Obliquity (Paperback)
Why our goals are best achieved indirectly
Buy from
An original, widely-applicable concept from one of the world's foremost economists. Tim Harford says it is 'persuasive, rigorous, creative and wise. Brilliant'.
If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. This is the concept of 'obliquity': paradoxical as it sounds, many goals are more likely to be achieved when pursued indirectly. The richest men and women are not the most materialistic; the happiest people are not necessarily those who focus on happiness, and the most profitable companies are not always the most profit-oriented as the recent financial crisis showed us.
Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult terrain. John Kay applies his provocative, universal theory to everything from international business to town planning and from football to managing forest fire.
Obliquity (Ebook)
Why our goals are best achieved indirectly
Buy from
An original, widely-applicable concept from one of the world's foremost economists. Tim Harford says it is 'persuasive, rigorous, creative and wise. Brilliant'.
If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. This is the concept of 'obliquity': paradoxical as it sounds, many goals are more likely to be achieved when pursued indirectly. The richest men and women are not the most materialistic; the happiest people are not necessarily those who focus on happiness, and the most profitable companies are not always the most profit-oriented as the recent financial crisis showed us.
Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult terrain. John Kay applies his provocative, universal theory to everything from international business to town planning and from football to managing forest fire.
Reviews for Obliquity
Jeremy Hazlehurst City AM
William Leith Evening Standard
Nassim N Taleb The Black Swan
Stephen Bayley, architecture and design correspondent Observer
Howard Davies Financial Times
Liam Halligan Spectator Business
John Kay
Sir John Kay is one of Britain's leading economists. A Fellow of the British Academy and Royal Society of Edinburgh, he was the founding dean of the Oxford Business School and has held chairs at London Business School and LSE. He is a winner of the Senior Wincott Award for Financial Journalism for his Financial Times columns. Other People's Money won the Saltire Prize and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing. His other books include Obliquity, The Long and Short of It, Greed is Dead and Radical Uncertainty.
Related books
The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century
John Kay
A radical reappraisal of the nature and activities of business – what it is for and how it works
The Long and the Short of It
John Kay
A clear and practical guide to investment by leading economist John Kay. Second revised and updated edition.
The Long and the Short of It (International edition)
John Kay
A clear and practical guide to investment by internationally renowned economist John Kay
Other People's Money
John Kay
A scathing and well-informed critique of the financial industry by leading economist John Kay