Tempo is a modern treatment of decision-making that weaves together concepts and principles from the mathematical decision sciences, cognitive psychology, philosophy and theories of narrative and metaphor. Drawing on examples from familiar domains such as the kitchen and the office, the author, Venkatesh Rao, illustrates the subtleties underlying everyday behavior, and explains how you can strengthen the foundations of your decision-making skills. "TEMPO is one of the most insightful and original books on decision-making I've ever read..." -- Daniel H. Pink, author of DRIVE and A WHOLE NEW MIND "An uncannily accurate analysis of our choice-making behaviors" -- David Allen, author of GETTING THINGS DONE "Tempo is a highly original and engaging book...In a world where timing is increasingly central to success, this is an essential read, not just for executives, but for everyone." -- John Hagel, co-author of THE POWER OF PULL
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Rob Knight
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I can see why some people might not like this book. It's densely packed with ideas and follows a fractal pattern, applying the author's central thesis to examples of increasing size and complexity. As such, it's a book that defies a simple description. If asked to say what the book is "about", I would struggle, as it's only really possible to appreciate its conclusions after you've read the whole thing at least twice.
That said, there's plenty here to appreciate. The author examines decision-making at various scales, from individual decisions about what to make for dinner up to life-changing events that come to define our lives, whilst also covering organisational decision-making. The concept of "tempo" is used to illustrate how the pace and timing of our activities can shape how we think, both individually and collectively. This idea, which could merit a book in itself, also serves as a building block for grander ideas about "narrative rationality", or how whole lives can be understood in terms of stories with well-defined structures.
To achieve all of this in a mere 176 pages requires that the author proceeds at a breakneck pace, and sometimes I wish he would have been a bit gentler, slower and more forgiving of the reader's unfamiliarity with some of the terms used. It's clear that the subject matter is intensely interesting to him, and can be so to others, but at times it feels as though his ideas are hurtling past me too quickly for me to grasp them. But even in saying this, I've adopted his metaphors about timing and speed, which perhaps proves that there's something worthwhile here. Personally, I appreciated the fact that there were not too many digressions, and none of the folksy anecdotes that are typical of the sub-Gladwell "My Big Idea: How It Changes Absolutely Everything" books that are more typical of the genre. It's not for everyone, but if you're prepared to work harder than normal and give the book a second read after a few months, you'll find it far more genuinely rewarding than something easily digested in a few days.
That said, there's plenty here to appreciate. The author examines decision-making at various scales, from individual decisions about what to make for dinner up to life-changing events that come to define our lives, whilst also covering organisational decision-making. The concept of "tempo" is used to illustrate how the pace and timing of our activities can shape how we think, both individually and collectively. This idea, which could merit a book in itself, also serves as a building block for grander ideas about "narrative rationality", or how whole lives can be understood in terms of stories with well-defined structures.
To achieve all of this in a mere 176 pages requires that the author proceeds at a breakneck pace, and sometimes I wish he would have been a bit gentler, slower and more forgiving of the reader's unfamiliarity with some of the terms used. It's clear that the subject matter is intensely interesting to him, and can be so to others, but at times it feels as though his ideas are hurtling past me too quickly for me to grasp them. But even in saying this, I've adopted his metaphors about timing and speed, which perhaps proves that there's something worthwhile here. Personally, I appreciated the fact that there were not too many digressions, and none of the folksy anecdotes that are typical of the sub-Gladwell "My Big Idea: How It Changes Absolutely Everything" books that are more typical of the genre. It's not for everyone, but if you're prepared to work harder than normal and give the book a second read after a few months, you'll find it far more genuinely rewarding than something easily digested in a few days.
Format:Kindle Edition
As others have commented, this is not an easy read, but it is, I think, a worthwhile one. If you persevere, you will come away with a different sense of time and a useful set of distinctions about the operations of structures all the way from your mind up to the level of big social structures. And yes, there are actually several books that need to come out of this material, presented in a more accessible form.
4 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
From p 123: "Does the leverage provided by a given cheap trick diminish through reuse in subsequent enactments?"
If you think this sentence might have meaning, you should buy this book. If, on the other hand, you do not (like me) you should avoid it.
If you think this sentence might have meaning, you should buy this book. If, on the other hand, you do not (like me) you should avoid it.
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