"You Can't Enlarge the Pie"

by Max H. Bazerman, Katherine Shonk, Jonathan Baron

everybody knows are foolish? It's not because they're stupid or corrupt, say the authors, but because our leaders, like the rest of us, are trapped in foolish and unproductive habits of thinking. "You Can't Enlarge the Pie" analyzes the unspoken assumptions that lead to bad policy, wasted resources, and lost lives, and shows exactly why they're wrong. With fascinating case studies and clear, compelling analysis, they dissect six beliefs that serve as psychological barriers to effective government:1. Do no harm2. Their gain is our loss3. Competition is always good4. Support our group5. Live for the moment6. No pain for us, no gain for themBy freeing ourselves from the narrow way we evaluate our government leaders, say the authors, we can learn to judge their performance just as we judge that of business leaders: by the overall health of their organizations.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2001

About the author

Max H. Bazerman is the Jesse Isidor Straus Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and the Co-Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School. Max's research focuses on decision making, negotiation, and ethics. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of twenty books and over 200 research articles and chapters. His latest book, The Power of Noticing: What the Best Leader See, is now available from Simon and Schuster.