Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People

by Ken Watanabe

The fun and simple problem-solving guide that took Japan by storm

Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese schoolchildren. 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.

He was amazed to discover that adults were hungry for his fun and easy guide to problem solving and decision making. The book became a surprise Japanese bestseller, with more than 370,000 in print after six months. Now American businesspeople can also use it to master some powerful skills.

Watanabe uses sample scenarios to illustrate his techniques, which include logic trees and matrixes. A rock band figures out how to drive up concert attendance. An aspiring animator budgets for a new computer purchase. Students decide which high school they will attend.

Illustrated with diagrams and quirky drawings, the book is simple enough for a middleschooler to understand but sophisticated enough for business leaders to apply to their most challenging problems.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business, Psychology, Personal Development, Productivity, Education

111 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2007

About the author

Ken Watanabe grew up bilingual in Japan and studied in the United States at Yale and Harvard Business School. He was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company for six years. He is now the founder and CEO of his own education, entertainment, and media company, Delta Studio.

Reviews

[Rizky Januar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about how to solve problems in our daily lives. The contents are quite simple, short, and well presented.
You'll find this book interesting because we always face problems everyday and we have to overcome them. After reading it, you'll think that you are already using the methods presented in the book. But, you may be using them unconsciously and in unstructured ways. This book explains these problem solving methods with three interesting case studies. In each case study, you'll find several methods or tools used to solve the problems. These tools formalize your ways of solving problems, so that you can solve problems in more structured ways and produce good solutions.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read in English but this review is in Bahasa Indonesia

Problem solving isn't a talent limited to the lucky few. It's actually a skill and a habit that you can learn.

Suatu ketika melalui obrolan di telepon, aku bertanya pada ayah tentang kemampuan memecahkan masalah alias problem solving. Waktu itu aku menanyakan apakah mereka yang lulus dari bangku kuliah dan menyandang gelar sarjana sebenarnya sudah memiliki kapasitas untuk menyelesaikan masalah atau belum. Sebab, dari lingkaran yang pernah aku geluti, menjadi seseorang yang "problem solver" ternyata adalah langka. Mereka yang "problem solver" ini yang sebenarnya dicari di banyak sektor tapi jumlahnya terbatas. Kata ayah ketika itu, tidak semua manusia menyadari kalau kemampuan memecahkan masalah adalah kemampuan yang penting. Aku pun heran, kok bisa ya?

Ken Watanabe membuka buku ini dengan sebuah penjelasan. Ia bercerita kalau buku ini semula disusun untuk mengenalkan konsep "problem solving" kepada anak-anak. Maka ia merangkainya dengan cara yang sederhana, dengan contoh yang dekat dengan targetnya. Ternyata hasilnya malah di luar dugaan. Orang dewasa pun menyukai apa yang ditulis oleh Watanabe dalam Problem Solving 101.

Pertanyaanku kepada ayah dijawab oleh Watanabe. Sejak awal bab, ia memberikan perandaian tipe-tipe manusia. Ada yang hanya mengeluh, yang hobi mengkritik, yang cuma berkhayal, dan yang langsung eksekusi. Orang-orang seperti itu sangat banyak berada di lingkungan kita. Jangankan yang sudah bekerja, di kalangan teman-teman yang masih ada di bangku kuliah sepertinya sudah pada kenal dengan tipe demikian. Tentu saja menjadi orang-orang tersebut tidak membawa kita kemana-mana. Semuanya punya kelemahan dan malah menghambat kita untuk mencapai tujuan. Maka dari itu, Watanabe mengatakan bahwa individu memang sebaiknya menjadi seseorang yang "problem solver" minimal untuk masalah yang akan dia hadapi nantinya.

Problem solving is a combination of thinking and acting. Just doing one or the other won't get you anywhere.

Buku ini singkat. Hanya terdiri dari 4 bab. Seperti yang sudah disebutkan, karena buku ini awalnya untuk anak-anak, jangan heran kalau bahasanya mudah dipahami oleh kita yang orang dewasa. Yang ditulisnya pun juga konsep yang sangat mendasar. Mungkin, untuk pembaca yang masih kesulitan untuk memecahkan masalah (atau isi kepalanya terlalu ruwet), membaca Problem Solving 101 bisa membantu menguraikan masalah.

Watanabe juga tidak sekadar bernarasi. Ia juga menyajikan tools yang bisa diaplikasikan. Misalnya saja mengenalkan Logic Tree dan Pro and Cons Table. Menuliskannya lebih baik daripada hanya membiarkannya berada di dalam kepala dan itulah yang Watanabe minta kepada para pembaca yang sedang bingung menyelesaikan masalah. Toh dua cara yang dikenalkan olehnya juga mudah untuk diimitasi oleh pembaca.

