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The New Capitalist Manifesto: Building a Disruptively Better Business
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Welcome to the worst decade since the Great Depression. Trillions of dollars of financial assets and shareholder value destroyed; worldwide GDP stalled; new jobs vanishingly scarce. But this isn’t just a severe recession. It’s evidence that our economic institutions are obsolete—a set of ideas inherited from the industrial age that no longer work for business, people, soci
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Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
January 4th 2011
by Harvard Business Review Press
(first published January 3rd 2011)
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Phenomenal start, then gets tired very quickly. The same poor examples are used over and over destroying the book. Read the first chapter, then toss it.
I loved this book. I found it to be exciting, energizing, and hopeful.
So many companies dream up schemes to squeeze out a few more pennies...rather than define something that will have real value to customers and real positive impact on society. (This, by the way, applies as much to the nonprofit world as to the for-profit world.) That's old capitalism, and it's associated with dying companies. The new capitalism creates real, sustainable value.
For a while now, I've been wracking my brain to try ...more
So many companies dream up schemes to squeeze out a few more pennies...rather than define something that will have real value to customers and real positive impact on society. (This, by the way, applies as much to the nonprofit world as to the for-profit world.) That's old capitalism, and it's associated with dying companies. The new capitalism creates real, sustainable value.
For a while now, I've been wracking my brain to try ...more
Great book. Very well written in a way that pleases people who have studied business (or economics) and those that haven't. Wish it was a little geekier. It's tightly molded to real-world examples but they are very easily arguable the exact opposite of the way he argues they contribute to better capitalist practice. I wish there was more practical transition thinking in it. It's very airy-faery like other books of the this type, meant to inspire-- which is fine-- but I feel like there are enough
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I have always been a fan of Umair Hague, but this book beats everything. This is an absolute MUST READ, already now the guide for doing business in the 21st century. A big shot of adrelanine to start the year and next decade with renewed energy. This is a masterpiece, and any business book in 2011 will be measured against this one, as far as i am concerned. Update: after finishing the book,"masterpiece" is a bit over the top. There is a lot of repetition in the book, but i guess that's the diffe
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A truly thought-provoking, but somewhat flawed book. I highly recommend reading it and I know that I will be keeping Haque's points in mind thinking about my own and other businesses.
However, I couldn't help but feel uneasy over the pollyannaish treatment of his exemplar companies. There's a brief admission near the end that those companies (Google, Nike, Wal-Mart, etc.) aren't perfect, but I think that really falls short. Those and any company are still engaging in bare knuckle 20th century st ...more
However, I couldn't help but feel uneasy over the pollyannaish treatment of his exemplar companies. There's a brief admission near the end that those companies (Google, Nike, Wal-Mart, etc.) aren't perfect, but I think that really falls short. Those and any company are still engaging in bare knuckle 20th century st ...more
In The New Capitalist Manifesto, Umair Haque proposes six dimensions that business should pursue to generate 21st century disruptions in their market-spaces. Dimensions aimed at creating a capitalism that provides meaningful, authentic, enduring value.
1) Haque directs us to pursue loss advantage through value cycles that connect outputs/waste back into our inputs.
2) He advocates for responsiveness through value conversations with consumers rather than "make it and push it out."
3) He calls for ...more
1) Haque directs us to pursue loss advantage through value cycles that connect outputs/waste back into our inputs.
2) He advocates for responsiveness through value conversations with consumers rather than "make it and push it out."
3) He calls for ...more
This was a good book. It was a smart book and it posits some ideas that are different.
The first: that we've been given over to a plutocracy. Probably not a surprise.
The second: that we have buried the costs of things so we can buy 99 cent hamburgers. (But we truck water to the great plains states, to get the price of beef down.)
This does talk about sustainability in a way that Radians could agree with - that we have to do things different/better for our own good, and that our institutions have ...more
The first: that we've been given over to a plutocracy. Probably not a surprise.
