The Art of Problem Solving: Accompanied by Ackoff's Fables

by Russell L. Ackoff

Book Overview

"A witty, literate and, most of all, convincing reflection...[Ackoff] shines an often bright light into corners where problems hide, showing the manager how to understand the consequences of his own behavi identify real, rather than supposed, elements of problems; perceive another's aims; determine what is controllab and deal with other nettlesome factors." -Inc. The Art of Problem Solving Russ Ackoff-author, consultant, and teacher extraordinaire...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471042897
• ISBN13: 9780471042891
• Release Date: January 1978
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Length: 214 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Interesting and useful

A good balance of short, easily-digested messages and more in-depth studies that require careful attention. The many short fables are described (on page 120) as making "the creative part of problem solving look either too easy or too mysterious. Creativity is not just a flashing insight. Such insights are nurtured in soil prepared by hard and time-consuming work". This is a lead-in to the remaining 80-odd pages of more-realistic detailed examples. I bought this book while doing the hard work of successfully solving engineering problems at a major corporation. The book helped me to broaden my outlook. I weeded my problem-solving library when I left engineering. This was one of two such books I kept -- the other was Are Your Lights On? by Gause and Weinberg, ISBN: 0932633161. I wrote this review because I wanted people to know that I found Ackoff's book as useful as Are Your Lights On?