Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

I'm not sure entirely who is expected to buy this latest book by Tim Harford, but I wonder if the person-in-the-street, such as myself, might just be a suitable audience, rather than other economists.

My knowledge of economics is extremely basic. I've read some of a book (in German) by a German economist friend, and I listen to More or Less on Radio 4, which is of course presented by Tim Harford. His excellent presentation style on that programme made me pick up this book with some anticipation.

I wasn't disappointed. The same friendly, chatty style appears throughout this book. Things are explained clearly and efficiently and you aren't left feeling like you're a bit thick if you aren't conversant with the latest economic theory. The book abounds with examples in daily life of what he's talking about, whether it's military engagements by the US army or employee benefits in Timpsons the keycutters. It made the book always interesting and lent authority to his arguments.

The book is very well structured with chapters dealing with overall situations (such as the Afghanistan/Iraq wars, climate change, the financial crisis, business structure) but broken down into many subheadings which mean it's easy to pick the book up and read for a few minutes without completely losing the thread. Tim Harford's research and wide-ranging knowledge help to make this a fascinating read.

I did feel that at times there was a fairly black and white presentation of events, particularly with regard to the hugely complex Afghanistan conflict. It was as if "it was all going wrong, and then someone adapted/came up with a new plan and now it's great." Undoubtedly many of these adaptations made a significant difference but I wasn't convinced they were quite as magic-bullet as I felt they were portrayed. Another example is talking about the way some companies are structured. One of the companies mentioned in glowing terms throughout is one that an acquaintance works for and their story is somewhat different about life in that business. As always, there are many facets of each situation and life is complex but I felt that this didn't always come across in this book.

However, for an economics newbie such as myself it was a really good introduction to Harford's theme of adaptation - that innovation and variety are key to the health of economies, businesses, and more.

This book starts really well with an interesting take on the idea that many successes arise from trial and error, and it's important to learn from what doesn't work. Tim Harford gives some novel examples on how individuals have managed to overcome "group think" and achieved success by breaking the established mode of doing things. Unfortunately, after a few chapters, I felt that there was some repetition and the book lost it's "aliveness". It seemed as though he had an idea for a book but then ran out things to say, so kept saying the same thing in a different way. Perhaps would have been better for being a shorter book with less repetition

The author, Tim Harford, works at the Financial Times and presents the excellent Radio 4 program More or Less (Statistics and numbers in the Public Eye, wrestled to the ground). Adapt is a well researched and readable book that explores the concept of the need for failure in order to thrive on a Market, Corporate and Personal level. He brings together some solid thinking on what we need to do to bring that concept into successful practice.

Many books in the "business" or "personal achievement" shelves will use a simple but eye-catching phrase as the basis of their Life Elixir, and then dredge up plenty of repetitive anecdotal evidence to support it. Not Adapt. In this book, Tim stays "loyal to his readers", by using rigorous studies and trials reported in the public domain to support the work.

I am a consultant, and consultants have a small reference in the work. After 30 years working in Industry, I find that pragmatic advice, and a good appreciation of "you've got to be in it to win", i.e. survive and you get a chance to be successful, falter and you have no chance, is much more completely explored by Tim in this book.

I recommend this book from the shelf.