Creating Great Choices: A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking

In 2007, Martin (academic director, Martin Prosperity Inst., Rotman Sch. of Management, Univ. of Toronto) penned the book The Opposable Mind: Winning Through Integrative Thinking. This new work, coauthored with Riel (management, Rotman Sch. of Management, Univ. of Toronto), is an evolution of its earlier, more conceptual predecessor, retooled as a practical how-to. Drawing on examples of integrative decision-making from the world of LEGO to the Toronto International Film Festival to the construction of hydroelectric power plants, the authors dive into decisions that at first glance seem to be lose-lose situations. By presenting a system that evaluates opposing options and creatively generates alternative paths, they have built a workable structure to assist in those no-win circumstances. They successfully present the information in a clear fashion, which allows the reader to move toward great choices in times when there seem there be none. While the authors make no guarantee that following their steps will work every time, they offer a solid starting point from which anyone can benefit.