Why Not [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

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 cant wait to present to my management. This book is really fun, and it will enhance both your creativity and your career.

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.

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.