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Why Not? : How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small
Why Not? : How to Use Everyday Ingenuity to Solve Problems Big and Small by Barry Nalebuff and Ian Ayres. Harvard University Press,2003
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2003
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685 people want to read
About the author
Barry J. Nalebuff
14 books49 followersBARRY NALEBUFF is the Milton Steinbach Professor at Yale School of Management, where he teaches negotiation, innovation, and strategy. He is the coauthor of Thinking Strategically, Co-opetition, Why Not?, and The Art of Strategy. A graduate of MIT, and a Rhodes Scholar, he earned his doctorate at Oxford University.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 10, 2019
Brilliant. 5 stars. Read this back in 2010 or so.
Read the other reviews and none mention two things, which are my fav:
the user pays motor vehicle scheme at the fuel pump where it is say $5 a litre, but you no longer have to pay separate tolls, insurance, rego, license etc. Let the fuel retailer collect all those charges and fees. The more you drive, the more you pay. The less you drive, the less you pay. It's stupid that someone that only drives 1,000km a year pays thousands of dollars in rip off payments (every year) whilst those that drive everywhere (including to the store just to get one thing when they can walk up and back in less than 10 minutes) pay the same. Tolls are user pays, so why not just include it all in the fuel. You can't use your car if you don't have fuel! And then now with Electric Vehicles, they'll just go buy those. So what, that's a good thing. In 2040 driving or using fuel will either be a status symbol or an act of rebellion.
The second thing was the rich guy Croesus (pronounced Cresus, like Jesus) is a brainstorming tool to find solutions. It's about not limiting your thinking based on costs/budget. You can than think of cost after and that leads to more brainstorming to find a solution. That's the point! Gets the creative juices flowing.
This book is awesome.
Read the other reviews and none mention two things, which are my fav:
the user pays motor vehicle scheme at the fuel pump where it is say $5 a litre, but you no longer have to pay separate tolls, insurance, rego, license etc. Let the fuel retailer collect all those charges and fees. The more you drive, the more you pay. The less you drive, the less you pay. It's stupid that someone that only drives 1,000km a year pays thousands of dollars in rip off payments (every year) whilst those that drive everywhere (including to the store just to get one thing when they can walk up and back in less than 10 minutes) pay the same. Tolls are user pays, so why not just include it all in the fuel. You can't use your car if you don't have fuel! And then now with Electric Vehicles, they'll just go buy those. So what, that's a good thing. In 2040 driving or using fuel will either be a status symbol or an act of rebellion.
The second thing was the rich guy Croesus (pronounced Cresus, like Jesus) is a brainstorming tool to find solutions. It's about not limiting your thinking based on costs/budget. You can than think of cost after and that leads to more brainstorming to find a solution. That's the point! Gets the creative juices flowing.
This book is awesome.
July 6, 2013
Below are five key lessons from the book, in the form of excerpts:
1- "Some people have the notion that coming up with concrete solutions for real-world problems is somehow reserved for the experts - that the techniques for innovation are beyond the capacity of the typical person. Baloney. Innovation is a skill that can be taught. And what's more, the potential for innovation is all around us. The problem is that the sense of innovation as everyday ingenuity often gets lost in our high-tech world. That is a problem we aim to fix with this book."
2- "Most "original" ideas aren't completely original, but instead are the result of two basic methods for generating ideas: problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems. People usually think of problem solving as a search for solutions. But in everything we do, we look for symmetries. Thus, we also see that problem solving can be a search for problems once you've found a good solution. Both approaches have their advantages."
3- "What would Croesus do? Why Don't you feel my pain? Where else would it work? Would flipping it work?...We have now introduced four central idea-generating tools: WWCD, internalization, translation, and symmetry...Now, you might be asking, are these the only tools out there for generating ideas? The answer is clearly no. There are rich theories of how scientific discoveries play out over time - incrementally adding to our knowledge through systematic and painstaking experimentation. But our why-not tools are geared toward discovering solutions that in a sense already exist but have just bot been put into effect...You need to learn different tools because some solutions can best be found with particular tools."
