Simple Rules: How To Succeed In A Complex World

Description

HOW SIMPLICITY TRUMPS COMPLEXITY IN NATURE, BUSINESS, AND LIFEComplexity surrounds us. We have too much email, juggle multiple remotes, and hack through thickets of regulations from phone contracts to health plans. But complexity isn’t destiny. Sull and Eisenhardt argue there’s a better way. By developing a few simple yet effective rules, people can best even the most complex problems.InSimple Rules, Sull and Eisenhardt masterfully challenge how we think about complexity and offer a new lens on how to cope. They take us on a surprising tour of what simple rules are, where they come from, and why they work. The authors illustrate the six kinds o f rules that really matter - for helping artists find creativity and the Federal Reserve set interest rates, for keeping birds on track and Zipcar members organized, and for how insomniacs can sleep and mountain climbers stay safe.Drawing on rigorous research and riveting stories, the authors ingeniously find insights in unexpected places, from the way Tina Fey codified her experience atSaturday Night Liveinto rules for producing30 Rock(rule five: never tell a crazy person he’s crazy) to burglars’ rules for robbery (“avoid houses with a car parked outside”) to Japanese engineers mimicking the rules of slime molds to optimize Tokyo’s rail system. The authors offer fresh information and practical tips on fixing old rules and learning new ones.Whether you’re struggling with information overload, pursuing opportunities with limited resources, or just trying to change your bad habits,Simple Rulesprovides powerful insight into how and why simplicity tames complexity.

About the Author

Kathleen M. Eisenhardt is Professor of Strategy and Organization at Stanford University. She received a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Brown University, holds an M.S. in computer science and received a Ph.D. from Stanford s Graduate School of Business. She also has several honorary degrees including from London Business School. She is the co-author (with Shona L. Brown) of Competing on the Edge: Strategy as Structured Chaos.