Buku ini sangat bisa dihabiskan dalam sekali duduk. Tidak rugi untuk menyempatkan waktu membacanya.

[Mehmet]

Bu küçük ama etkili kitap çocuklar için yazılmışsa da herkesin bu kitaptan öğrenecek şeyi var. Kitap problemlerle nasıl başa çıkılacağına yönelik kısa, basit ama akılda kalıcı yöntemler öneriyor.

Kitabın en önemli üç mesajından ilki önce problemin tanınmasının gerektiğine yönelik. Problemi anlamak, çözmek için en önemli adım belki de. İkinci mesaj ise sistematik düşünmenin ve bir "yöntem" sahibi olmaya dair. Üçüncü mesajı ise acele karar vermemeye, yeterince bilgiye sahip olmadan karar almamanın gerekliliğini vurguluyor.

Japon düşüncesi, insana hep disiplini, çalışkanlığı hatırlatır. Bir Japon'un Japon çocukları için yazdığı bu kitap, bu disiplin ve çalışkanlığın ardında yatan sistematik düşüncenin çocuklar için özetlenmiş hali. En büyük eksiğimize bir çözüm de sunuyor: sabırsızız. Çabuk, düşünmeden karar veriyoruz. Sonuçlarını hesaba katmıyoruz aldığımız kararların.

Tübitak'ın güzel ve bilimsel kitaplar bastığı günlerin nostaljisini hissettim. Güne bu küçük ama etkili kitapla veda ediyorum.

Geceniz güzel olsun!
M.B.

[Ladan · Rating 4 out of 5]

No wonder Japan is such a leading country in many fields! A wise investment in school kids would guarantee them with a bright future, and that's exactly what this book is aiming at. The strategies offered by Watanabe may seem quite simple and familiar and one may not consider them as fruitful, yet one should put them into practice to realize their effectiveness. Through three case studies presented in order to illuminate the decision-making process, the Eisenhower matrix is utilized which is a really effective tool to manage your tasks. I always use this matrix to prioritize my works and to my surprise, the final upshot is totally different from what I mostly expected to be the priority. I highly recommend this book to parents, teenagers, and anyone who lacks the skill of problem-solving.
P. S: if reading the first case study feels tedious, don't be fooled just skip it, I promise the second and especially the third one are quite promising.
اینکه ژاپن کشوری سرآمد در بسیاری از زمینه ها شده جای تعجب نداره. سرمایه گذاری هوشمندانه بر روی بچه های مدرسه ای ضامن آینده ای روشن برای این کشور هست و این کتاب دقیقا در این راستا نوشته شده. راهکارهای پیشنهادی توسط نویسنده ممکنه براتون آشنا و ساده به نظر برسند و چندان موثر به نظر نیان، اما برای دیدن تاثیرشون کافیه ازشون استفاده کنید. حین توضیح سه تا مثالی که برای روشن کردن فرآیند تصمیم گیری ارائه شدن از ماتریس آیزنهاور استفاده شده که برای مدیریت بسیاری از کارها ابزاری کارآمد هست. من همیشه از این ماتریس برای اولویت بندی کارهام استفاده می کنم و در کمال تعجب نتیجه ی نهایی با چیزی که تو ذهنم قرار بود اولویت باشه فرق داره. کتاب رو به والدین و خصوصا نوجوان ها و هرکسی که در فرآیند حل مسئله مشکل داره قویا توصیه میکنم.
پ. ن: اگر مثال اول حوصله تون رو سر برد ازش رد شید و برین سراغ مثال دوم و به خصوص مثال آخر، چون واقعا کاربردی هستن.

[Miri Gifford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did I attend too many of those youth leadership seminars as a teenager? Because this book didn't seem to contain any information I hadn't heard before. They're all good ideas, just nothing new to me, and new is what I was hoping for.

[Sadra · Rating 4 out of 5]

عنوان فارسی:آشنایی با روش مسئله گشایی
ترجمه:منیژه مدبّر
نشر اختران
یکی از بهترین کتاب های ترجمه شده و منبعی مناسب برای مربیان و والدین در باب آموزش تفکر انتقادی برای کودکان و نوجوانان

[Alanoud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing Amazing AMAZING !

Simply an utter brilliance !

Problem-Solving 101 is a must-read book written by a Japanese author. Ken Watanabe used to work as a business consultant at Mckinsey & Company, but then he shifted to the education field, specifically that of children. The book was written for kids but it turned to be an international bestseller especially for business!

