Obliquity by John Kay promises and delivers as an 'obliquely' enjoyable ride :) The blurb promises it a '...book for pleasure... gain invaluable insights.'
Referring to Csikszentmihalyi's Flow, the author talks about happiness through the pursuit of passion. Makes lots of references to billionaires, huge corporations, great people,... pursuing their 'art', in turn, lots of money. So it boils down to my own belief, Follow your heart, Use your head. The success will chase you!
An interesting graphical fact about Panama being the shortest cut between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans discovered by gold seekers. An oblique route discovered obliquely ;)
He has a way to drive his points. The striking one is about a cathedral being built. Three stone cutters answer 'I am cutting stone' (Action), Building cathedral (Intermediate State) and 'Working for the glory of God' (Objective). These definitions become the basis of the book.
He also talks about Sudoku being a closed game since only one solution lies for a given problem; Chess being little more open with multiple possibilities but restricted by rules at the beginning of the game. But, the real life is open as the infinite solutions lie and the rules of the game change! Over and above that, there is no clarity on action, goal and objectives as they keep on shifting! Whereas, straight forward thinking is good for solving closed games, though we enjoy the process of obliquity in Sudoku, Chess,.. the computers can defeat us! The real life needs obliquity, where computers can only support us.
He gives an example of Filippo Brunelleschi's ingenuity in winning a contest to build the dome of Florence Cathedral. And I discovered thru internet the many smart techniques employed by him while building the dome.
As we tend to solve open problems, 'directness' doesn't work as there are too many 'unknowns' and 'unknowables' both known, unknown and unknowables! Obviously, a direct solution hasn't emerged or can't emerge. One needs to solve it by 'obliquity'!
I have a view that for any entity or situation: closed, closed with multiple solutions, and open problems exist at 80:16:4 proportion (though reminds Pereto Principle (80:20 Law), just considering random distribution, may serve as a rule of thumb in normal times/situations!). Whereas, the 80%, the closed ones can be solved by the front end people assisted by computing devices, whose tasks have been highly routinized and managed by managers, who solve 16% of those little more complicated issues. The leaders need to lead the managers and solve the 4% issues, which are open in nature.
Referring to Csikszentmihalyi's Flow, the author talks about happiness through the pursuit of passion. Makes lots of references to billionaires, huge corporations, great people,... pursuing their 'art', in turn, lots of money. So it boils down to my own belief, Follow your heart, Use your head. The success will chase you!
An interesting graphical fact about Panama being the shortest cut between Pacific and Atlantic Oceans discovered by gold seekers. An oblique route discovered obliquely ;)
He has a way to drive his points. The striking one is about a cathedral being built. Three stone cutters answer 'I am cutting stone' (Action), Building cathedral (Intermediate State) and 'Working for the glory of God' (Objective). These definitions become the basis of the book.
He also talks about Sudoku being a closed game since only one solution lies for a given problem; Chess being little more open with multiple possibilities but restricted by rules at the beginning of the game. But, the real life is open as the infinite solutions lie and the rules of the game change! Over and above that, there is no clarity on action, goal and objectives as they keep on shifting! Whereas, straight forward thinking is good for solving closed games, though we enjoy the process of obliquity in Sudoku, Chess,.. the computers can defeat us! The real life needs obliquity, where computers can only support us.
He gives an example of Filippo Brunelleschi's ingenuity in winning a contest to build the dome of Florence Cathedral. And I discovered thru internet the many smart techniques employed by him while building the dome.
As we tend to solve open problems, 'directness' doesn't work as there are too many 'unknowns' and 'unknowables' both known, unknown and unknowables! Obviously, a direct solution hasn't emerged or can't emerge. One needs to solve it by 'obliquity'!
I have a view that for any entity or situation: closed, closed with multiple solutions, and open problems exist at 80:16:4 proportion (though reminds Pereto Principle (80:20 Law), just considering random distribution, may serve as a rule of thumb in normal times/situations!). Whereas, the 80%, the closed ones can be solved by the front end people assisted by computing devices, whose tasks have been highly routinized and managed by managers, who solve 16% of those little more complicated issues. The leaders need to lead the managers and solve the 4% issues, which are open in nature.
That was a wonderful book! The guidelines apply while working on open, unpredictably complex problems. For the closed or solved problems it is better to stick to 'directness'!
The best entrepreneurs rather copy already solved problem from the others. So that they can assign more resources to solve the complex problem at hand to deliver unique offering. One such example quoted is Netflix, which focused more on logistical problem of delivering DVDs within 48 hours, while copied Amazon's website! The wisdom lies is in choosing between the obliquity and directness."
The best entrepreneurs rather copy already solved problem from the others. So that they can assign more resources to solve the complex problem at hand to deliver unique offering. One such example quoted is Netflix, which focused more on logistical problem of delivering DVDs within 48 hours, while copied Amazon's website! The wisdom lies is in choosing between the obliquity and directness."
A truly amazing and helpful book for the leaders, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs focused on breakthrough innovations.