4- "Principled problem solving means that you take into account the principles that any solution must satisfy. The more of these principles you can identify, the closer you are to the solution. There may be fewer options to explore, but those are the right ones to focus on...While we typically think of filters as constraints, we want to convince you that identifying the underlying attributes of any solution can be liberating and can actually help you generate ideas."
5- "Coming up with a great idea is only the beginning of the battle. If you really want to change your company or the world, you need to sell the idea and you need others to buy in. The art of persuasion is particularly important because, and we've repeatedly emphasized, many ideas for great new products or services are not great ideas to start new businesses. Sometimes - usually, in fact - the best entity to put the idea into practice will be an existing firm. Even if your idea is, objectively speaking, brilliant, you won't necessarily have an easy time selling others on it. Be prepared to encounter remarkable levels of resistance and prejudice along the way."
1- "Some people have the notion that coming up with concrete solutions for real-world problems is somehow reserved for the experts - that the techniques for innovation are beyond the capacity of the typical person. Baloney. Innovation is a skill that can be taught. And what's more, the potential for innovation is all around us. The problem is that the sense of innovation as everyday ingenuity often gets lost in our high-tech world. That is a problem we aim to fix with this book."
2- "Most "original" ideas aren't completely original, but instead are the result of two basic methods for generating ideas: problems in search of solutions and solutions in search of problems. People usually think of problem solving as a search for solutions. But in everything we do, we look for symmetries. Thus, we also see that problem solving can be a search for problems once you've found a good solution. Both approaches have their advantages."
3- "What would Croesus do? Why Don't you feel my pain? Where else would it work? Would flipping it work?...We have now introduced four central idea-generating tools: WWCD, internalization, translation, and symmetry...Now, you might be asking, are these the only tools out there for generating ideas? The answer is clearly no. There are rich theories of how scientific discoveries play out over time - incrementally adding to our knowledge through systematic and painstaking experimentation. But our why-not tools are geared toward discovering solutions that in a sense already exist but have just bot been put into effect...You need to learn different tools because some solutions can best be found with particular tools."
4- "Principled problem solving means that you take into account the principles that any solution must satisfy. The more of these principles you can identify, the closer you are to the solution. There may be fewer options to explore, but those are the right ones to focus on...While we typically think of filters as constraints, we want to convince you that identifying the underlying attributes of any solution can be liberating and can actually help you generate ideas."
5- "Coming up with a great idea is only the beginning of the battle. If you really want to change your company or the world, you need to sell the idea and you need others to buy in. The art of persuasion is particularly important because, and we've repeatedly emphasized, many ideas for great new products or services are not great ideas to start new businesses. Sometimes - usually, in fact - the best entity to put the idea into practice will be an existing firm. Even if your idea is, objectively speaking, brilliant, you won't necessarily have an easy time selling others on it. Be prepared to encounter remarkable levels of resistance and prejudice along the way."
March 7, 2023
The examples in the book may be a little outdated, but the logic and creativity isn’t! I’ve already found myself taking concepts from the book and using them throughout the day to solve challenges through new perspectives.
This one is staying on my shelf, and might earn a reread or two in the future.
This one is staying on my shelf, and might earn a reread or two in the future.
July 2, 2024
If you have ever read the works of Edward de Bono, you could be underwhelmed The positive side is that the authors demonstrate how to use the four tools that they share. The dreary side is that they seem (at times) to have provided too much detail which could be boring for some readers (like me).
Another point is that the book was written in 2005. Today, a lot of the examples quoted aren't going to be relevant. If you are one of those who is extremely particular about novelty and newness, then don't read it. If you want to know a bit about how life was in the late 90s to early 2000s, then yes do pick up this book.
I did get some new perspectives from the book, which is why it's at 3 stars, though I would say it's 3.5 stars.