The book is pretty cool, funny, simple and brilliant. It teaches you how to use problem-solving approach in everyday life. It contains lots of grids and charts as it illustrates the problem-solving tools given, lol not to mention the funny-looking characters scattered throughout the book. Also, it contains 3 interesting case studies.

As a matter of fact, I was taught all of those problem-solving techniques, in college, mainly to solve case studies and so. However, it never came to my mind that such techniques can be used when you wanna buy a new camera, for example, or decide to which school you wanna move to!

Truth be told, many stuff may sound common sense at the first glance and you may think “I don’t need to read that”. But belieeeeeeeeeeeve me it’s soooo WORTH reading. I can assure you that, along the way, you’ll find yourself learning new valuable things.

I don’t care if this book was written purposely for kids or even newborns; I’m definitely making everyone around me reading it :D !

B R I L L I A N T <3

[mayday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Watanabe originally wrote Problem Solving 101 for Japanese schoolchildren .

I can imagine Izuku Midoriya's notebooks are like this. So determined and simple.

I mean, can you really teach children Indonesian at that to write something down and DO THE MATH to achieve their goals?? I just can't imagine that. The adults barely make this kind of problem solving. I am probably just projecting since I administrate my office's management risk and the higher ups basically don't care about all those note I make for it. Yeah, sucks, I know.

[Thi Nguyên (Thảo Điền) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Người Thông Minh Giải Quyết Vấn Đề Như Thế Nào? - Ken Watanabe (2007)
Sài Gòn, 07/01/2017 ; ®Mỹ
Đánh giá: 7/10 điểm

Người thông minh review sách như thế nào?
Giật tít ghê hông :3

Một cuốn sách bé xíu xiu, chỉ dài vỏn vẹn 150 trang nhưng mà mình mất ... gần cả năm để đọc xong, gồm 1 ngày hồi tháng 3 năm ngoái và 1 ngày hôm nay, hì.
Tới tận gần đây mới mới hiểu được bản chất và cách đọc các loại sách khác nhau, mà mình phân ra đơn giản là fiction và nonfiction. Fiction thì mình đọc khá chậm, không đọc lướt và ngẫm nghĩ nhiều, và có thể đọc bất cứ lúc nào cũng được. Còn nonfiction thì hơi khó ở tí, mình nghĩ chỉ nên đọc khi nào thấy cần mà thôi, bởi vì nó viết ra cho chúng ta áp dụng nếu đúng mà, chứ không phải cho mấy bạn đếm sách đâu.

Cuốn này cũng vậy, dù mình đọc khá nhanh, nhưng vẫn hiểu được nội dung truyền tải của nó. Nhưng phải công nhận một điều đa số sách nonfiction viết văn dỡ thiệt, kiểu thêm chữ cho dày cuốn sách vậy. Mà thôi kệ, chúng ta phải biết nhặt vàng từ trong bãi cát chứ nhỉ.
Hình như cuốn này mình được một anh giai giỏi giỏi giới thiệu, nên cũng muốn đọc thử nó ra sao, và nó hay quá nên mình phải mất 1 năm để đọc cơ đấy, hì. Và dù đọc xong, nhưng khi nào cần giải quyết một vấn đề gì đó, mình cũng sẽ lấy nó ra xem lại để thực hành.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a remarkably clever book! Quite simply this book promotes the learning of problem solving skills through detailed examples and easy to follow instructions. This has diagrams to help emphasize the techniques Ken is trying to teach. It's a fun book. I love how it completely thorough it is. It takes the steps that normal common sense has and expands it to a system that gets much better results.

[Farah Fitria Sari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for workers, not just in the consulting area like Watanabe's, but also in other kinds. In fact, the method he wrote is the one used widely in manufacturing (where I currently work), the quality mindset using PDCA and QC 7 tools is basically what he was intending to teach kids here. With this book I know that critical thinking is highly used and is in fact the core in today's work settings. I wish I had read this when I was younger.

[Santiago Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I ever tag with as [business] and [kids]! (…and [data]) It's actually a sort of pre-introduction to data science.

[Hosein jozi · Rating 5 out of 5]

کتابی که برای مدارس ژاپن به ژاپنی فکر کنم نوشته شده و بعد ترجمه شده به انگلیسی ولی همه آدم های اکوسیستم ژاپن و دنیا می خوننش
عالیه کتاب و ساده و جمع و جور.

