Njohn kay obliquity pdf

I didnt even know whether it was a neologism created by the author, john kay, a professor of economics and regular columnist for the financial times. If you want to go in one direction, the best route may involve going in another. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly is a book by economist john kay. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows us that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in difficult terrain. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly by john kay. John kay is a leading economist and visiting professor of economics at the london school of economics, a fellow of st john s college, oxford. Obliquity is characteristic of systems that are complex, imperfectly.

To see what he is getting at lets take a look at some examples of important goals best achieved indirectly. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly john kay. Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of business, politics, science, sports, literature, even parenting, esteemed economist john kay proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical. Obliquity is the idea that goals are often best achieved when pursued indirectly. There is a role for carrots and sticks, but to rely on carrots and sticks alone is effective only when we employ donkeys and when goals are simple. The best way to achieve any complex or broadly defined goalfrom happiness to wealth to. Leading economist john kay applies his provocative universal theory to a variety of complex systems, including business and communities. In this revolutionary book, economist john kay proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical. Whether overcoming geographical obstacles, winning decisive battles or meeting sales targets, history shows us that oblique approaches are the most successful, especially in. This seemingly counterintuitive idea is the subject of john kay s very interesting book obliquity. John kay tells a fastpaced detective story as he searches for the surprising secret to successbrilliant. As it turns out, the word has been around since the fifteenth century. Obliquity is relevant whenever complex systems evolve in an uncertain environment, and whenever the effect of our actions depends on the ways in which others respond to them. John kay is a leading economist and visiting professor of economics at the london school of economics, a fellow of st johns college, oxford.

A leading economist charts the indirect road to happiness and wealth. Why our goals are best achieved indirectly john kay on. But, studies have shown that the happiest people are the ones who are the least focused on. John kay obliquity why our goals are best achieved indirectly. Request pdf obliquity why is it that the wealthiest people are not the most materialistic. The richest men and women are not the most materialistic. About obliquity john kay tells a fastpaced detective story as he searches for the surprising secret to successbrilliant.