Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving

Whether you are a student or a working professional, you can benefit from being better at solving the complex problems that come up in your life. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving provides a general framework and the necessary tools to help you do so. Based on his groundbreaking course at Rice University, engineer and former strategy consultant Arnaud Chevallier provides practical ways to develop problem solving skills, such as investigating complex questions with issue maps, using logic to promote creativity, leveraging analogical thinking to approach unfamiliar problems, and managing diverse groups to foster innovation. This book breaks down the resolution process into four steps: 1) frame the problem (identifying what needs to be done), 2) diagnose it (identifying why there is a problem, or why it hasn't been solved yet), 3) identify and select potential solutions (identifying how to solve the problem), and 4) implement and monitor the solution (resolving the problem, the 'do'). For each of these four steps - the what, why, how, and do - this book explains techniques that promotes success and demonstrates how to apply them on a case study and in additional examples. The featured case study guides you through the resolution process, illustrates how these concepts apply, and creates a concrete image to facilitate recollection. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving is a tool kit that integrates knowledge based on both theoretical and empirical evidence from many disciplines, and explains it in accessible terms. As the book guides you through the various stages of solving complex problems, it also provides useful templates so that you can easily apply these approaches to your own personal projects. With this book, you don't just learn about problem solving, but how to actually do it.

About the Author :
Arnaud Chevallier is a professor of strategy at IMD Business School. He researches tools to help people solve complex, ill-defined problems. He is particularly interested in common denominators: the knowledge and skills that, irrespective of disciplines, can benefit people confronted with a challenging problem.

Review :
"A few years ago, I began developing a new MBA course and scoured cyberspace looking for seminal works related to the topic. What I found was a void between academic treatises on the scientific method and popular business books promising to reveal the secrets of blue-chip consulting firms. Nothing hit my target until I discovered Professor Chevallier who clearly had a passion for the topic. He hit an insightful 'sweet spot, ' combining the conceptual rigor of an academician with the practical perspective of a former consultant. I have adopted many of Professor Chevallier's ideas and methods, embedding them into my course and into my personal problem-solving toolkit." --Ken Homa, Distinguished Teaching Professor, McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University "Although there are already excellent books on decision-making, this book addresses problem solving in a very pragmatic approach. Dr. Chevallier carefully reviews the current literature in problem solving and decision-making, and provides evidence-based practical solutions to complex problems. The techniques and tips provided can be used in a broad variety of settings, and will be useful to academics as well as professionals interested in complex problem solving." --Fran�ois Modave, Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics and Director of the mHealth Lab, Department of Health Outcomes & Policy, College of Medicine, University of Florida "By now it is evident that the result of all this is a compendium of techniques, supported by theoretical considerations and empirical evidence, presented in a form of concrete examples and detailed applications, accompanied by many tips and often good advice about how to proceed with solving problems on different complexity levels. The book is based on a course given at Rice University and is undoubtedly an excellent book for students. As noted, it is an orderly, clearly written text; is systematic, highly informative, simple, and relevant; has attached references on the page on which they are mentioned; and has notes following each chapter. These same properties turn the book into a resource that I highly recommend for personal and organizational applications." -- PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 62, No. 13