Think Better: An Innovator's Guide to Productive Thinking

by Tim Hurson

Success isn’t about what you know. It’s about how you think. Building a great career and an enriching life isn’t rocket science. It’s about understanding more clearly, thinking more creatively, and planning more effectively. This guide to productive thinking will help you do exactly that. Whether you need to solve business problems, create new opportunities, or improve your personal life, Think Better offers the principles and tools you need. Author Tim Hurson takes you through the critical steps you need • Commit to Discover how what’s working often blinds us to what’s possible. Recognize that every frustration is an opportunity in disguise. Imagine a future of creative possibilities. • Integrate the Principles of Productive Don’t just think outside the box. Recognize that for productive thinkers there is no box . Unlock the creative ideas in the “third third” of your consciousness―ideas that are always there, but often hovering just out of reach. • Take Active Steps to Focus on and Solve Use the thinking tools in this book to make the unexpected connections that are at the heart of all creative ideas and implementable solutions. It's a myth that people are either born productive thinkers or not. Productive thinking is a skill that can be taught, learned, practiced, and mastered―by anyone. Thinking better leads to doing better, and ultimately to being better ―in business and in life. With productive thinking, you can take on challenges in ways you never dreamed possible.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Productivity, Leadership, Brain

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2007

Reviews

[Richard Gombert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Pretty bad. Lots of mumbo jumbo, pseudo science and wishful thinking. Nothing of much of value, more pseudo processes to give the illusion of control and planning.
There were a few good observations scattered about.
The most insightful one: "Training, as practiced in much of corporate America, is an astonishing waste of resources."
Mr. Hurson goes on to explain that a hour, or a day training on a new process, a new skill, etc. With out the ability to use such knowledge once back in the office is MBH (Management By Hope).

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hurson explains that the premise of this book "is that success in our business, professional, and personal lives is less a matter of what we know than of how we think. If we can develop the thinking skills to generate more options and then evaluate those options more effectively, we can all live richer, fuller lives - and so can the people around us." The focus of the this book is on the thinkx Productive Thinking Model (PTM), developed by Hurson and his colleagues after rigorously evaluating a number of other methodologies that include the Creative Problem Solving Process (CPS) and Integrated Definition (IDEF).

There seems to be greater emphasis on improving problem solving than on improving any other function of better thinking (e.g. generation, evaluation, and selection of innovative ideas), although the PTM process consists of six interlocking steps that can help to achieve a variety of objectives. Each step includes a variety of tools and techniques that Hurson explains, citing relevant real-world examples throughout his narrative to illustrate how various companies have used the PTM. Hurson devotes a separate chapter to each step.

In the final chapter, he asserts that -- as practiced in much of corporate America -- training "is an astonishing waste of resources" when there is no follow-through on front-end training to embed and then strengthen even more the skills taught. In fact, the word "training" has lost its meaning because it is now more commonly used to refer to information transfer rather than skill development. "Hurson prefers the word "entraining." Why? "In chemistry, to entrain means to trap suspended particles in a solution and carry them along. This concept is an apt metaphor for skill development...Entraining results in a new and different workflow. Keeping those new skill particles suspended in your workflow requires the forging of new synaptic connections, new neural pathways." Hurson concludes his book with a relevant observation by Yogi Berra: "In theory there's no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is."

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical tool for improving creativity

Tim Hurson begins with a simple premise: Anyone can learn to “think better” – in other words, more creatively and productively. He says that by applying his methods, anyone can reliably come up with fresh ideas and solutions. If you’ve dipped into the fields of creativity, innovation or brainstorming before, you may find yourself nodding along, since his initial ideas are not surprising. Similarly, some of the techniques Hurson offers and the examples he shares to illustrate them will be familiar to anyone who has even a passing acquaintance with the field. However, others of his techniques are new. Hurson supplies prompts, basic diagrams, questions and examples. He adores mnemonics, formulas and acronyms. The book is written clearly and simply enough to appeal to inexperienced readers. However, getAbstract especially recommends it to managers and trainers with knowledge of the field; you’ll be more able to quickly see the distinctions between Hurson’s techniques and other brainstorming methods and appreciate the value he is offering.

