John kay if you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. He is the author of many articles and has contributed regularly to the financial times for over 20 years. John kay is a visiting professor at the london school of economics and a fellow of st. I used to tell my colleagues that if they wanted to make money, there were many easier ways to do it. In obliquity, john kay argues against my naive fiveyear plan. The dickinson quotation suggests as does the subtitle of john kay s book that there are situations in which goals are best achieved indirectly. John kay argues that economists faith in inflexible, universally applicable. It was inspired by an observation of the successful pharmaceutical.
Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows us that oblique approaches are the. A leading economist charts the indirect road to happiness and wealth. Perhaps the fault lies not with the world but with our concept of irrationality. To see what he is getting at lets take a look at some examples of important goals best achieved indirectly. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly kindle edition by john kay. He is a director of several public companies and contributes a weekly column to the financial times. John kay is a leading economist and visiting professor of economics at. Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of business, politics, science, sports, literature, even parenting, esteemed economist john kay proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical. The ideas and insights in this book is deep and meaningful. John kay is an admirable debunker of myths and false beliefs he can see substantial things others dont. Trying to approach nebulous targets like profit or happiness directly is a fools path.
Obliquity is the idea that goals are often best achieved when pursued. Economics with style as well as substance stephen bayley, architecture and design correspondent, observer. Its not an easy read for me because english is not my native language. The best way to achieve any complex or broadly defined goalfrom happiness to. Here he combines common sense and rigorous economic thinking in a number of essays on business and economic issuesthe competitiveness of uk plc, the stakeholder economy, business strategy, and corporate personality. His latest book, obliquity, was published by profile books in march. This is an elegant, simple book and, rarely for a business book, is written by a man who actually understands the academics and philosophers he quotes.
John kay is a director of several public and private companies. It is a pleasure to read howard davies financial times how rare is it for an academic economist to write with such clarity, intelligence and courage. John kay has 54 books on goodreads with 11836 ratings. It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it. John kay tells a fastpaced detective story as he searches for the surprising secret to success. John anderson kay, cbe, frse, fba, facss born 1948 is a british economist. The best nine quid youll spend this year jeremy hazlehurst city am a smart, witty book william leith evening standard john kay is an admirable debunker of myths and false. This book teaches the it architecture practitioner how to align the different. If you truly study the material, observe it and put it to use in your own life, you will be amazed by the results.
It doesnt purport to suggest that goals are always best achieved without intending them. John kay is a visiting professor at the london school of economics, and a fellow of st john s college, oxford. He was the first dean of oxfords said business school and has held chairs at london business school, the university of oxford, and the london school of economics. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows us that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in.
This seemingly counterintuitive idea is the subject of john kays very interesting book obliquity. In this revolutionary book, economist john kay proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical. Leading economist john kay applies his provocative universal theory to a variety of complex systems, including business and communities. As the director, he established the institute for fiscal studies as one of britains most respected think tanks. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading obliquity. There is a role for carrots and sticks, but to rely on carrots and sticks alone is effective. This book by the distinguished economist and writer john kay is an extended essay about an idea which is intuitively true. John kay s most popular book is other peoples money.
Im fairly certain that i saw and picked up obliquity on a trip through heathrow. All of john s books are available to purchase via this webpage. Nassim n taleb the black swan economics with style as well as substance stephen bayley, architecture and design correspondent observer obliquity is a characteristic john kay production. This explains why the most profitable companies are not the most aggressive in chasing profits, the wealthiest men and women are not the most materialistic. A summary of obliquity by john kay summarised by paul. In obliquity, john kay an economist of some stature explains why the right path is often less obvious and frequently unpredictable in the literal sense of not being able to. We are not totally rational in our decisionmaking hence rational approaches do not. What are the key takeaways from obliquity book by john. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult. No one will be buried with the epitaph he maximised shareholder value. His books include foundations of corporate success 1993, the truth about markets 2003 and obliquity 2011. I came across this book by accident in a book fair. About obliquity john kay tells a fastpaced detective story as he searches for the surprising secret to successbrilliant. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly is a book by economist john kay.
There is a role for carrots and sticks, but to rely on carrots and sticks alone is effective only when we employ donkeys and when goals are simple. The great muckraker upton sinclair had expressed a deep insight into the relationship between the world of ideas and the world of practical men. I used to tell my colleagues that if they wanted to make money, there were many easier ways to do it than drug research. This is an original, widelyapplicable concept from one of the worlds foremost economists. John kay, english machinist and engineer, inventor of the flying shuttle, which was an important step toward automatic weaving. It was inspired by an observation of the successful pharmaceutical researcher, sir james black. As john kay pointed out, we can only learn about our objectives and how to achieve them through a gradual process of risk taking and discovery what he calls obliquity. John kay is a leading economist and visiting professor of economics at the london school of economics, a fellow of st john s college, oxford. If you could recommend only one book for me to read.
This book effectively throws a monkey wrench into the gears of 99% of business selfimprovement management philosophies out there. See all 3 formats and editions hide other formats and. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Using a diverse range of examples, from the messenger spacecraft to french architecture, this essay explains why complex goals are best achieved when they are pursued indirectly. So boeings civil orderbook today lags that of airbus, the european. If people are predictably irrational, perhaps they are not irrational at all. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly by john kay online at alibris. Obliquity is relevant whenever complex systems evolve in an uncertain environment, and whenever the effect of our actions depends on the ways in which others respond to them.
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