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erikars's review
5.0
I read this book as part of my personal development goals at work. Much of the value of this book is working through the exercises throughout, so if you are really interested in the material, you should read it for yourself. My full summary, including a description of all the blocks Adams describes and how to avoid them can be found here.
Adams motivation in writing this book is to introduce people to ways to improve their idea generating ability. Adams makes the claim that having good ideas does not require genius (although that does not hurt). Most people fail to have good ideas because of conceptual blocks. A conceptual block is anything that blocks someone from having a good idea.
The first half of the book describes different types of conceptual blocks and contains a number of exercises to help the reader understand the blocks and how to avoid them. Some of the exercises are best done with more than one person; I was not able to do those.
The second half of the book discuses strategies for overcoming conceptual blocks on the individual, group, and organizational level. Although the first half the book also talks about how to avoid blocks, the second half of the book goes into more detail about specific strategies for avoiding blocks.
Not all blocks apply to all people. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Some blocks will seem nonsensical and learning about others may feel like a revelation.
It is also important to note that Adams does not claim that creativity is the be all and end all. However, he chose to focus on creativity in his book because he feels that, in the context of the group he is writing for (Americans with at least a fairly decent education), creativity is an underdeveloped skill compared to rationality and diligent hard work. All of these factors are important for success. First you need to have a creative idea, then you need to check whether or not it is reasonable, and then you need to implement it.
Adams has written a book that manages to cram a lot of information on creativity into 200 pages. He is clear about which of his statements are scientifically justified, which are justified by his experience and the experience of others, and which are just his own ideas. Overall, the book provides an accessible and concise overview of different blocks to creativity and how to overcome them. (Plus, the exercises are fun!)
Adams motivation in writing this book is to introduce people to ways to improve their idea generating ability. Adams makes the claim that having good ideas does not require genius (although that does not hurt). Most people fail to have good ideas because of conceptual blocks. A conceptual block is anything that blocks someone from having a good idea.
The first half of the book describes different types of conceptual blocks and contains a number of exercises to help the reader understand the blocks and how to avoid them. Some of the exercises are best done with more than one person; I was not able to do those.
The second half of the book discuses strategies for overcoming conceptual blocks on the individual, group, and organizational level. Although the first half the book also talks about how to avoid blocks, the second half of the book goes into more detail about specific strategies for avoiding blocks.
Not all blocks apply to all people. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Some blocks will seem nonsensical and learning about others may feel like a revelation.
It is also important to note that Adams does not claim that creativity is the be all and end all. However, he chose to focus on creativity in his book because he feels that, in the context of the group he is writing for (Americans with at least a fairly decent education), creativity is an underdeveloped skill compared to rationality and diligent hard work. All of these factors are important for success. First you need to have a creative idea, then you need to check whether or not it is reasonable, and then you need to implement it.
Adams has written a book that manages to cram a lot of information on creativity into 200 pages. He is clear about which of his statements are scientifically justified, which are justified by his experience and the experience of others, and which are just his own ideas. Overall, the book provides an accessible and concise overview of different blocks to creativity and how to overcome them. (Plus, the exercises are fun!)
positron23's review against another edition
4.0
The material is good and the author's voice is easygoing. However, the book itself was a dense read for me that took a year and a half to finish. There's so much to go through and think about that it is hard to read a lot at once. Even now that I'm done, I wish there were podcasts or YouTube videos of the professor's lectures that I could listen to in addition to reading because I still don't think I have had enough exposure to the material to make it stick.
gautamgopalk's review against another edition
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
Conceptual Blockbusting by James L. Adams is an enjoyable book which makes the reader think about thinking. It is a short book and quite fun to read. There are some good works of art, doodles and cartoons that accompany various chapters (which more books should have). The subject matter of the book is about creativity and making the reader cognizant about the thought process.
The ardent reader with interests about this can meditate on their own ways of thinking and strive to improve them through what is contained in this book. The narrative is laced with suggested group exercises, many of which seem fun and could serve as party games (apart from highlighting various aspects of creativity and thinking).
The ardent reader with interests about this can meditate on their own ways of thinking and strive to improve them through what is contained in this book. The narrative is laced with suggested group exercises, many of which seem fun and could serve as party games (apart from highlighting various aspects of creativity and thinking).
trillium9's review against another edition
4.0
I read this one for a class. It definitely has some interesting brain teasers and questions the way you formulate and solve problems. My main criticism would be that it's hard to see how it really fits into other literature I've read about the engineering problem solving process, management, etc. But perhaps that's the point.
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