problem solving ken watanabe

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Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People Kindle Edition

• Print length 128 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Portfolio
• Publication date March 3, 2009
• Reading age 18 years and up
• File size 14788 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001UFP61C
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; 1st edition (March 3, 2009)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 3, 2009
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 14788 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
• #174 in Business Systems & Planning
• #195 in Cognitive Psychology (Kindle Store)
• #249 in Business Decision-Making

About the author

Ken watanabe.

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Customers find the writing style great and the diagrams and visuals beautifully made. They also say the techniques are easy to understand and the examples are written using kid stories. Readers say the content is great for all ages, with good ideas for exercises and interesting story telling. They find the book fun and useful.

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Customers find the book easy to read and understand for all ages. They say it provides great tools and scenarios to help adults acquire problem solving skills. Readers also mention that the examples are written using kid stories that make it fun.

"...16. Problem solving is easy when you now how to set a clear goal, figure out how to reach it, and follow through while reviewing your progress and..." Read more

"...Trees that other books have failed at explaining and made it very easy to understand with simple language and simple diagrams without belaboring...." Read more

"...It is easy to read and does a good job giving simple examples ...yet has a profound underpinnings, which if used, helps people solve problems...from..." Read more

"... Not a difficult read , yet bursting with good advice.Watanabe lays out numerous simple strategies you can use to solve problems...." Read more

Customers find the writing style great, engaging, and useful. They also say the material isn't new, but it's a good refresher.

" Such a great book ...." Read more

" Awesome book that I read twice in two languages with the time difference in almost 10 years...." Read more

"...If you can get past that, it's a great book . I keep it at my desk at work, and have reread different sections multiple times...." Read more

" Very clever little book ...." Read more

Customers find the book's content great for all ages, simple yet profound, and engaging. They also say it works for adults and provides good ideas.

"...to read and does a good job giving simple examples...yet has a profound underpinnings , which if used, helps people solve problems...from the simple..." Read more

"...It also helps readers to revisit the book to refer any lesson they find useful in their real life problems...." Read more

"...The primary value of the book is that it deals with practical critical thinking (that is, problem solving) as opposed to information-analysis..." Read more

"...I highly recommend this book for children, and it may be helpful for older folk . It is certainly entertaining to read, while being informative." Read more

Customers find the book fun and useful.

"...It is certainly entertaining to read , while being informative." Read more

"...The examples are written using kid stories, which makes it fun , and provide the tools to start making problem solving an everyday behavior in..." Read more

"...The book breaks it down to the very basics and was also a lot of fun to read , so I definitely recommend it." Read more

" makes any problem seem fun , and makes you think if you can master problem solving at a small scale, what's possible for you and others at a larger..." Read more

Customers find the book very short and distilled.

"This is a short book that you can , even with note-taking, read within a couple hours...." Read more

"A nice, short read ...." Read more

"...This book was very short and distilled, which I liked because other longer books on this subject just end up to be repetitive...." Read more

"I had to purchase this book for a college course. It's a short and easy read that really helps to layout the problem solving process...." Read more

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Problem Solving 101: A simple book for smart people Hardcover – 6 Aug. 2009

Problem Solving 101 started out as a simple guide to teach Japanese schoolchildren critical thinking skills. But it quickly became an international bestseller for readers of all ages, thanks to the powerful effectiveness of Ken Watanabe's unique methods. Full of useful diagrams and quirky drawings, Problem Solving 101 is packed with practical tools and brain training techniques that will improve your problem-solving and decision-making ability, and enable you to find better solutions faster. Simple enough for a high school student to understand but sophisticated enough for CEOs to apply to their most challenging problems, Problem Solving 101 has helped millions of people around the world to find successful solutions to even the toughest of problems. Once you've mastered the problem-solving skills in this book, you'll wonder how you ever got by without them.

• Print length 128 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Vermilion
• Publication date 6 Aug. 2009
• Dimensions 13.2 x 1.5 x 20.6 cm
• ISBN-10 0091929660
• ISBN-13 978-0091929664
• See all details

Product description

Problem Solving 101 teaches us to recognize the common elements in the decisions we face every day, and how to think carefully about them. It offers tricks and tips for every age

From the Publisher

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vermilion (6 Aug. 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0091929660
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0091929664
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.2 x 1.5 x 20.6 cm
• 385 in Managers' Guides to Computing
• 444 in Self Help Memory Improvement

About the author

Ken watanabe.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customers say

Customers find the book easy to read, concise, and helpful for generating ideas. They also say the processes it teaches help generate lots of ideas. Opinions are mixed on the book design, with some finding the illustrations nice, while others say it's poorly designed.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book easy to read, brilliantly communicated, and succinct. They also say the structured approach is quick and helpful.

"...Ken’s teaching method makes it so easy to read and digest ,There’s no big consulting words or pretentious language...." Read more

"A great book and written in plain English . It deserves all the credit it gets in business contributions...." Read more

"...It is nicely designed and easy to read ." Read more

"I found this book quick and easy to read ...." Read more

Customers find the book helpful in generating lots of ideas. They also say it's a great foundation to a structured approach and brilliantly communicated.

"...An amazing, life-changing book that I highly recommend to everyone." Read more

"I enjoyed reading this book. The tone is light and fun with great ways to help you make the best decisions using simple methods...." Read more

"I found Problem Solving 101 a successful read and a very helpful reminder that problem solving is a process that is most effective when done properly..." Read more

"This provides a structured approach to problem solving , I love it- you will never be stuck in finding a solution to any problem ever again...." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the book design. Some find the illustrations nice, while others say the book is poorly designed and illogically set out.

"...It is nicely designed and easy to read." Read more

"...that the book was originally written for children, but this book is dreadful if you have to actually make decisions in the real (business) world..." Read more

"This book as nice illustrations and clear reading..." Read more

"This. Book is boring " Read more

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Problem solving 101

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Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People Hardcover – 5 March 2009

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• Print length 128 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Portfolio
• Publication date 5 March 2009
• Dimensions 14.22 x 1.73 x 21.59 cm
• ISBN-10 9781591842422
• ISBN-13 978-1591842422
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"This is an excellent primer on problem solving." --LOWELL BRYAN, author of Mobilizing Minds

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1591842425
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (5 March 2009)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781591842422
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591842422
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 272 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.22 x 1.73 x 21.59 cm
• #31,460 in Analysis & Strategy
• #53,125 in Reference (Books)

About the author

Ken watanabe.

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9780091929664

Ken Watanabe

Ebury Publishing

06 July 2010

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Problem Solving 101 started out as a simple guide to teach Japanese schoolchildren critical thinking skills. But it quickly became an international bestseller for readers of all ages, thanks to the powerful effectiveness of Ken Watanabe's unique methods. Full of useful diagrams and quirky drawings, Problem Solving 101 is packed with practical tools and brain training techniques that will improve your problem-solving and decision-making ability, and enable you to find better solutions faster. Simple enough for a high school student to understand but sophisticated enough for CEOs to apply to their most challenging problems, Problem Solving 101 has helped millions of people around the world to find successful solutions to even the toughest of problems. Once you've mastered the problem-solving skills in this book, you'll wonder how you ever got by without them.

Problem Solving 101 by Ken Watanabe, a Review

Want to understand problem solving problem solving 101 is here to the rescue, problem solving 101: a simple book for smart people problem solving is an excellent and practical skill to have. you solve problems every day, some more complex than others. where to live which university to attend how to get senior managers to notice me and my work how to improve the company’s bottom line complex solving is also one of the 10 skills the world economic forum says you need to thrive in 2025..

What I liked most about this problem solving book is the author’s practical approach. Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People by Ken Watanabe has many examples that you can relate to. It’s worth the read. He includes images and diagrams to bring the information to life. It’s a pricier e-book but it’s worth every penny. The good news is that it’s now $5 cheaper that when I bought it a couple of years ago.

Have you read?

Summary: The MacGyver Secret by Lee David Zlotoff

Why Ken Watanabe Wrote Problem Solving 101

A former consultant for McKinsey & Company, Ken Watanabe used tools to solve his clients’ problem. In many countries, in schools, the focus is on memorization techniques, but how effective is that? Do students understand what they are learning? Are they able to apply the new concepts in other situations?

Ken Watanabe wanted to do his part in the shift from “memorization-focused education” to “problem-solving-focused education” in Japan. He wrote this book to help kids become better problem solvers. Additionally, he wanted Japanese kids to think like problem solvers. And he also wanted children to take a proactive approach in their education. In Problem Solving 101, Ken Watanabe included the tools he used while working at McKinsey.

Exploring Problem Solving and Other Key Skills

The author, Ken Watanabe, says something in the beginning of the book that caught my attention. He wanted kids to think like problem solvers. That may not sound like something profound, but hear me out, because it really is. Every subject has a certain structure with foundational ideas. If you want to master a subject, you must start with the foundational ideas on which the subject is built. People who successfully master the subject think in a way that the subject demands.

So, if you want to master writing, think like a writer. If you want to master negotiation, think like a negotiator. And if you want to master problem solving, think like a problem solver. This is a secret I learned when I read How to Study & Learn a Discipline. I don’t think this is easy to do. Invest the time learning the structure of the skills you need. That’s what I’m doing.

It’s not just me who thinks this way. In a short video I recently watched, Bill Gates talks about reading and learning. He remembers most of what he learns from books. How does he do it? Essentially, in the video, Gates is saying you cannot read in a vacuum. Work with a broader framework to put the information you’re learning.

The light bulb suddenly went on for me. To make sure that I learn and truly master the 10 skills needed for future jobs, I need to understand how a subject works. And how knowledge works. Learning how to learn is a critical skill you need today to succeed at work and in life.

Master how to learn and know how knowledge works. I read Learning How to Learn , which is based on the popular MOOC course of the same name. Next I devoured How We Learn , which is based on brain science. I plan to read What Is the History of Knowledge by Peter Burke and A History of Knowledge: Past, Present, and Future by Charles Van Doren. And I re-read How to Study & Learn a Discipline, with a fresh set of lenses.

What is Problem Solving 101 by Ken Watanabe About?

Many books on problem solving present a model. This is the case with Problem Solving 101 by Ken Watanabe. The models tend to be similar and related. Think about the last problem that you solved, how did you go about it? You probably tried to understand what caused the problem; gathered information; analyzed the information and find solutions; then tested the solutions. If none of the solutions worked, you would start the process again.

One of the business leaders I interviewed for my first book Tales of People Who Get It emphasized the importance of finding a balance between thinking and acting. And he felt that he spent too much time thinking about things. Watanabe mentioned finding the right balance between thinking and acting.

Problem Solving 101 4-Step Model

• Understand the current situation (What is going on?).
• Identify the root cause of the problem (What is causing the problem?).
• Develop an effective action plan (How can I fix this problem?).
• Execute until the problem is solved. Make changes as necessary.

Ken Watanabe expands on his problem solving model, so the reader knows what to do. He recommends that when you face problems, take a step back, so you can discover the root cause and how to resolve it. One of the ways to do that is to do research. Collect information to find the root cause of the problem. Watanabe uses an analogy that most people can relate to. The symptom is a headache, the root cause is a fever, and the prescription – the solution – is to take cold medicine.

When you understand the symptoms and identify the root cause, you’re able to generate better solutions.

Step 1: Diagnose the Situation and Identify the Root Cause of the Problem

• List all the possible root causes of the problem.
• Develop a hypothesis for the likely root cause.
• Determine the analyses and information required to test the hypothesis.
• Analyze and identify the root cause.  

Step 2: Develop the Solution

• Develop a wide variety of solutions to solve the problem.
• Prioritize actions.
• Develop an implementation plan.

In the book, the author mentions that you can use a yes/no tree to figure out a problem's root cause or decide how to solve a problem. If you do not know how to use a yes/no tree he walks you through the process.

If the problem you have is how to achieve a certain goal, he offers steps that you can follow.

Steps to Achieve an Important Goal

•  Set a clear goal.
• Determine the gap between the goal and the current situation.
• List as many options and ideas as possible.
• Select the best ideas as the hypothesis.
• Analyze and develop action plan.

Criteria to Test Solution and Evaluate It

• List all the options
• List evaluation criteria
• Decide on the importance of each criteria
• Evaluate each based on the weighted criteria
• Select most attractive option

Final Thoughts: Problem Solving 101 by Ken Watanabe

The most accomplished people use books as problem solving tools. They carve out the time in their schedule to find solutions in the pages of a book. Let me help you to solve your own problems. Additionally, this program helps you to learn valuable career skills. Click the link MoreReads Individual Leadership Development Program to buy.

About the author  avil beckford.

Hello there! I am Avil Beckford, the founder of The Invisible Mentor. I am also a published author, writer, expert interviewer host of The One Problem Podcast and MoreReads Success Blueprint, a movement to help participants learn in-demand skills for future jobs. Sign-up for MoreReads: Blueprint to Change the World today! In the meantime, Please support me by buying my e-books Visit My Shop , and thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter and Pinterest !

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Problem Solving 101: A Simple Book for Smart People

9781591842422

Publication Date

05 March 2009

18 - UP years

21.13 x 14.48 x 1.50 CM

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Description.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-10: 1591842425

ISBN-13: 9781591842422

Publisher: Portfolio       

Language: English

Age Range: 18 - UP years

Grade Level: 13 - UP

Format: Hardcover | 128

Product Dimension (L x W x H): 21.13 x 14.48 x 1.50 CM

Shipping Weight: 0.27 Kg

Customer Reviews

Problem Solving 101 Summary

1-Sentence-Summary:   Problem Solving 101  is a universal, four-step template for overcoming challenges in life, based on a traditional method Japanese school children learn early on.

Favorite quote from the author:

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I recently co-authored a piece gathering 303 life lessons we all eventually learn, but often forget. The list reminded me of all the important subjects we never study in school: human behavior, work habits, creativity, relationships, communication, love, and personal finance, for example. The skill Ken Watanabe explains in this book ranks highly on that list: problem solving.

Having a methodical approach to how you deal with problems, as opposed to just going by gut and feelings, can make a big difference in how successful you are in overcoming your obstacles. What’s interesting is where Watanabe found this approach: in school.

The Japanese education system has long had a leg up on its Western counterpart , and they also have a much better concept of retirement, called “ ikigai .” When it comes to problem-solving, Japanese children learn a very basic, universal template in their first years of school. Those are some smart schools !

After growing up in Japan, then studying in the US, it is exactly this template that Ken Watanabe decided to share in  Problem Solving 101 . Here are the 3 underlying activities you need to use it:

• Instead jumping straight from finding a problem to attempting to solve it, break it down first.
• Gather data to analyze all potential root causes and solutions.
• Formulate hypotheses and methodically test them to find what works.

If you often find yourself jumping head first into solutions that don’t really fix your problems, this one’s for you! Welcome to Problem Solving 101!

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.

Lesson 1: The first step of properly tackling any problem is to break it down.

Let’s say you and your partner want to move in together and start a family. You’ve both entered the working world a couple years ago and are now looking to buy a home. However, once you look at your salaries and expenses, you realize you can’t afford the kind of home you want your future kids to grow up in. What could you do?

In this situation, most people would either resign to waiting for their next promotion or force themselves to randomly cut back on a big spending point. However, the trick to solving such a seemingly complex problem elegantly is to not jump at the above question in the first place. Instead, break down the problem into various aspects . In this example, “not enough money to pay mortgage for desired house” can be divided into “too little income,” “too high expenses,” and “expectations of future house.”

Once you have categories, it’s very easy to continue digging. Watanabe recommends decision trees . For example, you could now list causes for the “too little income” category, like “my company pays less than the industry average,” or “I didn’t get the promotion.” When going along these sub branches, you can mark each one with yes or no, to determine whether it’s actually part of the problem.

With a proper breakdown in hand, it’s much easier to analyze the causes and potential solutions of your problem.

Lesson 2: Make sure you analyze all potential root problems and solutions by gathering data and reflecting.

Of course it’s impossible to be 100% objective when judging what lead to your problem, but that’s where analysis comes in. For each root cause that you marked with a yes in your decision tree, ask what data you need to verify your answer. For example, to see if your salary is below industry average, you can use Google to compare it to several statistics. And to figure out why you didn’t get promoted, ask coworkers when they were last promoted and come up with your own, company-internal data.

The point of analysis is to never accept statements at face value, including your own . It gets you to pause and reflect before moving on, which is what makes it so valuable.

That’s why it also applies to all potential solutions you subsequently brainstorm. If you want to confront your boss with the below average salary claim, you better bring lots of data from good sources to back it up. At the same time, if you find it’s easier to collect data for other solutions, like cutting your expenses on monthly subscriptions, because you still have all your receipts, analysis also helps you determine which solutions have the best cost-to-benefit ratio .

Lesson 3: When trying to find a solution, formulate multiple hypotheses, then test them one by one.

Analysis helps you separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to the sources of your problem, as well as your options to get rid of it. However, the pool of choices you’re left with is still just a set of ideas. There are no guarantees that you’ve identified the correct causes or that executing a chosen solution will actually bring relief.

That’s why you should think of your selection as hypotheses. A hypothesis is defined as a currently accepted statement that could be proven wrong later . What’s great about approaching your plans this way is that you’ll stay flexible. Maybe confronting your boss won’t work. If it doesn’t, what matters is that you can quickly switch to a different path of action, rather than circling back to your initial hopelessness.

Whenever you feel lost or don’t know what to do, take an intermediary step of analysis. Get more data, reflect on new information, then change course. With an approach like this, you’ll never really get stuck. Even if problems won’t disappear over night, you’ll always have some sense of what to do next.

Problem Solving 101 Review

Breakdown, analysis, hypothesis, execution . What Watanabe has described here is the scientific method , except he did it in a way everyone can understand. Teaching children this from a young age helps them think on their feet decades later. When they enter the working world, they’ll find real-world problems less complex and confusing. If I ever do come up with a school of life, there’ll definitely be a class called Problem Solving 101 .

Who would I recommend the Problem Solving 101 summary to?

The 9 year old third grader, who has a chance to learn proper problem solving right from the start, the 30 year old young professional, who could use a reset on how she tackles problems after college, and anyone who tends to jump to conclusions.

Last Updated on August 15, 2022

Niklas Göke

Niklas Göke is an author and writer whose work has attracted tens of millions of readers to date. He is also the founder and CEO of Four Minute Books, a collection of over 1,000 free book summaries teaching readers 3 valuable lessons in just 4 minutes each. Born and raised in Germany, Nik also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration & Engineering from KIT Karlsruhe and a Master’s Degree in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich. He lives in Munich and enjoys a great slice of salami pizza almost as much as reading — or writing — the next book — or book summary, of course!

*Four Minute Books participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon. We also participate in other affiliate programs, such as Blinkist, MindValley, Audible, Audiobooks, Reading.FM, and others. Our referral links allow us to earn commissions (at no extra cost to you) and keep the site running. Thank you for your support.

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Home » Problem Solving 101 Summary

Problem Solving 101 Summary

Emir Zecovic | Posted on May 23, 2019 |

11 min read ⌚ 

Quick Summary : “Problem Solving 101,” in essence, is a decision-making book; however, it is not (like other books on the subject) a theoretical examination of our decision-making biases, but a simple and highly practical step-by-step guide to use when you need to make a decision or tackle an everyday challenge: the problem-solving primer of your dreams.

Who Should Read “Problem Solving 101”? And Why?

Everyone has problems; and everyone wants to solve them.

Consequently, everyone needs to learn techniques to solve his/her problems; especially if these are proven to work and are as neatly described and explained as in Ken Watanabe’s Problem Solving 101 .

A great book for both kids and adults, realists and dreamers, students and business owners, followers and leaders.

We all have to make decisions.

And that is true regardless of who you are: a kid, a student, a businessman or the President of the United States.

The only thing that varies is the type of the problem.

For some, it is how to pass a math class, for others a decision on where to live, and for yet a third person devising a plan on how to improve his/her company’s bottom line; or, maybe, simply you want to lose some weight or get better at golf.

Now, whether the issue is big or small, says Ken Watanabe in Problem Solving 101 , “there’s a fundamental approach to solving these real-life problems, one that can consistently lead you to effective and satisfying solutions.”

If you need that sentence rephrased, here it is: problem-solving is a skill, and just like riding a bike – can be learned.

And that’s exactly what this book is all about.

Originally written for Japanese schoolchildren, Problem Solving 101 quickly gained popularity far beyond its target group, becoming not only Japan’s number one business best-seller in 2007 but also an international hit.

Hence, the English edition and its subtitle: “a simple book for smart people.”

The Case Studies

Problem Solving 101 not only introduces its readers to the basics of the problem-solving approach, but it also offers “a full toolbox of proven problem-solving techniques, the same techniques used by successful problem-solving people and companies all over the world.”

To illustrate how the steps work in practice, Watanabe uses three case studies:

• The Mushroom Lovers, a new band trying to improve their concert attendance numbers; • John Octopus, a bright young man with aspirations of becoming a computer graphics animator who needs to buy his first computer; • Kiwi, an aspiring soccer player looking for the best training school in Brazil.

Now, we don’t have enough space in our summary to go over each of these case studies, so we genuinely advise you to buy the book as soon as possible and read them in their entirety. Coupled with some quirky illustrations and an abundance of graphics, Problem Solving 101 is really a joy to read, own and share.

But, back to our job.

The Four Steps of Problem Solving

In its essence, problem-solving is a process that can be broken down into four steps: (1) understand the current situation; (2) identify the root cause of the problem; (3) develop an effective action plan; and (4) execute until the problem is solved, making modifications as necessary.

“These steps come as a package,” warns Watanabe, before he goes on to clarify:

“Before you can solve anything, you first need to realize that there’s a problem. Once you do, identifying the root cause of the problem isn’t enough. You have to think through how you could fix the problem, and then actually take the actions required to fix it.”

“Problem solving is a combination of thinking and acting,” he concludes. “Just doing one or the other won’t get you anywhere.”

So, let’s have a look at each of the four steps of problem-solving in full.

Step #1: Understand the Current Situation

The first step of solving a problem is understanding it; though it sounds simple – and, in a way, it is simple – it is actually something most people do wrong (“The catch is that we often don’t do what seems simple and obvious,” writes Watanabe.)

So, let’s just say that you are a soccer player who wants to improve your soccer skills; you spend more and more time on the field to do that and, in the meantime, your math grades decline.

If you (like 99% of the people) simply say “I have to quit the soccer team, so I have more time to study math,” you haven’t really understood the situation.

As a consequence, there’s a good chance that even after this drastic action, your math grades would remain bad.

Because to understand the situation, you need to go much deeper than this.

Do other kids play soccer as well? Are their grades as bad as yours? If not – i.e., if there are at least a few kids who train with you and whose grades haven’t deteriorated – then is soccer really the problem?

Step #2: Identify the Root Cause of the Problem

Which brings us to step #2: identifying the root cause of the problem. Of course, to do that, you first need to list all the possible problems.

Let’s simplify the problem by eliminating soccer practice from the equation; or let’s just say that you don’t want to give up soccer or that your math grades have been bad from the start.

To identify the root cause of your problem, you need to break down the problem to its elementary parts. A good way to do this is by asking yourself the simple question: ““What types of math problems am I getting wrong?”

Now, it’s time to break the questions into categories – like algebra, fractions, and geometry – and compare the scores between categories.

Who knows what you’ll discover now?

It could be that your scores in fractions and algebra are flat, but it is your geometry scores that are giving the impression that math is not your cup of tea. In other words,

just looking at the average trend of the math grades as a whole won’t help you see what is really happening.

This will because you can break down the categories even further, going from geometry problems to problems with area and volume.

Do this until you reach the atomic parts of your problem.

And then move on to the next step.

Step #3: Develop an Effective Action Plan

The first two steps of the problem-solving approach will take you from “My math grades are going down, and I should quit soccer and study more math” to “My math grades are going down because I am not doing well in three topics: trapezoid area, cylinder volume, and Pythagorean theorem application.”

Needless to say, this latter formulation makes all the difference. Now, you are ready to develop an effective action plan, the result of which will be significantly different.

Because once you identify the root cause of the problem, the solution writes itself. “I need to study more math” is not an action plan; however, I need to revise the lessons about cylinder volume on Monday and solve a few Pythagorean theorem equations on Tuesday is.

As you can see, in this second-case scenario, you’ll know not only what to study, but how much time you’ll need to study it.

Suddenly, it becomes more than clear that soccer practice was never really the problem.

Step #4: Execute Until the Problem Is Solved

But the problem-solving process doesn’t end there; of course, once you devise an action plan, it’s only natural that you need to start executing it.

Would you just start waking up half an hour earlier or go to sleep half an hour later every day to practice the types of problems pointed above?

It’s up to you!

But once you start doing that, you’ll start seeing the results of your action plan as well.

And you know what?

They may not mean better grades.

This calls for modifications: maybe half an hour is not enough; or maybe you need some help from your parents, your teacher, or your friends; modify as necessary until you have something to work with.

And when you don’t have that anymore – start the process once again from Step #1.

Maybe you didn’t understand the situation well enough; even more probably, you may have not guessed the root cause of your problems. Maybe it wasn’t a string of geometry problems, but your inability to understand abstract concepts; or maybe it was your outdated or complex textbook.

But you know what?

After you’ve gone through the problem-solving process once, the second time you’re less likely to make a mistake – both with your identification and, consequently, your action plan.

Problem-Solving Tool Box

To ease your way around the problem-solving process, Ken Watanabe offers a toolbox of problem-solving methods which can help you identify the root cause of your problems and/or devise an appropriate and efficient action plan to eliminate it.

Watanabe defines a logic tree as “a visual tool that helps when you are trying to identify all the potential root causes of a problem and generate a wide variety of solutions.”

And it is exactly what you think it is: a branched-out tree which helps you visualize the subclasses – all of them – of your main problem.

Why should you do that?

Because, as Ludwig Wittgenstein noticed a century ago , language is not precise enough; also, it prevents you from seeing the whole image.

You already know how a logic tree looks like, but just to remind you: the trunk of math is branched into algebra, fractions, and geometry, the branch of geometry further into the branches of area and volume, and the branch of volume into cylinder volume, etc. etc.

Now, go make one for your problem!

Yes/No Tree

A yes/no tree is basically a specific kind of a logic tree.

“A yes/no tree,” writes Watanabe, “groups people or objects into buckets based on the answers to yes/no questions. By assigning everyone and everything involved to a bucket, you can more clearly see what the core issue is.”

By creating a yes/no tree, you structure the problem into all of its possible outcomes and generate a complete overview.

And that makes things a lot easier.

Problem-Solving Design Plan

The logic tree and the yes/no tree should help you a lot to understand your situation and identify all of the probable causes for your problems.

However, in order to identify your root cause and devise an action plan, you need to use the third device in Ken Watanabe’s magical toolbox: problem-solving design plan.

It is basically a table with five columns.

In the first you list all of the possible issues; in the second one, your hypothesis as to why these issues exist; in the third column insert a rationale for each issue; the fourth column is reserved for analysis/activities; the fifth one is optional: here you can put an information source (like a survey or an interview).

With a problem-solving design plan, you’ll spend less time guessing , and more time doing things.

Hypothesis Pyramid

“The hypothesis pyramid is a great tool for structuring your argument,” writes Watanabe.

“Using it to clarify your conclusion and rationale before diving into data collection and analysis will improve your productivity dramatically. It’s also useful for communicating your hypothesis to others.”

 The basic structure of a hypothesis pyramid is simple.

It places the conclusion/main message at the top and lists all the supporting rationales below, like the supporting bricks of a pyramid.

It’s basically each of the rows in a problem-design solving plan broken down further.

Pros and Cons

There are two tools that are very helpful when you need to evaluate multiple options and select the best one.

The first one is the one Ross uses to choose between Julie and Rachel : the pros and cons list.

To make one, you just need to follow these four simple steps:

#1. List all the options. #2. List the pros and cons of each of the options. #3. Weight each of the positive and negative points you listed. (Put, say, three pluses if it is a very attractive pro, and three minuses if it is very unattractive; and distribute the pros and cons between these two extremes; you can use a five-star rating as well, or a grading system from 0 to 5). #4. Select the most attractive option.

Criteria and Evaluation

You can use the criteria and emulation tool “to clarify which criteria, or qualifications, you should use to evaluate your options, decide the importance of each set of criteria, and effectively evaluate your options.”

The steps are:

#1. List all the options. #2. List the evaluation criteria. (For example, if you’re a soccer player choosing a school: a) quality of education; b) strength of the soccer team; c) distance to school; d) friends, etc.) #3. Decide the degree of importance of each criterion. (Use three levels: from low to high). #4. Evaluate each option based on the weighted criteria. (See #3 above.) #5. Select the most attractive option.

Key Lessons from “Problem Solving 101”

1.      Problem Solving Is a Skill – and It Can Be Learned 2.      Problem Solving Is a 4-Step Process 3.      Use These Instruments from Watanabe’s Problem-Solving Tool Box!

Problem Solving Is a Skill – and It Can Be Learned

“Problem solving isn’t a talent limited to the lucky few,” writes Ken Watanabe at the beginning of the book’s first chapter. “It’s actually a skill and a habit that you can learn.”

If your question is “then why don’t we learn this skill at school” – well, congratulations: you’ve just discovered the reason why Watanabe wrote this book in the first place.

“Although Japanese business leaders, educators, and politicians have long talked about the need for Japan to shift from ‘memorization-focused education’ to ‘problem-solving-focused education,’ no one had figured out a concrete and effective way to make this happen.”

Problem Solving 101 is Watanabe’s attempt.

And based on the reaction (of both Japan and the world) – it works.

Problem Solving Is a 4-Step Process

To master problem-solving, you just need to master these four steps:

#1. Understand the current situation; #2. Identify the root cause of the problem; #3. Develop an effective action plan; and #4. Execute until the problem is solved, making modifications as necessary.

Use These Instruments from Watanabe’s Problem-Solving Tool Box!

And to master the four steps of Watanabe’s problem-solving approach, you need no more than these six problem-solving instruments:

#1. Logic tree; #2. Yes/No tree; #3. Problem-solving design plan; #4. Hypothesis pyramid; #5. Pros and cons list; #6. Criteria and evaluation table.

Use them, and any decision will seem easier in the future.

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Problem Solving 101 Quotes

Final Notes

For reasons stated in the introduction, Problem Solving 101 is written in a way that makes it easy for a child to understand it; and it’s only 100 pages long – illustrations included.

But make no mistake: this is exactly why it is such a gem of a book! It is our feeling that you’ll live a much happier life if, whenever you’re faced with a problem or a big decision, you use the knowledge packed in this book.

“This book made me angry,” wrote Seth Godin in his review of Watanabe’s book. “It made me angry because there are so many people in this country who need to read it, who should read it, who will benefit enormously from reading it . . . and won’t. They’ll watch a reality show on TV instead. If everyone made decisions like Ken Watanabe, the world would be a better place.”

Well, it’s your turn now: buy this book, use its techniques, and make the world a better place.

Emir is the Head of Marketing  at 12min . In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.

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