Another point is that the book was written in 2005. Today, a lot of the examples quoted aren't going to be relevant. If you are one of those who is extremely particular about novelty and newness, then don't read it. If you want to know a bit about how life was in the late 90s to early 2000s, then yes do pick up this book.
I did get some new perspectives from the book, which is why it's at 3 stars, though I would say it's 3.5 stars.
May 22, 2015
This book was pretty good. I liked some of the examples even if they were out of date. The book suggests four questions to help you solve problems:
• What would Croesus do? Imagine a individual with unlimited resources. How would they solve this problem? Then can I take that answer and translate it to make it affordable for the average customer.
• Why don’t you feel my pain? Look for externalities to the issue – (the external costs of the purchase or behavior – I don’t have to out run the bear, I just have to out run you), for inefficient behaviors of buyers and sellers and look for a way to solve this.
• Where else would this work? Once you find a solution for one problem, consider where this may help with other problems, such as neolane wheel son luggage applies to inline skates.
• Would flipping in work? Check if flipping the solution may work better or be a solutions for some other problem. Clear state the problem and the solution. Now try to switch some of the words in the solution to their antonyms. What interesting solutions come from this?
For many problems you must think inside the box, use constraints the solution must use to pre-filter your thinking and narrow your search.
• What would Croesus do? Imagine a individual with unlimited resources. How would they solve this problem? Then can I take that answer and translate it to make it affordable for the average customer.
• Why don’t you feel my pain? Look for externalities to the issue – (the external costs of the purchase or behavior – I don’t have to out run the bear, I just have to out run you), for inefficient behaviors of buyers and sellers and look for a way to solve this.
• Where else would this work? Once you find a solution for one problem, consider where this may help with other problems, such as neolane wheel son luggage applies to inline skates.
• Would flipping in work? Check if flipping the solution may work better or be a solutions for some other problem. Clear state the problem and the solution. Now try to switch some of the words in the solution to their antonyms. What interesting solutions come from this?
For many problems you must think inside the box, use constraints the solution must use to pre-filter your thinking and narrow your search.
July 6, 2021
Nalebuff and Ayres offer various ways to think about how to create solutions and solve problems. They talk about each direction of the problem spaces, where one can use solutions without problems to find problems, or to reverse, transpose or otherwise change scale in order to make things fit.
This is a fairly light read, and they offer some creative examples. All in all, an interesting attempt at navigating what is a really difficult and open ended space: how can you meet goals (in general). The deeper issue is one of reduction, to discover what a problem is, often you have to frame it in terms of the obstacles, in order to overcome them.
While they offer many examples and explain the principles fairly well, they can't actually do it for the reader, because the book is not about any specific issue what so ever. To reduce what they are saying, it becomes a question of relevancy. When faced with a problem, how do you find what is relevant (and for who) in order to address it? Expressed in a business frame, the person you charge is the one whose issue you are solving...
This is a fairly light read, and they offer some creative examples. All in all, an interesting attempt at navigating what is a really difficult and open ended space: how can you meet goals (in general). The deeper issue is one of reduction, to discover what a problem is, often you have to frame it in terms of the obstacles, in order to overcome them.
While they offer many examples and explain the principles fairly well, they can't actually do it for the reader, because the book is not about any specific issue what so ever. To reduce what they are saying, it becomes a question of relevancy. When faced with a problem, how do you find what is relevant (and for who) in order to address it? Expressed in a business frame, the person you charge is the one whose issue you are solving...
November 11, 2007
Thought-provoking, though a little rambling and repetitive towards the end. In particular, the chapter on one of the author's own efforts to develop and sell a new line of bottled tea products seemed self-indulgent, and detracted from the overall interest of the book.
The most interesting aspect was the discussion of how one society or country's default choices can be completely beyond the pale in another society. Also, the extent to which a particular choice of default option (e.g. on such matters as subscribing to a retirement fund, decisions about organ donation, or opting in/out of e-mail and other kinds of marketing programs) can affect levels of participation. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or alarmed that my own inertia with respect to these kinds of choices is essentially typical; it certainly reinforces how easy it can be to be exploited by marketers with the right kind of savvy and insight into human behavior.
