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Amazon.co.uk Review
Oh dear--a book called Funky Business by two Swedish academics. At first glance it has all the allure of Benny and Bjorn's (from Abba) sadly never released concept album about life as a middle manger in a multinational conglomerate. There is something very earnestly hip about the way that Kjell Nordstrom and Jonas Ridderstrale of the Stockholm School Of Economics present themselves. "They do gigs not seminars. These gigs sell out. They have shaved heads and wear black", says the blurb.
But that's what makes Funky Business worth reading. It's not so much the novelty of its argument--which boils down to the idea that in an oversupplied world, ideas are what separate successful companies and successful individuals from the failures. It is the vitality of the argument and, dare I say it, the rhythm of the language that make it so compelling. "Traditional roles, jobs, skills, ways of doing things, insights, strategies, aspirations, fears and expectations no longer count. In this environment we cannot have business as usual. We need business as unusual. We need different business. We need innovative business. We need unpredictable business. We need surprising business. We need funky business."
The book, which is almost a virtuoso display of rhetoric and intellectual power, bursts at the seams with the exuberant force of its argument and the weight of its highly colourful supporting evidence. Sources quoted range from the Pope to the Prodigy. Funky Inc, they say, "isn't like any other company. It is not a dull, old conglomerate. It is not a rigid bureaucracy. It is an organisation that actually thrives on the changing circumstances and unpredictability of our times."
This is great entertainment. But the slick veneer does not invalidate the way that the book pulls together many existing strands of thought about how business is developing and evokes a coherent and intriguing vision of a future whose main feature will be incoherence.
This really is one for all the family. Or at least all those old enough to have a job. --Alex Benady --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Professional Manager
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Or Funky Business, to be more precise
It is full of hyperbole, is at times intensely irritating, and includes nothing I did not know before...but it is packed with great stories, examples, jokes and for a pair of assistant professors from Stockholm its a very entertaining read. They get it completely... Its a pre-bust book which still makes sense post bust. The points they make about knowing who you are and what you do (at the individual and organisational level) are also spot on.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The books is great just for the cover alone. Its a pop music business book where you are relieved to find in depth knowledge rather than mere consultant superficiality. I enjoyed it (even if they do attempt everything just to try and shock) even if Thriving on Chaos by Tom Peters did it first. If you want ANSWERS to some of these problems you couldn't do better than E-CUSTOMER by Max Mckeown. I bought it and found a similar level of POW! but the ideas brought to focus on becoming much more successful as a business. Funky E-Customerize yourself to profits.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A really stimulating book this, and I think that some of my fellow reviewers may be missing the point here. This book is all about immersing yourself in the underlying spirit of the human economy - think of it as the new manifesto for companies and individuals who can compete on being different and compete on economies of soul. What it is not is a bandwagon book about the dot com "new economy". That may or may not have come off the rails, but if you actually read this book (and it's not hard - this is engaging stuff) you'll find out that it doesn't talk about hyped dot coms at all. This is about diversity, creativity and competing on personality. Like the Cluetrain Manifesto and No Logo, this won't deliver a big checklist, but it will make you think afresh about business. Funky Business might even just make you feel excited about business life again. When's the last time a business book made you feel that?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Entertaining and Great book
When I bought It I didn't expect it to be that funny and...different. Maybe I expected a technique similar to a novel, but I was gratefully surprised. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Rafael Muñoz
monkey business
Yet another example of gobbledegook from the unreal world of business ideas. See Francis Wheen's book, "How Mumbo-Jumbo conquered the world", for many more examples. Read more
Published 17 months ago by R. Schulz
Funky business is fun but not particularly enlightening
This book was recommended to me by a colleague when we were discussing Blue Ocean Strategy. Unlike most business books its quite an easy read and has some witty and amusing... Read more
Published on 4 Oct 2009 by Amelia Wilson
Interesting Read
Bought this book to look for ideas and I have found it very thought provoking. I have ended up with more questions than answers but that is a good place to be. Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2009 by Lesleyg
no substance
I bought the book for a train travel and I ended up throwing it to the garbage bin and enjoying the view. Read more
Published on 9 July 2008 by Jorge Gonzalez Alvarez
Go on, get inspired
Ok put it simply... I L O V E this book.
And yeah, its a "management book" although not like the ones I read when at Business School a few years back (which would have made it... Read more
And yeah, its a "management book" although not like the ones I read when at Business School a few years back (which would have made it... Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2008 by Mr. Philip Graham
Reads like being shouted at by two Swedes from the future
I love it, but you can't read it all at once! I run my own small company that helps other companies use the Web. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2008 by E. C. Cable
strong book that is worth reading
if you are tired of all those academics telling you how to approach your customer, deal with your employer/employee, etc. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2006 by slava chirkov
A good introduction to the Information Age
This is definitely an interesting book to read. The authors convincingly outline the dynamics of today's economy as it edges closer to a market driven, knowledge hungry space... Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2005 by Papanastassiou Alexandre
Deservedly popular
One of the most popular innovation texts of the late 1990's, this focuses on how talent and not physical assets is the key to success today. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2005 by "innovaro"
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