Playback does not bring payback
Management: People who serve on boards of directors, consult for companies, and write business books don't have to wear pinstripe suits.
And this is how Jonas Ridderstråle and Kjell A. Nordström also perform. Their
Appearances in front of pinstripe wearers and doubters around the globe
are what they themselves call gigs. When the two Swedes, who work at the
renowned Stockholm School of Economics, teach about economic and
socio-political issues, the halls are packed to the rafters.
last seat full - just like Robbie Williams. Only they can sing
obviously not quite as good as Robbie ... maybe her new one is called
Book about "karaoke capitalism".
Despite their appearance - Ridderstråle and Nordström have both
shaved bald, prefer to wear black leather and are
outwardly hard to tell apart - they are welcome (and
probably also expensively paid) guests in numerous carpeted floors. They
advise corporations, sit on boards of directors and compete
management seminars. Financial Times, Fortune, Paris Match or
Time magazine reports on them on the front page, CNN in the
Primetime. And this,
even though they write business books. Not exactly sexy, you might think.
The thoughts, ideas and considerations of Ridderstråle and Nordström
are not really sexy either. And anything but new. A guiding principle
the Swedes is not to reinvent the wheel, but to make the old new.
to combine them. This is exactly what the two do skillfully and successfully: their
His first book, "Funky Business", sold more than 250,000 copies,
"Karaoke capitalism" continues despite Harry Potter and Christmas sales
at number 675 in the Amazon sales charts. Ridderstråle and Nordström
prove in practice how well their theory works.
"Playback doesn't bring payback" is the refrain of the
Management lateral thinkers in their latest hit. As in showbiz, it is also
in management: Cover versions are usually just a copy of the
Originals. Unless the original is covered, deconstructed and new
interpreted, as the American new wave band Devo did with
"Satisfaction" by the Stones. Cover versions like this
is what Ridderstråle and Nordström probably meant when they wrote that the wheel
does not have to be reinvented.
Nor have they. They don't write anything fundamentally new, but
you get to the heart of the matter more clearly than anyone else so far. A
An example from the ten commandments of karaoke management is point 5: You
shall love all, and you will be loved by all. That's what
my mother had already given me along the way, only she said, "how to get into
If you call into the forest, it will come out". In contrast to my
mother (and to American management gurus in particular) say
respectively write Jonas Ridderstråle and Kjell A. Nordström respectively,
what they think. And in a language that everyone understands,
even without having to know much about business and/or management.
Nevertheless, her new book is not without its flaws. Her stocktaking,
Analyses and forecasts are razor-sharp. You have plenty of figures,
data, statistics and facts to illustrate their often
provocative hypotheses. They are neither
prophets of the end of the world nor disciples of unlimited growth; they
observe without prejudice and draw their conclusions about how our world is changing.
and the economy tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. And they
denounce what they believe is wrong with our system: the
Mediocrity rules and prevents each and every one of us from becoming
unfold. For Ridderstråle and Nordström, individuality is the
key to success; for the economy in general and for the
companies and people in particular.
"Karaoke capitalism" reads easily, not like many others
Business books. The two lateral management thinkers tackle controversial
topics and take a pointed stand. Often provocative, mostly
uncompromising, but always inspiring. And because life and work
Ridderstråles and Nordströms are also a textbook example of successful
self-marketing, the book is not only suitable for managers.
Roger Hausmann