The most interesting aspect was the discussion of how one society or country's default choices can be completely beyond the pale in another society. Also, the extent to which a particular choice of default option (e.g. on such matters as subscribing to a retirement fund, decisions about organ donation, or opting in/out of e-mail and other kinds of marketing programs) can affect levels of participation. I'm not sure whether to be relieved or alarmed that my own inertia with respect to these kinds of choices is essentially typical; it certainly reinforces how easy it can be to be exploited by marketers with the right kind of savvy and insight into human behavior.
March 29, 2013
A must-read book on decision making and problem solving, which are two critical competencies in business life.
August 30, 2019
Think outside the box. Re-purpose other "solutions." Avoid groupthink. Try a counterintuitive approach (see "think outside the box"). Think within the box--don't re-invent the wheel. Oops, I just gave the whole book away. The examples were hopelessly outdated (the most recent edition is 2006, which is the one I read.) Since that time, computer advances have made these problems moot. Blockbusters. Netflix as a mail-in DVD. Phone screening. The technological advances have made these "problems" moot. I read the first few chapters, found them boring, and then skimmed the rest. Interestingly, he uses Trump (back in the days when everyone just thought of him as a Rich Guy) as an example for some of their techniques. I thought this book would be more informative for my daily life--it seemed more geared to business. And it pales in comparison to a Malcolm Gladwell. Maybe if it is updated perhaps then it would be relevant to today's reader.
January 8, 2020
I really liked this book. The problem solving strategies in the book seemed like they could be really useful and could definitely be applied in the real world. As a prospective engineer, I am excited to try out these strategies.
The writing was good, if not great. The book was a little slow at times, as it got a little mired in drawn out explanations of specific examples, but in general the author used examples well to illustrate and emphasize different problem solving strategies. The book is a little older, and some of the examples used are not as relevant anymore (Blockbuster, land lines, etc), but the book is still extremely useful and relevant. I would certainly reference it again for problem solving tips.
The writing was good, if not great. The book was a little slow at times, as it got a little mired in drawn out explanations of specific examples, but in general the author used examples well to illustrate and emphasize different problem solving strategies. The book is a little older, and some of the examples used are not as relevant anymore (Blockbuster, land lines, etc), but the book is still extremely useful and relevant. I would certainly reference it again for problem solving tips.
April 9, 2021
The book has some thinking principles worthy of an ear to hear, however my biggest problem is that it leans more on grandiose ideas that promote self benefit in business. As apposed to a thinking system to solve problems in a practical manner and conversation for every day life.
This was written in 2006 as something to assist up and coming business. It shows.
Unlike some “old” books (trachtenberg, Edward de Bono, to kill a mockingbird, pride and prejudice, ect)
These books messages and lessons are timeless and applicable for many generations. This book doesn’t meet this criteria.
Again I’m not against the concepts of its teaching, I oppose its stance on why it’s published. As it’s mainly about business, other than being a good thinker and problem solver.
This was written in 2006 as something to assist up and coming business. It shows.
Unlike some “old” books (trachtenberg, Edward de Bono, to kill a mockingbird, pride and prejudice, ect)
These books messages and lessons are timeless and applicable for many generations. This book doesn’t meet this criteria.
Again I’m not against the concepts of its teaching, I oppose its stance on why it’s published. As it’s mainly about business, other than being a good thinker and problem solver.
January 16, 2021
Interesting and thought provoking. Definitely a book to keep for future reference. I thought the book started of strong and then tailed off a bit in the 2nd half. I would have preferred more time spent on the process / concepts and less time spent on the specific “ideas” mentioned throughout.
