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52 | january/february 2015 | Facilities Manager the bookshelf DAVID AND GOLIATH: UNDERDOGS, MISFITS, AND THE ART OF BATTLING GIANTS Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 2013, 321 pp., hardcover $29, softcover, $14.99 Kindle. M alcolm Gladwell has developed a habit of writing about people who do things differently and succeed. Books such as Outliers and Blink have been reviewed here previously, and Gladwell's ability to look things in unique ways and to describe them clearly comes through again. In David and Goliath, Gladwell looks at the actions of various underdogs who have beaten the odds and succeeded by tackling a problem or situation us- ing unconventional techniques. In the case of David, a Jewish shepherd boy who volunteered to take on the Philis- tine giant Goliath, the unconventional technique was to appear defenseless and use a weapon that was not a typical fighting technique to defeat the giant. Essentially, the giant was expecting to fight a relatively large and armed Jewish soldier. None were as large as Goliath, which meant that the Hebrews would be defeated and become enslaved. David, who was a small and lowly shepherd, volunteered and fooled Goliath by at- tacking him with a sling and five stones. Gladwell identifies several mitigating factors that allowed David's approach to succeed. Using the David and Goliath story as an introduction to several other stories about unconventional methods to over- come adversity provides an interesting theme. Some of the stories are disturb- ing and help explain some recent history, editorials, and news reporting by discuss- ing some under-reported information. But what's the big picture and why did Gladwell bother, again, to look at things differently? A lot of it has to do with problem dissection and selection of a solution in one's comfort zone. In hindsight, it's arguable that Gladwell only selected the problem/solution pairs where the winner got lucky (or had God on their side). There are certainly many stories where an unconventional approach didn't succeed. Also, in the David and Goliath story, there's a lot of new infor- mation provided that David wouldn't have had available in his decision-making process. I'd argue that identification of the problem is the first essential step, and that once having clearly defined the problem, any (although in these exam- ples unusual) solution will work. David and Goliath, like Gladwell's other work, is a pleasant read. He writes well, frames complex issues clearly, and provides a compelling message. But the take-away is that successful outcomes don't always come from solutions that we're accustomed to and comfortable with. Successful outcomes are the result of thinking through the problem and applying a solution with skill. WIDE OPEN WORKSPACE: TRAILBLAZING SOLUTIONS FOR TOMORROW'S WORKFORCE Elizabeth Dukes and Don Traweek, WCT Publishing, Seabrook, TX, 2014, 138 pp., hardcover $22.95. T he work world is changing. If you haven't seen it yet, you will. Consultants work out of Starbucks, poets work out of Panera, and other mobile workers do their work in other Book Review Editor: Theodore J. Weidner, Ph.D., P.E., CEFP, AIA We've left the old year behind, and now look to the new. Included with leaving the old is also leaving behind old ideas, and old ways of looking at things. It's therefore fitting to discuss two books that examine new (or different) ideas and ways of looking at things. Get ready for the New Year, and grab these books.