Dobelli

 

 

The Art of Thinking Clearly by world-class thinker and entrepreneur Rolf Dobelli is an eye-opening look at human psychology and reasoning — essential reading for anyone who wants to avoid “cognitive errors” and make better choices in all aspects of their lives.

 

Have you ever:

Invested time in something that, with hindsight, just wasn’t worth it?

Or continued doing something you knew was bad for you?

 

These are examples of cognitive biases, simple errors we all make in our day-to-day thinking.

But by knowing what they are and how to spot them, we can avoid them and make better decisions.

 

Simple, clear, and always surprising, this indispensable book will change the way you think and transform your decision-making—at work, at home, every day. 

 

It reveals, in 99 short chapters, the most common errors of judgment, and how to avoid them.

We can solve problems only when our mind is organized.

 

 It is the first place to get started when we are capable of thinking clearly, and the solutions come to us as well. 

 

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13.CRACKED IT! HOW TO SOLVE BIG PROBLEMS AND SELL SOLUTIONS LIKE TOP STRATEGY CONSULTANTS 

 

 Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps, and Olivier Sibony

 

 

Solving complex problems and selling their solutions is critical for personal and organizational success. 

 

For most of us, however, it doesn’t come naturally and we haven’t been taught how to do it well. When we communicate our recommendations, we forget our reasoning isn’t obvious to our audience.

 

In Cracked It!, seasoned strategy professors and consultants Bernard Garrette, Corey Phelps, and Olivier Sibony present a rigorous and practical four-step approach State – Structure – Solve – Sell– to tackle obstacles and get support from stakeholders.

 

Using compelling stories and detailed case examples, the authors guide readers through each step in the process: from how to state, structure, and then solve problems to how to sell the solutions.

 

Unlike other problem-solving books, this guide demonstrates how to gain approval for ideas and get others on board with the solution apart from focusing on how to think through issues.

 

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14.BULLET PROOF PROBLEM SOLVING:THE ONE SKILL THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING  

 

 Charles Conn and Robert McLean

 

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.

 

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 distill the problem-solving process into seven simple steps–define the problem, disaggregate, prioritize, work plan, analyze, synthesize, and communicate– and give numerous examples of how to follow this cycle with different dilemmas. 

 

The chapters explore each stage in depth and outline the importance and finer points of each phase. 

 

The book contains practical tools for readers to build skills, including an appendix with exercise worksheets.

 

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.

 

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 parts of even the most complex problems

• Build team brainstorming techniques that fight cognitive bias, streamline work planning, 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.

 

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CONCLUSION

 

I believe that you have found the books helpful. Which book has appealed to you the most?

Which one are you considering adding to your library right now?

Share your thoughts below.

Babita Sharma 

Leadership Coach 

www.leadwithpassion.co.in

 

P.S-Please share the post and help someone today !