I recently received an advance copy of Ken Watanabe's Problem Solving 101 (Thanks Maureen Cole of Portfolio/Penguin!).  It is a powerful, yet simple to digest, "textbook" on the basics of problem solving.  At only 110 pages, the book packs a potent educational punch in a small package.  I read through the book in one sitting and found myself bending over quite a few page corners! 

Let me just start out by saying that this book should be required reading for every corporate employee on his/her first day on the job!  As a project/innovation manager, many of the frustrations that arise surrounding "issues" and "risks" and "schedule slip" would be eliminated if people knew how to properly solve problems.

Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese school children.  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.

The book explores, in unbelievably easy to understand and example-rich format, the four main stages of problem solving:

1. Understanding that a problem exists
2. Identifying root cause
3. Developing an action plan
4. Execution of the action plan

Additionally, the book uses many specific tools to acheive successful problem solving:

• Logic and Yes/No Trees
• Hypothesis
• Goal Setting
• Criteria Evaluation
• Decision Making

For those of us in the organizational creativity/innovation management field, it is a fantastic refresher course.  More importantly, it is a key tool to leverage in the education of others toward achieving our problem solving ends.  Grab a copy today!