The Wright Way
By Mark Eppler
Amacom, 205 pages, $32.95
If you had walked past the bicycle shop on West Third Street in Dayton, Ohio, during the summer of 1900, you would have been startled to hear two high-pitched voices yelling at each other at the top of their lungs. To the untrained ear, it was mayhem, but to neighbours it was just the routine sounds of the Wright brothers on the path to discovery.
Much has been written about the Wright brothers but Mark Eppler, a former marketing executive who has taught business and management at Indiana University, adds to the literature in The Wright Way by taking a look at how the problem-solving model they applied allowed two amateurs with only the modest funds from their bicycle shop's profits to beat a host of scientists with big bankrolls.
"The Wright Way is a set of seven problem-solving principles culled from the extraordinary accomplishment of Wilbur and Orville Wright, who achieved an 'impossible' goal when they discovered the solution to manned flight," he says.
The seven principles are:
Forging: The principle of constructive conflict. Like a blacksmith at a forge, the Wright brothers, through rigorous debate, subjected ideas to the "heat" of discussion and the "blows" of contention until a practical solution began to take shape. They had learned as children to debate issues after dinner, but their father would make them after time switch sides, a technique that they continued more naturally into adulthood. They never held too tightly to a position, always respectfully considering the other's ideas, and were willing to switch over and build on the other concepts. "Constructive conflict was an important part of their collaborative effort, one that influenced every aspect of their work. They became, in effect, a two-man brainstorming team with prolific output," he notes.
Tackling the tyrant: The principle of worst things first. Instead of hoping some solution would arise along the way to the toughest problem of flight -- control and balance -- they attacked it first. By putting the worst issue first, you control costs should a solution not be found.
Fiddling: The principle of inveterate tinkering. Like kids with Lego, they constantly tinkered with portions of a problem in an effort to understand it, repair it, or make it better. They tinkered in three ways: tactile, at their workbench, trying to find mechanical solutions to flight; conceptually, trying to visualize the ultimate solution; and finally a combination of tactile and conceptual, as in the key moment Wilbur was absent-mindedly twisting an inner tube box and realized the way it rotated held the key to controlling a flying machine.
Mind-warping: The principle of rigid flexibility. They knew how to think "outside the box" -- but without abandoning the box. "If creativity represents the flexible mind at work, the box represents the structure needed to give that creativity purposeful form," he notes.
Relentless preparation: The principle of forever learning. The Wright brothers were inveterate readers, always gathering new ideas and information. When they got interested in flight, they read everything on the subject first.
Measuring twice: The principle of methodical meticulousness. The fastest and most efficient way to solve a problem is by being careful and systematic in your approach. Indeed, they were so methodical that the historic photo of the first flight was taken by a lifeguard who had never taken a picture before in his life but Orville had stationed the camera exactly where he figured out they would take off.
Force multiplication: The principle of equitable teamwork. Output increases exponentially through teamwork in which, like the two Wright brothers, there is true equality and synchronicity.
Those ideas won't blow you away with that summation, but in the book, through telling the story of the Wright brothers, Mr. Eppler makes them come alive and shows how important they can be. I've tired on recent books based on historical figures but this reignited my enthusiasm: It provides a fascinating historical guide into two intriguing figures, as well as some valuable lessons for business.
In Addition: Management Powertools (McGraw-Hill, 284 pages, $31.95) by Australian management consultant Harry Onsman provides an informative guide to 20 powerful management techniques, including Porter's five forces analysis, key performance indicators and the Balanced Scorecard, scenario planning, the competing values framework, SERVQUAL customer surveys, Pareto analysis, multirater feedback, and coaching. The main elements are explained, research showing efficacy discussed, and relevant materials presented as well as a step-by-step guide to implementation. The result is a highly useful addition to the manager's bookshelf.
Just In: I Should Be Burnt Out By Now. . . So How Come I'm Not? (John Wiley, 213 pages, $29.95) by Peg Neuhauser, Ray Bender and Kirk Stromberg shows how to thrive in today's stressful world of work.
Global Profit and Global Justice (New Society, 228 pages, $23.95) by Deb Abbey, founder and CEO of Real Assets, a Canadian firm that focuses on social impact investing, looks at how to use your money to change the world through investing, consumer power, influencing your pension plan, and venture philanthropy initiatives.
Angie Mohr, a Waterloo, Ont.-based accountant, provides small business with a handbook for getting a grip on their numbers in Financial Management 101 (Self-Counsel Press, 153 pages, $19.95)
Harvey Schachter