The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion

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The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion

by John Seely Brown, Lang Davison, John Hagel III

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 245 ratings · 41 reviews

pIn a radical break with the past, information now flows like water, and we must learn how to tap into its stream. Individuals and companies can no longer rely on the stocks of knowledge that theyrsquo;ve carefully built up and stored away. Information now flows like water, and we must learn how to tap into the stream. But many of us remain stuck in old practicesmdash;prac...more

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Published (first published 2010)

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Feb 09, 2012 Doug rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, nonfiction

While reading this book, I was already mentally categorizing this book as a two star, 'it would have been an interesting article in The Atlantic or the New Yorker but is a little long as a book' book, but then I stumbled on this passage:

Now, some might find this an elitist view of work. Of course, creative marketing people or talented software engineers or highly trained chemists can be passionate about their work. But what about janitors, truck drivers, or assembly-line workers? How will they

...more While reading this book, I was already mentally categorizing this book as a two star, 'it would have been an interesting article in The Atlantic or the New Yorker but is a little long as a book' book, but then I stumbled on this passage:

Now, some might find this an elitist view of work. Of course, creative marketing people or talented software engineers or highly trained chemists can be passionate about their work. But what about janitors, truck drivers, or assembly-line workers? How will they ever feel passion for the work they do? As we will explore in a later chapter, these individuals, too, will have an increasing opportunity to feel passionate about their work. . . . As we begin to realize that scalable efficiency cannot see us through the shift to near-constant disruption, we will begin to see that performance improvement by everyone counts, not just performance for ‘knowledge workers.’

Interesting. Then I kept reading. And then I got to the end of the book. This is the most in-point passage I could find on it:

So what can we do? We can find or develop our passion. . . . One of the great lessons that Toyota taught us is that assembly-line workers can be enormously passionate about their work if they are treated as problem-solvers who can innovate rather than automatons who are simply carrying out detailed instructions defined by someone else. . . . We would be well advised now to step back, reflect on those passions, and see if we can find some creative way to pursue them, either through a full-fledged career change by redefining the work we are doing, or by edging into it through a reduced workload arrangement. Another option is to find parts of our current work that are truly satisfying and engaging our interest.

So their advice to janitors and truck drivers is just to be passionate about your work and if not, tough luck? THAT'S IT!? It's like reading a 200+ page on how to operate a world-class restaurant and devoting 2 pages to the food. Useless, which is why I'd give this book negative 23,975 stars if I could. AT LEAST DEVOTE SOME OF THE BOOK TO PEOPLE OTHER THAN CREATIVE PEOPLE AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERS!! Tell me something. Tell me how this works in the physical world, not just the world of consultants and artists and computers. Tell me more than two sentences about the Toyota assembly line workers, because you're onto something there. Tell me how Sam Walton instilled passion in his workers, who ARE janitors and truck drivers, to create a dynamic organization out of cashiers and clerks (fun trivia fact: the Wal-Mart greeters are actually there to watch out for shoplifters, but instead of an intimidating guy who looks like a bouncer at a bar, Sam Walton came up with the idea of putting a friendly greeter at the door instead). Tell me about the Boeing 787 program and how they created a platform by which different subcontractors all over the world can come together and create something as impossible complex as an airplane, which, unlike software, can't crash and has to work perfectly the first time, every time. Tell me how, even though there are integration problems, this is the way of the future. But don't keep telling me about the same crap about artists and consultants and computer programmers, because it makes me very sad and makes me want to write the authors to ask where I can get back the 5 hours of my time that they wasted.(less)

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Jun 20, 2010 Todd Sattersten rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hagel and his cohorts at Deloitte's Center For the Edge, a research center based in Silicon Valley, have being doing research to understand what they call The Big Shift. Their work has uncovered a variety of insights, but the most telling is the reduced profitability of today's corporations versus their counterparts forty years ago. We talk about how information, networks, and execution are changing the way individuals and institutions compete.

From the book:

"Pull is a very different approach, on...more

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Feb 08, 2011 David Reno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great book. It is a high-level business book that looks at some of the technological/business environments that have fostered success. The "Power of Pull" is about how businesses must operate in our new environment. In the past, the power of push based initiatives dominated corporate decision makeing. The authors suggest that push-based decisions require accurate foresight to be effective, as companies would forecast demand and set production in motion to meet it. In their new suggested model, p...more Great book. It is a high-level business book that looks at some of the technological/business environments that have fostered success. The "Power of Pull" is about how businesses must operate in our new environment. In the past, the power of push based initiatives dominated corporate decision makeing. The authors suggest that push-based decisions require accurate foresight to be effective, as companies would forecast demand and set production in motion to meet it. In their new suggested model, pull-based platforms are created instead. These platforms are fluid by nature and can morph as participants add value. The idea is that businesses will create these arenas and then profit from them in non-traditional ways. Twitter and YouTube are two obvious examples. Their founders created ways to share videos and short messages. The people liked it and the rest is history.

My favorite section of the book is the following where the authors discuss how corporations will find revolutionary ideas from available knowledge flows.

