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| The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving | 
 enlarge | Author: Morgan D. Jones
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book
List Price: $16.00
Buy New: $8.00
You Save: $8.00 (50%)
Buy New/Used from $6.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  (24 reviews)
Sales Rank: 16535
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9
ISBN: 0812928083
Dewey Decimal Number: 153.45
EAN: 9780812928082
ASIN: 0812928083
Publication Date: June 30, 1998
Release Date: June 30, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
An invaluable resource for any manager or professional, this book offers a collection of proven, practical methods for simplifying any problem and making faster, better decisions every time.
From the Hardcover edition.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 Effective and Simple July 8, 2008
This is a tremendous asset to those facing decisions where there's been a loss of perspective or too many alternatives exist.
Problem solving for the serious student of effective analysis August 23, 2007
Complete tools for problem solving; a workbook, not a quick read. Only for the very, very serious.
Excellent Bok November 12, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This should be mandatory for all High School students. Clearly teaches logical thinking and how to make the best choice
Great Textbook on Problem Solving October 25, 2006
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is a great book for anyone who needs to make important decisions. I'm with a professional services (consulting) firm, and we're about to make this book mandatory text for all our consultants. It's that good!
Morgan Jones starts off describing that human beings are bad decision makers, but kid themselves about their ability to make good decisions. Then, the book describes 14 tools that can be used to make decision making more structured and error-free. Each tool is described through a story, and has plenty of exercises to try out the tool. It even has the "solutions" at the back to verify your approach.
The book has a few shortcomings. For starters, it does not describe which situations each tool is most useful for. The sample exercises present the facts together - something that is unlikely to be replicated in real life. It also does not classify decisions as being big or small - some decisions are too small to apply structured tools presented here, while some decisions are too big to depend solely on these tools.
This book is written like a textbook. To get full value from The Thinker's Toolkit, you'd have to really participate in the exercises actively. If you're planning to skim through the book, then I'd recommend you drop this book and instead read "Making Great Decisions in Business and Life" by Henderson & Hooper.
To sum up, it's a great textbook if you're a consultant or would like to teach structured problem solving. Bring out your pen and paper!
Excellent - probably the best in the field - easy to understand January 31, 2006
17 out of 19 found this review helpful
I consider this to be a very `French' book. The French have the reputation of never getting a whole lot done due to their habit of extreme and unending analysis. No question goes unanswered. No possible rabbit trail left to surprise. Not a single contingency allowed. You'll be much more able to over-analyze using the techniques in The Thinker's Toolkit.
I actually love this book. It's basically a treatise on applied logic told in a very readable and useable way. Topics include developing weighted rankings, decision trees, the devil's advocate, and others. There are scores of graphics and asides to help in understanding the concepts.
Don't be put off by the title or the topics: the book is an excellent help for everyday decisions. For examples Jones discusses buying a car or purchasing insurance. He uses newspaper headlines throughout the book as topics for investigation. The entire work is very readable and equally as interesting. Definitely one of the best books on the subject.
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