Creative Computer Software for Strategic Thinking and Decision Making: A Guide for Senior...

By Robert J. Thierauf. Quorum Books. 1993. 321 pages. Available from the Futurist Bookstore for $49.95 ($44.95 for Society members), cat. no. B-1690. To order, use the coupon on page 47.

The computer will not do managers' thinking for them, but it will help them to improve what they

Creativity is part of a new business paradigm, "a new framework for seeing and understanding business," says Thierauf in this guide to software for creative thinking. One reason many U.S. managers are not creative, he believes, is that schools now emphasize critical, or analytical, thinking, which focuses on "what is" rather than "what could be." Fortunately, computers "can be an important means for assisting managers in doing what they do better when employing a creative thinking approach," he says.

Among the specific computer programs that the book explores are IdeaFisher 4.0 from Fisher Idea Systems, Idea Generator Plus from Experience in Software, and MindLink from MindLink, Inc. Thierauf shows how each is set up, how it is used, and what successes some managers have had using the software. The book also examines new technologies such as electronic meeting rooms and virtual reality, as well as applications of creativity and information technologies in marketing, manufacturing, and accounting.

Creative Computing Software for Strategic Thinking and Decision Making is clearly organized and lucidly written, making it a valuable reasource for any manager interested in using creativity as a tool for improving business.