Business Problem Solving

Ask better questions, and you will get better results. Top business coach Mark Moses has identified four critical questions every business leader should explore on their journey to business and life success.

People who are trying to solve tough economic, social, or environmental problems often find themselves frustratingly stuck. They cannot solve their problems in their current context; the larger system within which they are operating is too unstable or unfair or unsustainable. They cannot transform this system on their own or by working only with their friends or colleagues; the system is too complex to be grasped or shifted by any one person or organization or sector.

As complexities, ambiguity, and disintegration have increased across organizations in the “age of digital transformation” and continuous innovation, Dr. Ichak Adizes’ Mastering Change is an oasis of systematic approaches to turn problems into opportunities for growth and elevate your ability to manage change as effectively as possible. Make better decisions, and implement more efficiently, as Dr. Adizes’ models for change management will adeptly bring you into tighter alignment with the keys to harnessing your organization’s true potential.

Radical uncertainty changes the way we should think about decision-making. For over half a century economics has assumed that people behave rationally by optimizing among well-defined choices. Behavioral economics questioned how far people are rational, pointing to the cognitive biases that seem to describe actual behavior.

Organizational leaders and managers often find themselves in complex predicaments, where the stakes are high and clear answers are elusive. With Radical Doubt's comprehensive framework and multi-faceted toolkit, you'll learn how to tackle complex problems, treat your intuition as a hypothesis, generate multiple scenarios, craft flexible plans, and embrace doubt as a catalyst for growth.

Today's business environment brings with it an onslaught of data. Now more than ever, managers must know how to tease insight from data—to understand where the numbers come from, make sense of them, and use them to inform tough decisions. How do you get started? Whether you're working with data experts or running your own tests, you'll find answers in the HBR Guide to Data Analytics Basics for Managers. This book describes three key steps in the data analysis process, so you can get the information you need, study the data, and communicate your findings to others.

En un impresionante alarde de síntesis, Francisco Alcaide ha reunido en este tercer volumen cuatrocientas reflexiones cuidadosamente seleccionadas de reconocidas personalidades de ámbitos y disciplinas diferentes a los de los dos anteriores, analizadas por el mismo autor con profundidad y rigor para darles sentido y coherencia. Reflexiones que nos inspirarán y nos empujarán a luchar por nuestros objetivos y retos. Porque, al fin y al cabo, el éxito no es otra cosa que aprendizaje.

The Theory of Constraints (TOC) has been successfully applied in almost every area of human endeavor. And while Eli Goldratt is indeed a scientist, an educator and a business leader, he is first and foremost a philosopher. He is a thinker who provokes others to do the same. Dr. Goldratt exhorts his readers to examine and reassess their lives and business practices by cultivating a different perspective. In his latest book, The Choice, Goldratt once again presents his thought provoking approach.

Nearly all of today’s major innovation workshops and programs call on organizations to drive innovation. What they miss is that innovation comes from the personal creativity of individuals. And creativity doesn’t require an advanced education or technical skills. All employees can be creative. Often, all they lack is a fitting mindset and the right skills.

Mental models help you filter information in a way that allows you to see things more clearly and make better decisions. Mental models are also a shortcut to finding the quickest and best route to solve your work-related or personal problems. This book bundle includes Mental Models in a Nutshell: Practical Thinking Frameworks to Amplify Your Decision-Making and Simplify Your Life and Mental Models at Work: The 16 Most Valuable Thinking Tools for Effective Work Performance.

Are you stuck in a rut, unable to create meaningful change in your life or organization? The Art of Change is the solution you've been searching for. Written by Jeff and Staney DeGraff, founders of the consulting firm Innovatrium, this book provides a masterclass in sustainable transformation.

In Purposeful Performance, business-strategy consultant and coach Jonathan Stanley gives business owners the key to developing a sense of purpose and meaning within and beyond their organization. Jonathan distills decades of experience as a business owner and CEO into a powerful framework that simplifies strategic planning into just eight slides.

There is an old saying about problems that you may have heard before, "There are no problems, only opportunities." To this simple-minded approach, Bill Gibson says, "Hogwash." Problems do exist. And you need to prepare for them and understand them before you can overcome them. Even the great problem solvers can't make problems go away, but they often find opportunities linked to them.

For decades, alarms have sounded about declining engagement. Yet companies continue to struggle with toxic cultures, and the low productivity and unhappiness that go with them. Why is "culture" so difficult to improve? What makes so many good employees check out? Neuroscientist Paul Zak shows that innate brain functions hold the answers. It all boils down to trust. When someone shows you trust, a feel-good jolt of oxytocin surges through your brain and triggers you to reciprocate.

The pressure to generate big ideas can feel overwhelming. We know that bold innovations are critical in these disruptive and competitive times, but when it comes to breakthrough thinking, we often freeze up. Instead of shooting for a $10-billion payday or a Nobel Prize, the most prolific innovators focus on Big Little Breakthroughs - small creative acts that unlock massive rewards over time. By cultivating daily micro-innovations, individuals and organizations are better equipped to tackle tough challenges and seize transformational opportunities.

In a world filled with bad news, renowned author and creativity expert Nir Bashan offers some good news: Each problem we cause ourselves as humans, we can also solve as humans by looking at the world with curiosity. In The Solution Mindset, Bashan provides you with the tools you need to unlock your creative potential, both at work and in your personal life. This compelling book helps you overcome complex challenges by showing you exactly how to tap into your innate creativity.

In Critical Thinking: Think Smarter, you’ll discover proven techniques and strategies to sharpen your analytical thinking, strengthen your problem-solving skills, identify logical fallacies, and improve communication.

IDEO, the widely admired, award-winning design and development firm that brought the world the Apple mouse, Polaroid's I-Zone instant camera, the Palm V, and hundreds of other cutting-edge products and services, reveals its secrets for fostering a culture and process of continuous innovation.

Someday, somebody somewhere is going to try to scam you. It could be someone online. It could be a person in your workplace. It could be a friend. It could be your partner. There are a myriad of ways in which people will try to get you to buy the lies. In the second book in the Why Smart Women series, we rejoin Kat who’s in a relationship with a lovely, decent man, she’s enjoying her well-paid job and she has adopted a large groodle. Things are looking up!

Much of our business thinking is shaped by delusions that distort our understanding of the real reasons for a company's performance. The most pervasive delusion is the Halo Effect. When a company's sales and profits are up, people often conclude that it has a brilliant strategy, a visionary leader, capable employees, and a superb corporate culture. When performance falters, they conclude the opposite. In fact, little may have changed.