[Marcio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book version. It offers good insight into techniques to produce valuable and innovative ideas and solutions. In general I found it good to help bringing us out of the box and stop going with the "same old, same old" type of thinking. But as any book of this kind, it is filled with a considerable amount of self-help-like filler and motivational stories. Some of the cases are quite interesting and fun to try to find a solution, though. For example, the story about a telecom that wanted to reduce the time people spent on free calls offered from public telephones, without scaring them away from the free service.

[Ko Matsuo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about active thinking. My takeaways:

1. Only by correctly framing problems do we unleash the power to find true solutions. We must fight the temptation to chase after the obvious, ie., no money, time or resources.
2. Early ideas aren't really ideas but regurgitations of patterns that we already have. If we stop at the first 10 ideas, we haven't gotten past the regurgitation.
3. The danger of plans is that they give us an illusion of control. The power of plans is that they force us to better understand issues and gain buy in.

A helpful reminder that experience can act as blinders to true innovation.

[Bibhu Ashish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book which gives a great framework to understand the complex problems and find a suitable solution to the problem. The best takeaway from the book is the suggestion to be with the problem for a longer time rather than jumping to the solution. The more time that is spent in identifying the problem, the better the effect the solution would be. This book also provides some great tools to use for problem solving.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has interest in problem solving and creative idea generation.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not helpful for me because it focuses primarily on creative problem solving in a (corporate) work environment. It's possible it would be helpful for people looking for that sort of guidance, though it seemed to me not particularly original. But I was looking for guidance on creativity, and I chose this book without reading closely.

[Mark Dykeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent in terms of, as it says, productive thinking. Excellent for business professionals (virtually every type of professional, actually) and it makes a great companion to Scott Belsky's book Making Ideas Happen.

Must read.

[Bill Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read on this subject. The careful analysis of the steps needed to expand one's thinking is great. Very practical ideas. I strongly recommend this book.

[Shrihari Chakrapani · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first few chapters is really very good. Later chapters are more for reference and should be unused as a checklist to think better.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think he has the right idea in the book but I thought it could have been condensed significantly.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good content, a concrete plan for the discipline of design thought and ideation, specifically.

[Heather Larcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good processes for getting better ideas out of groups. Not certain it will work as well with individuals, but I'll certainly at least play with it a bit before deciding.

[Carla Parreira]

O livro aborda de forma aprofundada a importância do pensamento produtivo como uma habilidade essencial no desenvolvimento pessoal e profissional. Em um mundo saturado de informações, a capacidade de pensar de maneira criativa e inovadora se torna um diferencial significativo, mais do que o volume de conhecimento acumulado.

A obra começa explicando que, embora todos possuam um potencial criativo, muitos enfrentam barreiras que inibem essa capacidade. O autor argumenta que o cérebro humano é programado para economizar energia, o que muitas vezes resulta em um pensamento superficial ou reativo, dificultando a busca por soluções originais. Para ilustrar esse conceito, ele utiliza um exemplo histórico famoso: a solução simples e direta encontrada pelos cientistas soviéticos para um problema com canetas no espaço, contrastando com a solução mais elaborada e custosa adotada pelos americanos, o que demonstra que em muitas ocasiões soluções simples podem ser as mais eficazes.

O livro distingue entre pensamento reprodutivo e pensamento produtivo. O primeiro busca apenas melhorar ideias e soluções já existentes, enquanto o segundo propõe uma abordagem que vai além do convencional, focando em gerar novas soluções e abordagens. O autor enfatiza a importância de questionar as respostas óbvias e comuns, propondo que essa prática pode levar a insights valiosos.

Uma parte essencial da obra é dedicada às etapas que compõem a estrutura do pensamento produtivo, que são apresentadas como um processo sistemático: começa com a identificação clara do problema, seguida pela geração de várias ideias, análise das soluções possíveis, seleção da melhor opção e finalizando com a implementação efetiva da solução escolhida. O autor ressalta a importância de criar um plano de ação realista durante esse processo, algo que pode aumentar as chances de sucesso na aplicação das soluções encontradas.

O texto enfatiza a flexibilidade do método, que deve ser ajustado conforme as necessidades específicas de cada situação. Além disso, o autor adverte sobre os perigos de buscar soluções criativas de forma apressada, pois isso pode resultar em ideias inadequadas e desperdício de tempo, sugerindo que o processo demandará paciência e reflexão.