[Dakshesh Thacker · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teacher, I undertook a lot of research to try and build critical thinking and problem solving, two essential 21st century skills, in the students whom I taught Mathematics for two years. As a consultant I have been seeking a 101 on problem solving which strips some of the common tools to the bare fundamentals and brings in an almost expository perspective to the tools.
Reading this book has proved to be the marriage of both the requirements. Watanbe is a former McKinsey consultant who has probably used these analytical tools on live cases. The real differentiator of this book lies in the lucid examples Watanbe provides targeting an audience probably not older than 12 years of age. The fundamental and near mundane choice of problems or "cases" that are highlighted, reflects a near universality of these tools. Moreover, Watanbe is able to articulate very lucidly the thought process and the actionable steps that fall out from using the tools he has highlighted. This is a key take away from the book especially since more theoretical texts in the past may not be as effective in communicating.
I would have preferred a book with a slightly more rigorous approach probably including one more case to demonstrate each tool's effectiveness. However, this book is still a great and must read for any high and upper middle school teacher and student as well as an incoming analyst working in consulting, analytics or any domain where problem solving is a key skill.
As the world and specifically India moves towards reimagining education for the twenty first century, books such as these and more nuanced ones that follow will be essential for the next generation of students to become the problem solvers of society.

[Maisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a cute little book that is a good size and minces no words. The writing seemed childish at first, but it really isn’t. The “case studies” do an excellent job in demonstrating the solutions proposed. There isn’t exactly new information in here, but it’s nice to read the author walk us through each step and explain the best way to proceed. Funny how much of what he wrote overlapped with the book Grit by Angela Duckworth.

Problem solving tools:
Logic tree
Yes/no tree
Problem-solving design plan
Hypothesis pyramid
Pros and cons
Criteria evaluation

Problem solving:
1) understand the current situation
2)identify the root cause of the problem
3)develop an effective action plan
4)execute until problem is solved - making modifications as necessary
(Page 13)

List as many solutions down as you can. Don’t shoot them down because you think they may be unfeasible or low impact. Even if some ideas sound crazy, they may actually lead to interesting and creative solutions. (Page 46)

Step 1: diagnose the situation and identify the root cause of the problem.
A)list all potential root causes of the problem.
B)develop a hypothesis for likely root cause.
C)determine analyses and information required to test the hypothesis.
D)analyze and identify the root cause.
Step 2: develop the solution.
A)develop a wide variety of solutions to solve the problem.
B)prioritize actions.
C)develop implementation plan.
(Page 26)

You can accomplish more by collaborating with others who have strengths you may lack. Prioritize and then implement. (Page 52)

1)set a clear goal.
2)determine gap between goal and current situation.
3)hypothesis about how to close the gap and achieve the goal.
A)list as many options and ideas as you can.
B)select the best ideas as the hypothesis.
4)check the hypothesis. If disproved, go back to step 3.
A)determine analyses and information required to test the hypothesis.
B) analyze and develop action plan.
(Page 60)

Don’t be ambiguous with your goal. State what you want, when you want it, and how you want it. Be detailed.
Impact = plan effectiveness x quality of education
Once you have a concrete plan, don’t forget to create a concrete schedule.
Monitor your progress and revise as necessary.
It is valuable to challenge your own thinking.
(Page 99)

Just worrying and thinking about these questions won’t me anywhere...
Kiwi didn’t get lucky:
1)she challenged her own preoccupations
2)she proactively took action
3)she had talent for soccer and practiced hard over the years to develop her skills
4)she was charming and kind and others wanted to help her
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
(Page 108)

[Aussie Andry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ada 4 jenis tipe manusia. Yakni : Si Pengeluh, Si Pengkritik, Si Pemimpi, Si Reaksi Cepat, dan Si Pemecah Masalah. Di buku ini terdapat berbagai contoh masalah yang diulas mengenai bagaimana kita memecahkan berdasarkan cara yang tepat. Adalah analisa dan cermati akar penyebabnya. Buku ini memotivasi kita supaya menjadi Si Pemecah Masalah.

[Gene Ishchuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

it might be good for kids, it definitely is, for 5-year-old kiddos, easy examples on decision making and decision trees but... to sell it as a book for SMART PEOPLE is fucking offensive. I would punch their editor in his face myself.
Damn idiot

[Belén Soria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had many friends my age recommend this book to me, and finally decided to read it. Thought it might be insightful, but honestly it didn't say anything I didn't already know.
Maybe this is just a book meant for children.

[Ye Yao · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a case book for children ! Simply, good, not dry and practical. Think let children read it is better

[Amr Hesham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great simple book that teach you how to think about real life problems and find a solution in steps

[Thang · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's quite entertaining and fit well into my current mental model. It takes some hours to read and reflect on the book. Good ROI.