The second: that we have buried the costs of things so we can buy 99 cent hamburgers. (But we truck water to the great plains states, to get the price of beef down.)
This does talk about sustainability in a way that Radians could agree with - that we have to do things different/better for our own good, and that our institutions have ...more
While I'm predisposed to buy into the author's position that it is folly to apply the simplistic capitalism of centuries ago to today's more modern economic context, this book didn't impress me much. Haque makes a compelling argument that externalization of many corporate costs is unsustainable but his "solutions" are underwhelming. He proposes general "approaches" and doesn't present any practical ideas for impact or change.
For someone who is just beginning to think about the shortcomings of ca ...more
For someone who is just beginning to think about the shortcomings of ca ...more
I've never been one to conform, and Havas Media Lab Director and HBR blogger, Umair Haque isn't either. The radical re-imagining of economics and capitalism he proposes in The New Capitalist Manifesto is an idea for the 21st Century, rising out of the ashes of a still-burning post-Industrial economy. Illustrating his new economics through comparisons between old economics (and the companies living off it) and the new "betterness"-based economics, Haque argues extensively and convincingly that wh
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THE MAIN IDEA
Capitalism as it’s functioned for last few hundred years is morally bankrupt and, more importantly, no longer works. Capitalism needs to be reinvented. And, in its new shape, it will help power a new generation of growth – but in a sustainable and long-term manner. This book – as a manifesto – outlines what needs to be done to ensure that this transformation occurs.
INTERESTING TIDBIT
He has also recently been awarded a place on the prestigious Thinkers50 list, the premier ranking ...more
Capitalism as it’s functioned for last few hundred years is morally bankrupt and, more importantly, no longer works. Capitalism needs to be reinvented. And, in its new shape, it will help power a new generation of growth – but in a sustainable and long-term manner. This book – as a manifesto – outlines what needs to be done to ensure that this transformation occurs.
INTERESTING TIDBIT
He has also recently been awarded a place on the prestigious Thinkers50 list, the premier ranking ...more
This book promised a lot. The author's big idea is that by thinking in a new 21st century mode that takes into account the whole of one's economic activities including externalities using some kind of triple-entry accounting technique instead of the traditional double-entry system, one can achieve capitalistic selfish goals without sacrificing the commons.
Sounds great! I've been wondering for a long time how to force producers and consumers to become responsible for those externalities. For exam ...more
Sounds great! I've been wondering for a long time how to force producers and consumers to become responsible for those externalities. For exam ...more
I wanted to like this book a lot. I follow Umair Haque on Twitter and enjoy his commentary. I should have looked more closely at that commentary however, because there is a lesson there about the book. The New Capitalist Manifesto, while excitingly written and well laid out, has almost no new thinking in it whatsoever. Like Haque's tweets, which are largely retweets of other thinkers with an exclamation point terminated comment, the book is a simple repackaging of the seminal ideas of many books
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I was introduced to Haque's blog several months ago and have been following him ever since. Haque's premise is that capitalism need not be the soul-less, winner-take-all model of cut-throat competition that has practically defined it as an institution since the Gilded Age.
Here, he argues for a new way of doing business that provides value in a rich and organic way, rather than hustling out low-cost, low-quality products for the sake of this quarter's bottom line. He makes a persuasive case, and ...more
Here, he argues for a new way of doing business that provides value in a rich and organic way, rather than hustling out low-cost, low-quality products for the sake of this quarter's bottom line. He makes a persuasive case, and ...more
Haque have written a thought-provoking and courageous book on how to transform business in the 21st century. The book draws on recent examples of well-known companies that have started the journey including Nike, Lego, Apple and Wal-mart. Adding examples of disruptive "new" companies like Threadless, Interface and Jelli.