"Knowledge flows naturally flourish on the edge. Why? Because, by definition, participants on these edges are wrestling with how to match unmet needs with unexploited capabilities ad all the uncertainty that implies. Edge participants therefore focus on ways to innovate and create value by connecting unmet needs with unexploited capabilities and then scaling these opportunities as rapidly as possible."

Later in the book the authors lament about the corporate cultures that are present where a player from the inside, such as a VP, will mentor those actors that are most exposed to these knowledge flows. These companies are effectively damning the walls by bringing these edge players to the inside and encouraging the new blood to act exactly like the old.

My only qualm with this book is its tag line "How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion". Most of the pull based platforms and examples that are provided are fundamentally dramatic. There isn't anything small about changing a corporate culture or developing a platform that others will add value to. Their arguments are convincing, but the easy breasy title is a little misleading in my opinion.(less)

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May 07, 2013 Andrew Gillette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is all about a way to look at post industrial economies differently. Modern economics uses a push approach whereby the market tells consumers what they should want. There is some review of the more nuanced business/economic theory as to what is and what could be; for example there is much talk about the Business Administration theory of "the experience curve," along with behavioral models and "scientific management" or *taylorism principles.

Contrasting the above, the book emphasizes to...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Oleg Kagan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: idea-books

The purpose of an "Idea Book" is to introduce the reader to a new concept or a creative reorganization of old concepts. An idea book should guide as well as inspire. In either case, it should leave the reader thinking. Like a literary classic, an idea book should welcome rereading, yielding something new every time. Based on this sketch of what a good idea book should be, it is clear that most idea books are not very insightful, The Power of Pull is one of those books.

Just like most idea books,...more The purpose of an "Idea Book" is to introduce the reader to a new concept or a creative reorganization of old concepts. An idea book should guide as well as inspire. In either case, it should leave the reader thinking. Like a literary classic, an idea book should welcome rereading, yielding something new every time. Based on this sketch of what a good idea book should be, it is clear that most idea books are not very insightful, The Power of Pull is one of those books.

Just like most idea books, The Power of Pull is intended for a clueless audience; a class of (mostly) business people who are either too high up in an organization to have much time to explore the new, or too stupid to care. Hence, for someone like me who keeps up with new technology and the analysis that goes with it, this book seems at least five years out of date. Furthermore, many of the ideas expressed in The Power of Pull were better expressed in Wikinomics which was published in December 2006.

While Wikinomics also invents new uses for words (which end up losing their meaning out of context), couches simple ideas into mindless business-speak, and portends a RADICAL paradigm shift based on narrow reasoning, it, at least, introduces an idea that has some discernible merit. The Power of Pull, on the other hand, doesn't even repackage unoriginal ideas in an original way. Instead, it makes a brouhaha about developing "Access" to other passionate people through social networking, "Attracting" those people to us, and "Achieving" our potential through these collaborations. These are, apparently, processes of "Pull" as opposed to the tired old "Push." I'm still not sure how the words pull/push actually relate to the ideas in the book.

On a very general level, the book promotes cross-institutional collaboration, reverse-mentoring, and the benefits of going outside of one's comfort zone. All of these are fine, if only they weren't presented as new ideas subsumed under the word pull.

Two good things did come from my reading of The Power of Pull:
1) The "Bringing It Home" questions at the end of each chapter were useful in jump-starting useful self-reflection.
2) My mind wandered so much while reading that I have a small sheet of notes to mull over. Strangely, not all of them are related to The Power of Pull, still, in a minor way, the book was inspiring.

For folks who are still in 2005, I recommend this book. For everyone else, continue keeping up-to-date by reading/commenting on blogs of intelligent people (in and out of your field), scouring various news sources, and risking the occasional idea book. But be warned, like The Power of Pull, most won't produce much juice.(less)

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Aug 10, 2010 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, career

The Power of Pull succeeded in getting me to think about the hypothesis - that current business is trending away from top-down effectiveness toward bottom-up, using new networks of relationships and communication. But they didn't convince me that they have a unified theory that allows individuals and institutions to succeed in this new scheme.

The argument is built anecdote by anecdote. I don't disagree that there is a paradigm shift occurring. But a collection of anecdotes does not a paradigm ma...more

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Sep 18, 2012 Stephen Redwood rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: business, social-science

Compared to most popular business books, this is an above average read. A simple model lies at the heart of it (think in terms of stocks and flows, gain Access to the worlds you want to be part of, Attract interest and Achieve one's potential), but the writers avoid the common plague of repeating the core proposition ad nauseum and, instead, have enough interesting insights (like their thoughts on Creation Spaces and Collaboration Curves) which mostly justifies the length. There are also some go...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Jimt43 rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another in a very long line of books in which the author has about 2 chapters worth of book and then is forced (or wants) to extend it to book length. The information in here would make a great blog or two, but not a book... give me a break! The little information contained here (I got bored and quit reading after not too long) DID give me pause and I am in the process of rethinking my approach to social media for IP2Biz.

