Why Not?: How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small

by Barry Nalebuff, Ian Ayres, Barry J. Nalebuff

Book Overview

Why Not? is a primer for fresh thinking, for problem-solving with a purpose, for bringing the world a few steps closer to the way it should be. Idealistic? Yes. Unrealistic? According to Why Not? authors Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres, no. Illustrated with examples from every aspect of life, Why Not? offers techniques which will help you take the things we all see, every day, and think about them in a new way. Great ideas are waiting. Why not be the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1422104346
• ISBN13: 9781422104347
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The "right" way to eat a banana --- and so much more

All these years, you've been eating bananas the wrong way. The part you think is the top? Wrong. It's the bottom. You doubt that? Look at any picture of a monkey eating a banana. He holds what you think is the top in his fist, where it becomes a serviceable handle. Then he peels the top --- what you think of as the bottom --- and happily munches away. For that matter, when you eat ice cream, how do you put the spoon in your mouth? Right side up, I'll bet. Tasty? You may think so. But would you change your mind --- and your eating habits --- if you knew your taste buds were all on your tongue? Let's consider car theft. You may think you have thwarted criminals by putting a Club on your steering wheel. And you have --- for your car. At the same time, however, you have sent the car thief down the block looking for another victim. But if you had installed a Lojack, the would-be thief wouldn't have known your car was protected. Yes, he might have stolen it. But the odds are very good that he would have been caught --- and sent away where he couldn't steal any more cars. Which is why Massachusetts decreed that cars with Lojacks get a 25% discount on insurance. And why auto theft in Boston dropped 50%. brilliant ideas? Yes. But not, say Yale professors Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres, beyond your reach. Innovation, they argue, can be taught. You just need an open mind, a decent imagination and a willingness to challenge received wisdom. Like Bette Nesmith (yes, mother of the leader of The Monkees). She wondered why artists could paint over their mistakes but typists couldn't. The result: White-Out. The later result: Gillette bought her company for $48 million. Or like Wayne Gretsky, the first hockey player to take the puck behind the opponent's goal. That created a blind spot, which he could use to pass or score. In the pages of this book, you'll find one great idea after another. How about organ donation? Like many good Samaritans, you want your parts given to others upon your death. The problem is you haven't signed your driver's license or any other form to give doctors permission to mine your body. Result: in 2001, there were only 6,081 organ donations in the United States. But what if you flipped the process? What if, instead of opting in, you'd have to opt out of organ donation? Then we'd be like Sweden: 600,000 potential donors. "Why Not?" is full of great ideas. Some have become reality; others remain on the drawing boards. (One of the best chapters, even if it's sort of a commercial, takes you through the invention and launch of Honest Tea, a very welcome low-sugar health drink that will someday make its co-owner, Barry Nalebuff, extremely rich.) But even better than the stories and the little jokes is the mental process that the authors suggest. They show you why it's good to ask, "What would Croesus do?" --- that is, how would you approach a problem if money were no object. They take you through a process of assessment and analysis, so y

Definitely Recommend

I have a huge interest in creativity and have read many books on the subject. What I liked most about the book was its pragmatic approach to creativity/problem-solving. Rather than going through dozens of techniques and suggestions to inspire breakthrough solutions, it breaks the process down into two parts: Finding solutions and Applying existing solutions; and four techniques. While there is definitely a need for truly original ideas and solutions, there is also value in building on existing ideas. Many books on entrepreneurship preach this method for generating business ideas. This book does a good job on telling you how to do that.In addition, the writing style of the authors make it a fast and enjoyable read.As for negatives, I thought the discussion on "Why can't you feel my pain?" could have been explained better and the placement of some exercises disrupted the flow of the book.Keep in mind that the focus of the book is presenting a way to look at problems and solutions. While there are suggestions and examples, I would not consider this a step by step guide to creativity.Overall, a very good book worth reading.

Excellent book on creativity

Over the years I have developed a library of books on thinking. This book is a welcome addition on creativity and will empower you to find new solutions, particularly in the corporate and government arenas. I also recommend Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono (author of over 40 excellent books on creativity including Lateral Thinking) and Optimal Thinking--How to Be Your Best Self by Rosalene Glickman Ph.D. (to discover the successor to positive thinking, and how to use it consistently to optimize creativity and every situation).

Read this book - change the world.

I've often been considered a creative type fella' - a good problem solver. Lately though, my brain has been full of cob webs and dust bunnies - creative thought was almost impossible. That all changed a few weeks ago, when I began reading this book - it re-energized my thinking and removed the barriers that were impeding my creative flow. After reading the book, one particular thought began repeating itself inside my head: "Sowing seed into the collective consciousness". I truly believe in the concept of sowing and reaping - that everything we do should not be money motivated. That is what this book teaches - that not every good idea should be kept inside of our heads, simply because we do not have the money or resources to do anything with that idea. Why be selfish? Why not share our ideas with others - others who may be able to utilize that idea or variations of it to solve critical issues in their lives - personally and professionally? Another aspect of this book is to teach concrete easy to learn problem-solving techniques. No fancy terminology, no vague concepts - no empty marketing "fluff" that has been generated to fill the pages of a book. These techniques can be utilized by everyone - from the blue collar worker, to the homemaker, to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.The authors of this book don't leave their readers empty handed either. They have created a Web site (www.whynot.net), where their concepts and techniques can be put right into practice. In fact, at this very moment - a small town in New Mexico is about to utilize that Web site to begin making dramatic changes to their community. This book is a "must read" - I suggest that it be purchased and read prior to the new year - use it's teachings as a catalyst for making major positive changes in your life in 2004.

Why Not? Why It is Great!

This is an excellent book on creative thinking. It shows you how it does not take a rocket scientist to be a creative genius. The authors demonstrate several creative thinking strategies that work very well. They indicate that most great ideas come from two basic thinking strategies, including problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems. The first strategy (problems in search of solutions) leads to the development of many new incremental products and services. They are not so new in their concept, but they represent a different twist on existing concepts. The second strategy (solutions in search of problems) leads to totally brand new technological and innovative breakthroughs. Both strategies add tremendous value to our society, to commerce, and represents incremental hundred of $billion in national economic wealth.The authors illustrate their creative concepts by many examples taken from the business world, and how corporations have introduced really innovative and successful products worldwide. Examples include many creative financial services and product concepts. So, if you work for a bank or a financial service company, you may find a lot of food for thoughts here. But, examples are also taken from many different industries. So, regardless of where you work, this book will have practical applications for you.I work in a small think tank of one of the major financial institutions on the West Coast. Parts of my yearly MBOs entail coming up with new financial product structures for my employer. I was a bit in a creative thinking rut. Just by reading this book, following the strategies suggested by the authors, I came up with a couple of very interesting product concepts that I can?t wait to present to my management. This book is really fun, and it will enhance both your creativity and your career.