A prática contínua do pensamento produtivo é destacada como fundamental para o seu aprimoramento, tornando essa forma de pensar cada vez mais automática. O autor incentiva os leitores a identificarem áreas em suas vidas onde podem aplicar essas técnicas, testando-as em diferentes contextos para melhorar gradualmente suas habilidades criativas.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This process is quite comprehensive. This is not a book you just read, but you use as you read it. Having finished it, I'm still working my way through the a few more iterations of step 5, and have a step 6 brainstorming session scheduled.

What I can say from my experience so far is that there is enormous power in the "Imagined Future" exercise. It is based on some of the earlier steps, but that is the part that has helped me refine and define what success is for me, and to have a vision that I love so much that I want to wake up every day to make it happen.

The ideas you come with out of this will not be standard, not be what has been done before, not be what you see everyone else do. This is a way to create revolutionary ideas, and executing that can be quite terrifying, if you, like me, can be brought down by a fear of success. My fear of success is why this book has taken me so long to read (it's not a very long book, and it's fairly easy to read). I could feel the possibilities of what it offered, and so I avoided it. But I am trying to face that fear, and that is why I have finished this book today, and looking to put into place my own revolutionary idea.

[Marie-Sharrane]

I can't say that I agree with the quote, "Training, as practiced in much of corporate America, is an astonishing waste of time." (Hurston, 236 & 239.) If that's the case, then it's not being utilized correctly.

[Ihsan Hasbullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

a thought process on how to improve yourself / organisation. the challenge is, the process itself may takes valuable time to improve ourselves. hence the word over planning spring to mind.

[Andreas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts great, but develops to a ‘guide’ with a lot of tools, that partially feel artificial to me..

[Darrell Rubel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most practical books I've ever read. So impressed that I bought copies for all of our team members at work! Wish I would have read this when I first started working.

We all want to find answers. The problem is, we don't find the right answers until we ask the right questions. Hurson does a brilliant job of laying out key questions and ways to approach problem solving in constructive ways. By simply applying some of these key questions, the quality of the think tank process takes a huge leap forward.

[Barnabas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very solid book that describes a framework how to think productively.
From the articulated methods of understanding the real problems, through the creative process of generating solutions, and how to incubate them to improve them, then finally how to align resources to tackle them, the book leads the reader through the full thinking process.
In general, a great advice for me was the deliberate separation of creative and critical processes, and K enjoyed the good acronyms for the various thinking tools (3i, DRIVE, POWER, EFFECT).
A worthy read for engineers and project managers.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book for a learning requirement at work. Little did I know how intriguing it would become once I started reading it. Hurson is a talented writer. And his ideas are easy to grasp. I enjoyed the book quite a lot. Will I use any of the techniques or concepts in the book? Perhaps. Using his Productive Thinking Model to the fullest would take quite a commitment in the organization. The key for me is determining which of the concepts I could apply.

[Muhammad Shalaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good book, with regard to the concept and tools. It is somewhat business-wise especially when he speaks about planning and assigning resources.
It is very verbose when telling examples and this was somewhat lengthy and distracting.
The naming of the tools and steps was somewhat fabricated to match English words.

[Derek · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has some good methods on how to generate new ideas (the usual brainstorming information where you generate ideas without judging them until later) and how to evaluate them. I didn't find much new material in here though, most of it seemed familiar, so I wouldn't say this broke any new ground.

[Eduardo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sem dúvidas é um bom livro e, tem todo o seu mérito por conta de uma explicação bem detalhada do MPP (Método do Pensamento Produtivo), mas, no entanto, à partir de uma certa altura se torna um pouco repetitivo.

[Brandon Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good tools in here for improving your thinking processes, breaking out of the grip of Confirmation Bias, etc. Many of these techniques are described in other books and have essentially been organized into a "system".

[Harold Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

First noted in Anu Garg's A Word A Day E-mail it lives up to it's title. Creative thinking is cool.

[Kiersten · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME book! Bought a copy for my dad

[Mark Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book on taking brainstorming to the next level.

[Catrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to reading this one.. Its on my shelf :)

[Eric Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended - best business book I have read on how to think outside of the box to see problems in a deeper light. Real world hands on application. I have used it with great success