Solving Tough Problems: An Open Way of Talking, Listening, and Creating New Realities

Weeks after finishing this book, I still marvel at Kahane's handling of a peculiar challenge: to describe for his readers a method of facing problems that cannot be solved with any predetermined methods. Kahane and his colleagues practice and describe an approach to working with difficult situations that asks everyone involved to collectively sense what has is latent (you can read about this in related books), and to act together, in concert, from the wholeness thereby sensed. These folks, as I'm sure anyone reading this review likely knows, are doing great work, but this book stands out even in this remarkable school of thought, at least for me, in one important way. It is one thing to advise us to be receptive so as to discern a way forward in the heat of a problematic situation; it is quite another to instill a capacity for doing so in the reader via the very flow, tone, and content of the text. Kahane does this, and this achievement is something magical, something even more compelling than the book's transparently described dynamics and ideas. How does he do it? Kahane writes with a combination of sincere honesty, vulnerability, and patient, open-ended observation of himself and others in various situations. As he observes his biography taking form, we observe him observing; we learn with him, and so are taken into his quest and into the emergence of his method. We see what it demands of a practitioner, and we see it bear fruit. We are taken into the inner space that precedes a breakthrough. The text takes us into the "mood" of tough problem solving: the reading of the text creates in us a living feeling for what the author describes conceptually. We are privy to an experience of the intangible, immanent, and burgeoning resource that Kahane seeks to tap in the actual moment and context of a tough problem, a resource that springs from the interior surfaces of the problematic itself. He is teaching us by osmosis, by immersion; this is the great and subtle harvest in this book. It is as if Kahane is suggesting that the silver lining is always latent - but he does this in such a way that we become, in the process of reading, silver lining seers.

This is a very unusual business strategy book on an esoteric topic: solving complex problems with scenario planning and analysis. Author Adam Kahane also discusses how change occurs in complicated social systems. Kahane, a conflict resolution consultant, shares a pivotal skill he learned at his former jobs with Royal Dutch/Shell and Pacific Gas & Electric. He learned how to address tangled problems with scenario analysis. He tried and, as his case histories testify, did not often succeed - to solve daunting problems in intractably troubled places, such as Paraguay, Colombia, South Africa and the Middle East. He admits his approach does not always work, though he has rare successes and frequent insights. Some of his strategy's separate steps, such as scenario planning and story telling, seem to function well on their own, but he has a tendency to de-link theory and practice. We recommend this unusual, instructive book to conflict managers, strategic planning executives and citizens who want to learn why profound national change must start at the individual level.

I found this book very valuable and refreshingly simple and clear. To write simply is a quality which I personally hold in great esteem, and simplicity tends to lead to greater profundity. I was very moved by the way Adam Kahane showed the development of his work through various practical scenarios in different countries. I was struck by the scale of what he has helped to bring about and achieve, and I was also struck just as much by his ruthless honesty and humility about the whole journey and what he has/and is learning as he develops over the years. He chronicles a real evolutionary path of greater and ever deeper humanity. I feel that so much depends on the depth of authenticity and humanity of the facilitator. I am very impressed and inspired by the work Adam is doing in the world, and especially by the scale of his projects in Generon. I was especially interested in the book where he talks about finding an agreement that goes beyond compromise - which goes beyond agreeing on ideas - and is about deeply agreeing on purpose. I very much enjoyed having the opportunity of reading this gem of a book. One mark of its enduring value, is that it has really made me think and question more and more about what works and why.

I have heard Adam Kahane speak twice, both memorable experience. The book provides the same insights in remarkably practical form. Adam's work has helped me, and many I have shared his insights with, to listen more opening and to understand and apply the communication form best suited to the moment and need. If you wonder why telling doesn't work, and debating goes no where you won't be disappointed in this short, clear read

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. Adam is an amazing storyteller, inviting the reader into his personal and very human journey; seeking to address a range of complex and difficult conflicts. Adam's profound learning about fostering deep transformation in groups and the power of diversity, is illuminated by his fascinating work in the corporate world, the Shell Scenario Planning process and attempts to resolve deep conflict in cross-border conversations in Columbia, Guatamala, Argentina etc. The book gives an insiders view on the Mont Fleur Scenario planning process, which brought together Apartheid leaders and leaders of the ANC and other key players in the struggle in the same room. The thinking they did together and the scenarios they developed, influenced the peaceful transition out of apartheid in South Africa. This book is a must read for anyone interested in systemic change and the power of conversation. I was left with the profound and simple realization that it starts with me, and my ability to be truly present to others. It also strengthened my faith in our collective ability as human beings to find new ways of being together as we face tremendous complexity in all of our communities. -Sera Thompson