Adapt takes a long time to illustrate how random and complex things are. Uses anecdotes and stories to make that point. From toasters, Iraq, global warming and takes a failed Gladwell approach to it.
Lots of better books
You could have read “Loose”, “Little Bets”, “Business exposed”, “The wide lens”, “Overconnected”, “Black Swan” and a few more and it would be more enjoyable.
Same message
Those books also tell you that experts don’t know what they are talking about, that the world is very complex, that business growth and business survival is unpredictable and we don’t know what we are doing.
Trial and error
The basic premise of the book is that (local) trial and error is the only way to survive, solve problems and learn. Failure needs to be part of the companies DNA. Not the innovators DNA, but failure DNA. Failure helps progress.
The lessons
The lessons for business after 220 long, long pages? Buy the books by Hamel or Christensen. This is from the last two chapters:
- decentralise
- apply principles of “The future of management”
- have no strategy (Google)
- experiment (open innovation)
- don’t become a dinosaur
- skunk
- built to fail
- question status quo
- create a validation squad
- create safe space to experiment
Nothing new.