November 19, 2017
A great read, walking you through various ways of getting good ideas, with illustrative case studies
October 18, 2024
หนังสือเก่าหน่อยเขียนมายี่สิบกว่าปีแล้ว เนื้อหาเป็นเรื่องเกี่ยวกับการแนะนำวิธีคิดทางการตลาดจากสิ่งที่มีอยู่ แล้วตั้งคำถามว่า “ทำไมไม่คิดอีกแบบหล่ะ?“ ลองคิดด้านตรงข้ามกันดูสิ และเมื่อคิดออกมาได้จนทำให้เกิดการนำเสนอทางการตลาดรูปแบบใหม่ที่กล้าหาญและทำเงินได้ ตัวอย่างในหนังสือค่อนข้างเก่าหน่อย(ก็หนังสือมันเก่า)อ่านแล้วอาจจะไม่ว้าว
March 19, 2017
Chỉ thấy 1 góc nhỏ trong sách này là có liên quan tới mình và sẽ dùng được
Còn nhiều ví dụ mông lung như một trò đùa quá :D :D
idea: GIẢI PHÁP ĐI TÌM VẤN ĐỀ là hay nè :D :D
case: flycam -> dùng chuyển hàng, dùng thả phao, dùng lướt sóng, dùng xây cầu....
Còn nhiều ví dụ mông lung như một trò đùa quá :D :D
idea: GIẢI PHÁP ĐI TÌM VẤN ĐỀ là hay nè :D :D
case: flycam -> dùng chuyển hàng, dùng thả phao, dùng lướt sóng, dùng xây cầu....
August 4, 2014
Desde Leader Summaries recomendamos la lectura del libro ¿Y por qué no?, de Barry J. Nalebuff y Ian Ayres.
Las personas interesadas en las siguientes temáticas lo encontrarán práctico y útil: innovación, técnicas de creatividad, analizar y tomar decisiones.
En el siguiente enlace tienes el resumen del libro ¿Y por qué no?, Cómo utilizar el ingenio para reinventar mercados y resolver problemas: ¿Y por qué no?
Las personas interesadas en las siguientes temáticas lo encontrarán práctico y útil: innovación, técnicas de creatividad, analizar y tomar decisiones.
En el siguiente enlace tienes el resumen del libro ¿Y por qué no?, Cómo utilizar el ingenio para reinventar mercados y resolver problemas: ¿Y por qué no?
February 7, 2009
By a couple of Yale profs (including one who invented Honest Tea). Supposed to increase your ability to think creatively (mostly in the realm of business). Not sure it would actually help someone. But it did a reasonable job of explaining the creative process, and some mathematical thinking even, without patronizing. A good blend of examples, and didn't really ever get repetitive. Interesting, yes. Useful? Unclear....
January 27, 2016
Professors Nalebuff & Ayres presents their favorite techniques for coming up with new ideas. These are some variation on the theme "Why not?" While the book didn't give me any amazing "eureka" reading experiences, it nevertheless presented some interesting ways of generating ideas. Quite brief, so may well be worthy of a read.
May 10, 2015
"Why Not" is a book about how to approach problem solving in the real world. There are 4 main strategies constantly referred to in the book:
1) What would Croesus do?
2) Why don't you feel my pain?
3) Where else would it work?
4) Would flipping it work?
Nalebuff and Ayres use a combination of theory and real-world examples to make this book a fast, fun, and enlightening read.
1) What would Croesus do?
2) Why don't you feel my pain?
3) Where else would it work?
4) Would flipping it work?
Nalebuff and Ayres use a combination of theory and real-world examples to make this book a fast, fun, and enlightening read.
Read
January 31, 2016I've never met Barry Nalebuff, but I suspect if I did we'd get along real well. This is probably the 3d book of his that I've read, and I generally find myself saying "yeah, that makes sense" to most things he has to say.
Read
September 5, 2007Really interesting book on problem solving. Great examples and stories of large problems solved and interesting small ones.
December 29, 2007
The ideas in this book can be applied in a lot of ways. Good case studies.
February 24, 2008
Fun book which got me thinking about all kinds of ideas for starting a business.
October 27, 2013
The books provide simple steps on how to generate ideas to solve everyday problems. Recommend this if you want to keep thinking on better ways to do something.
Read
September 7, 2016good
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews