Whether you are a student or a working professional, you can benefit from being better at solving the complex problems that come up in your life. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving provides a general framework and the necessary tools to help you do so. Based on his groundbreaking course at Rice University, engineer and former strategy consultant Arnaud Chevallier provides practical ways to develop problem solving skills, such as investigating complex questions with issue maps, using logic to promote creativity, leveraging analogical thinking to approach unfamiliar problems, and managing diverse groups to foster innovation. This book breaks down the resolution process into four steps: 1) frame the problem (identifying what needs to be done), 2) diagnose it (identifying why there is a problem, or why it hasn't been solved yet), 3) identify and select potential solutions (identifying how to solve the problem), and 4) implement and monitor the solution (resolving the problem, the 'do'). For each of these four steps - the what, why, how, and do - this book explains techniques that promotes success and demonstrates how to apply them on a case study and in additional examples. The featured case study guides you through the resolution process, illustrates how these concepts apply, and creates a concrete image to facilitate recollection. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving is a tool kit that integrates knowledge based on both theoretical and empirical evidence from many disciplines, and explains it in accessible terms. As the book guides you through the various stages of solving complex problems, it also provides useful templates so that you can easily apply these approaches to your own personal projects. With this book, you don't just learn about problem solving, but how to actually do it.

An overview of strategic thinking in complex problem solving -- Frame the problem -- Identify potential root causes -- Determine the actual cause(s) -- Identify potential solutions -- Select a solution -- Sell the solution--communicate effectively -- Implement and monitor the solution -- Dealing with complications and wrap up.

This updated and revitalized edition is a unique primer on how successful strategists learn to think strategically. The author impels students, executives and policy leaders to expand their focus beyond a strategic planning model to a more expansive and complex notion of strategy that includes strategic thinking as a response to innovation needs and perpetual change. This authoritative book traces the history of strategy, differentiates strategic thinking from strategic planning, describes the influence of culture, streamlines the roles of rationality and intuition and identifies five key attributes for learning to thinking strategically. Learning to Think Strategically asserts that learning is the critical link to transforming strategic thinking into a sustainable competitive advantage. Sloan presents a previously unexamined account of the relationship between strategic thinking and the learning process involved — taking learning from the academic to the everyday.

Mastering Critical Thinking for Personal Growth by Aishwary Singh is your comprehensive guide to developing essential critical thinking skills that can transform every aspect of your life. Through practical techniques, real-world examples, and exercises, this book empowers readers to make better decisions, solve problems effectively, and foster a growth mindset. Whether you're navigating complex professional challenges or personal situations, the insights in this book will help you think clearly, adapt to new information, and achieve meaningful growth. Unlock the power of critical thinking and take control of your personal and professional development.

This volume presents a state-of-the-science review of the most promising current European research -- and its historic roots of research -- on complex problem solving (CPS) in Europe. It is an attempt to close the knowledge gap among American scholars regarding the European approach to understanding CPS. Although most of the American researchers are well aware of the fact that CPS has been a very active research area in Europe for quite some time, they do not know any specifics about even the most important research. Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge is undoubtedly the fact that European researchers -- for the most part -- have been rather reluctant to publish their work in English-language journals. The book concentrates on European research because the basic approach European scholars have taken to studying CPS is very different from one taken by North American researchers. Traditionally, American scholars have been studying CPS in "natural" domains -- physics, reading, writing, and chess playing -- concentrating primarily on exploring novice-expert differences and the acquisition of a complex skill. European scholars, in contrast, have been primarily concerned with problem solving behavior in artificially generated, mostly computerized, complex systems. While the American approach has the advantage of high external validity, the European approach has the advantage of system variables that can be systematically manipulated to reveal the effects of system parameters on CPS behavior. The two approaches are thus best viewed as complementing each other. This volume contains contributions from four European countries -- Sweden, Switzerland, Great Britain, and Germany. As such, it accurately represents the bulk of empirical research on CPS which has been conducted in Europe. An international cooperation started two years ago with the goal of bringing the European research on complex problem solving to the awareness of American scholars. A direct result of that effort, the contributions to this book are both informative and comprehensive.

How did John F. Kennedy put a man on the moon in just under ten years? What can chess teach us about actionable insights? And why should you shake up a business at a time of great success? All of these questions have their answer in strategic thinking. But what is strategic thinking exactly? Are we born with it, or can we nurture it? As a distinct and important capability in leaders, strategic thinking is a remarkably poorly defined, little understood concept, confined to management courses and board meetings. But in The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, world-renowned expert Michael Watkins shows leaders how they can benefit from it, as long as they have the tools to nurture it. Exploring the six specific mental disciplines that together constitute strategic thinking, each chapter shows how they can create value, and offers prescriptions on how to develop the strategic thinking mindset ourselves. Academically grounded but jargon-free, with real-world examples from all sectors and ages, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking assesses our innate ability to think strategically, and helps us to cultivate it, leading to better decisions that get proven results.

When you find the career that fits your personality, you’ll discover that the work hours you once begrudged with every fiber of your being now bring you tremendous satisfaction and success. Is your job just a way to pay the bills? Are you a drudge Monday through Friday only so you can be more yourself on Saturday? It doesn’t have to be this way! Never before in history has there been such an eclectic variety of money-making opportunities and cutting-edge vocations than there are in today’s marketplace. There is no need to settle! Career Match contains the ten-minute self-assessment that can change your life. After a simple quiz to determine your personality style, turn to the corresponding chapter that reads as if it was written just for you and discover what ideal work options there are for you. In this invaluable resource for all personalities, you will learn how to: Identify career choices that will exhilarate you Recognize the type of work environment and boss you need to thrive Learn to leverage your natural strengths Customize and speed your job search This second edition has been updated to include trending new careers in areas such as gaming, web design, alternative energy, cybersecurity, food science, and more. Whether you are a recent graduate looking for direction or a burned-out veteran seeking new inspiration, Career Match will help you match who you are with what you’re meant to do--with a success rate vastly greater than that of your typical match maker!

The conference proceedings - International Academic Conference in Prague 2018 (May)

This essential playbook shows how companies can scale success by coupling digital strategies with an investment in the health of their organizations and the people within. To scale and grow, a company must get the organizational elements right. That begins with having the right strategy, the right leadership to drive it, and the right talent, culture, and organizational design to realize a company's potential. This is especially true in the AI era, where a company's most valuable assets are its people. To begin with, leaders must rethink their value creation strategies. To hone their organizational edge, leaders must prioritize their organization's health in seven vital areas: strategic direction, culture, leadership, talent, organizational design, EID (equity, inclusion, and diversity), and well-being. No matter what type or size of business, those essential conditions must be leveraged for increased value and growth. Put simply: organizational matters matter. To hone their digital edge, leaders must understand AI, as advances in technology allow leaders to build organizations that can compete and win in the future. Finally, an investor mindset will enable leaders to invest wisely in the technology (and leverage that tech) that sets their organizations apart.

Since test items are the building blocks of any test, learning how to develop and validate test items has always been critical to the teaching-learning process. As they grow in importance and use, testing programs increasingly supplement the use of selected-response (multiple-choice) items with constructed-response formats. This trend is expected to continue. As a result, a new item writing book is needed, one that provides comprehensive coverage of both types of items and of the validity theory underlying them. This book is an outgrowth of the author’s previous book, Developing and Validating Multiple-Choice Test Items, 3e (Haladyna, 2004). That book achieved distinction as the leading source of guidance on creating and validating selected-response test items. Like its predecessor, the content of this new book is based on both an extensive review of the literature and on its author’s long experience in the testing field. It is very timely in this era of burgeoning testing programs, especially when these items are delivered in a computer-based environment. Key features include ... Comprehensive and Flexible – No other book so thoroughly covers the field of test item development and its various applications. Focus on Validity – Validity, the most important consideration in testing, is stressed throughout and is based on the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, currently under revision by AERA, APA, and NCME Illustrative Examples – The book presents various selected and constructed response formats and uses many examples to illustrate correct and incorrect ways of writing items. Strategies for training item writers and developing large numbers of items using algorithms and other item-generating methods are also presented. Based on Theory and Research – A comprehensive review and synthesis of existing research runs throughout the book and complements the expertise of its authors.