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May 03, 2010 Zane Safrit rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a dazzling book. I’m dazzled at every page in how crisply and concisely the 3 waves of this Big Shift are described, case studies and profiles are shared, data is presented.
I have 6 pages of notes from the book’s first 60-70 pages. Very few books have inspired that engagement.

I'm interviewing John Hagel, one of the co-authors. You can listen here: http://bit.ly/c1MOOC

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Feb 27, 2012 Pierre rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The executive summary and a handful of chapters were very thoughtful and convincing. Overall a good book with very useful practical advice and framing devices to help comprehend and manage the massive changes taking place as a result of the digital-communications age taking firm root in our daily and professional lives. Some chapters and examples, however, were a little light on substance (applied examples) and perhaps a little too Silicon Valley / California-based. I also found it difficult to...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Hans de Zwart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Frantically highlighted the earlier parts of the book, only to lose some of the interest in the latter stages. In many ways this book was a confirmation of my thinking and how I try to operate in my professional life. It has validated my thoughts on how to work with people from outside the company your work for and for trying to equate work with passion to be able to stay competitive. I really like the concept of 'return on attention' as this is increasingly difficult for me to attain and I thou...more

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Aug 03, 2010 David Hood rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you're interested in creating something or changing something you should read this book. One of the best books I've read in the last five years. Fantastic. Also follow @jhagel on twitter.

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Apr 04, 2013 Chris Eagle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gamechanging book. Made me look at the world differently, and consider all the things that used to work (and people still try to make work) but don't anymore.

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Feb 01, 2012 Noah Sparks rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bravo! Brilliant exploration of our changing world and how to accelerate the rate at which we achieve our collective potential!

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Feb 03, 2013 Ed Maguire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Best business book since The Innovator's Dilemma. It's not just business, it's life. Highest recommendation

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Aug 31, 2012 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

this is a great book. @Johnhagel is also a very thoughtful and generous person. He lives what he teaches.

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Apr 17, 2012 Andrei rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Waster of time. First 20 pages read like a corporate annual review and I dropped it after that.

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May 25, 2010 Phillip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why business is different now than it was 20 years ago and what it means to you.

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Oct 10, 2012 James Pike rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

You gotta get connected or left behind... I won't really leave you behind

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Dec 09, 2011 Dave rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm having a really tough time staying focused on this book. As other reviewers have commented, there doesn't seem to be enough "meat" and the last few "Idea Books" that I've read have gone by really fast, with me coming back excited for more every time I get some free reading time. This one actually has been putting me to sleep...I think I've read the same page 4 times now. The slog is getting to be too much for me and I have a stack of other far more interesting books waiting for me on my "To...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Treion Muller rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great insight on how we acquire knowledge and hone skills.

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Aug 15, 2011 Bernadette Boas is currently reading it · review of another edition

I will let you know

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Aug 10, 2011 Ihor rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting...

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Jun 02, 2010 Earl is currently reading it · review of another edition

Great so far!

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Jun 02, 2011 Lloyd Fassett rated it 4 of 5 stars

"For the first time in history we are dealing with a technology that shows no sign of stabilization in terms of price / performance ratio improvement. In fact, the exponential rate of improvement of the three building blocks of digital technology - processing, storage, and transport - is likey to conintue for an indefinite period of time." pg 44.

And I say, rumininate on the idea of how this message found you.

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Jun 21, 2011 Sandra rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although a bit cerebral, the power of pull is a compelling exploration of the paradigm shift that has occurred from push to pull. The authors explore the principles of pull and how understanding and effectivly using pull can guide us through this rapidly evolving world.

The authors mainly focus the institutional level but some of the principles can be applied at the individual level.

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Feb 07, 2012 Ryan Price rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, business, pmba, nonfiction

I read half of this (audio) book in one sitting - a very compelling look at how new ideas are formed. Of particular interest to me are the passages about creating spaces with a high amount of pull. I am involved in several movements to that end.

The interesting part for me were their ideas about how innovation happens in communities.

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Sep 08, 2012 Joao Cerdeira rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book have a excellent subject well explained. The changing in the way we work is coming and for the better I think.

But, 250 pages to explain this simple subject is to much ... so, the authors repeat the same sentences over and over again. The same book smaller would be a great book.

But the book is very good !!!

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Dec 28, 2010 Darius rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good analysis, ok as a book. Drags on a bit. But if the topic interests you, i's worth pressing through for the brilliant bits.

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May 30, 2010 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just finished it. Great book. Gives you adrenaline shot if you are already somewhat passionate. Slows down 3/4 in the book. As with many books, the intro gives the file-rouge, and the rest of the book builds on many variations. Expected more.

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About John Seely Brown

I'm a visiting scholar at USC and the independent co-chairman of the Deloitte Center for the Edge.

In a previous life, I was the Chief Scientist of Xerox Corporation and the director of its Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). I was deeply involved in the management of radical innovation and in the formation of corporate strategy and strategic positioning of Xerox as The Document Company.

Today, I'm Ch...more

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