The structure of the book is not cleared and the content is suitable for adult, not kid.

[Ahmad Munjin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Playful yet insightful book. It introduces a systematic framework of thinking for problem solving through stories and simulations that are very close to our daily lives. Despite its entertaining impression, later I found out that the book explains a fundamental method of thinking that's even used to solve complex problems by big corporations.

[Aneesa]

Not to be confused with decision making (tho one "case study" covers this). Also not to be confused with a book for adults.

[Rama Adeyasa]

Hlm. 55: “Manusia memiliki kekuatan yang berbeda-beda. Kamu bisa menyelesaikan lebih banyak hal dengan berkolaborasi dengan orang lain yang meiliki kekuatan yang mungkin tidak kamu miliki.

Membaca buku ini, menguras energy juga! Tapi bukunya bagus. Memberikan kita pencerahan untuk memandang akar suatu masalah –apapun itu—dengan lebih jernih. Nah, apa yang kau pilih:
 Pohon logika. Kalau yang ini masih ingat sih…
 Pohon ya/tidak. Ih, yang mana sih?
 REncana desain pemecahan masalah. Wawawa… Persoalan-hipotesis-alasan-analisis/aktivitas-sumber informasi
 Piramida hipotesis. Yang ini… ga banget juga deh … ^_^
 Kelebihan dan kekurangan, criteria dan evaluasi. HAti-hati dengan apa yang pertama dilihat dan membuat kita terpukau lho!
Fiuh! Atas semua itu, mari dicoba. Yuks! Jadi, mau jadi apa nih?
Nona Pemimpi?
Tuan Reaksi Cepat?
Tuan Pengkritik?
Atau Anak-Anak Pemecah Masalah?
Haha…… -27.10.2011-

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was written for schoolchildren, to solve everyday problems. But I think that the techniques are more for solving problems that are not ordinary and not everyday. And I cannot envision kids being sufficiently intellectually mature and disciplined to sit down and apply these techniques.

For example, the methods all involve charting techniques, such as flowcharts and decision trees, and asking precise questions inside those charts. These are excellent techniques. But do you see pre-high school kids creating these? Ok, maybe they could, but it would take a lot of practice. And most of us apply these techniques in our heads for our everday problems. So to get out paper and truly apply these charting methods for our everyday problems would be too much.

Yes, excellent book with excellent problem solving methods, but methods for your out-of-the-ordinary problems. These methods would take significant time to teach to kids (IMO) and with adult guidance at first.

[Diah Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baguuuus! Meskipun ilustrasinya anak-anak, ga berarti ini buat anak-anak aja. Sangat bisa dipakai untuk orang dewasa, baik untuk penyelesaian masalah sederhana, hingga yang rumit, apapun latar belakang orang tersebut. Penggunaan anak-anak sebagai tokohnya berikut kasus/masalah yg mereka hadapi dilakukan untuk menunjukkan betapa sederhana sebetulnya cara-cara ini. Yang harus kita lakukan hanya berpikir, berencana dan bertindak!
Bagian favorit saya John, yang punya target membeli komputer Apple bekas yg bisa mendukung cita-citanya. Dan saya juga suka bagian terakhirnya Kiwi. Waktu dia beruntung dapet sponsor dari Nike. Orang mungkin berpikir dia beruntung, tapi itu berkat usahanya untuk mengambil tindakan secara proaktif. "Keberuntungan terjadi saat persiapan bertemu peluang".
Saya percaya dengan keberuntungan, dan keberuntungan bisa didapat dengan bertindak.
Love it!

[Carol Littlejohn · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in Japan in 2007, the author provides practical tips for problem solving. He introduces the Mushroom Lovers, a band that needs to find an audience; John the Octopus wants to become a famous animator and director; Kiwi wants to improve her soccer game. The illustrations by Alan Sanders are a bit childlike, but the approach is fun and useful for all ages.

[Nguyễn Tuấn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise book with realistic, representative problems that gave me good understanding of the author's idea. It reminds me of how lazy I am with solving problems as seriously as the book mentions.

Despite its target for children, I think this is a great book for adults in general, giving you a baseline on how problem-solving works.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concepts in this book were helpful, but the examples in the book were written so that pretty much anyone (a 2nd grader) could understand them. I didn't enjoy reading the juvenile problems for Miss Mushroom and her band. I would have rather encountered actual business examples.

[Huy Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever think about consulting/problem-solving in life, this book provides basic tools and frameworks to structure your thinking process effectively.

Written in a simple, illustrative style, the book is handy in daily life.