Haque argues against the, still prevailent, management practices of the last century. A focus on short-term monetary earnings, unsustainable exploitation of resources and destruc ...more
Haque argues against the, still prevailent, management practices of the last century. A focus on short-term monetary earnings, unsustainable exploitation of resources and destruc ...more
Nothing groundbreaking here...and sloppy editing. Apparently Haque is very fond of "bespectacled hipsters" because on page 116 he writes, "In most boardrooms, the word creative refers to the bespectacled hipsters who make glitzy ads. Under the rules of industrial era capitalism...," then on the very next page he writes, "In most boardrooms, the word creative refers to the bespectacled hipsters who make glitzy ads. Under the rules of orthodox capitalism..." Haque makes a few good points, but they
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I appreciate this book's deep thinking angle. It seems that many business books try to be as superficial as possible and just give tips and tricks, so it was refreshing to read a book that is more of a framework for how to think than bullet-ed lists.
Also, I believe in what Haque is arguing in this book. Basically, we have to start calculating in long-term effects when we think about businesses. Not necessarily because everyone's really into reusable shopping bags these days, but because the worl ...more
Also, I believe in what Haque is arguing in this book. Basically, we have to start calculating in long-term effects when we think about businesses. Not necessarily because everyone's really into reusable shopping bags these days, but because the worl ...more
I liked some of the ideas presented in this book and I think the author is smart and thought provoking.
Specifically, the idea that economics and capitalism can be flawed due to a failure to include various aspects of cost is both an obvious and underrepresented view. To the extent that this book talked about companies that were starting to look at those missed measurements and using that to drive a new competitive advantage, I think it provided useful food for thought.
On the other hand, I didn't ...more
Specifically, the idea that economics and capitalism can be flawed due to a failure to include various aspects of cost is both an obvious and underrepresented view. To the extent that this book talked about companies that were starting to look at those missed measurements and using that to drive a new competitive advantage, I think it provided useful food for thought.
On the other hand, I didn't ...more
As an avid reader of Umair's blog and fan of his videos, I was a bit disappointed by his novel.
Not that it was bad, but he repeated himself often AND used far more bold and italics than I like to typically see in books, which was extremely distracting to me.
The content is quite good, however. I bet he could have written half as much and made a better point.
Sadly, most of the people who need to read this won't, as it talks mostly about how the industrialists and old-school capitalists are doing ...more
Not that it was bad, but he repeated himself often AND used far more bold and italics than I like to typically see in books, which was extremely distracting to me.
The content is quite good, however. I bet he could have written half as much and made a better point.
Sadly, most of the people who need to read this won't, as it talks mostly about how the industrialists and old-school capitalists are doing ...more
I agree whole-heartedly with the premise of this book--that our current practice of capitalism is outdated and that consumers already realize this, but business does not. But why did this timely idea have to be presented in the simplistic business guide format? If you can get past the cheesy terminology, this book is worth reading. I am very glad to have come across it, because it has given some structure to the nebulous misgivings I feel about economic organizations. In addition, I found the op
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This was a good book in that the premise is an important one but I really feel this would have been a better essay than an actual book. In order to make it into a book Umair Haque had to use a lot of examples that aren't really a good fit and at best were cliche.
It's hard to be one of the first ones to write on an important topic that hasn't yet developed so I commend Umair for writing it and look forward to future books on the same topic from him.
It's hard to be one of the first ones to write on an important topic that hasn't yet developed so I commend Umair for writing it and look forward to future books on the same topic from him.
Umair is a superb blogger, writer, and thinker. The only knock I have with this book is that he does get a little redundant in some parts when he tries to frame his philosophies. He's started an important conversation about re-invigorating the U.S. and global economy. I have little doubt that the principles he's identified for creating better business institutions in the 21st Century will come to be as common as terms we've used to measure progress (e.g. GDP, throughput efficiency) in the 20th C
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Dec 16, 2011
Chris Adams
added it
Usman gives us an engaging read, but the main takesway point seemed to be 'lots of companies are doing individual bits well, but no one is doing business as if people really matter, in a holistic fashion'.
I left the book feeling the only way people do some parts of business 'right' is by making up for it elsewhere in reaping profits or cutting costs elsewhere, i.e. doing business 'wrong'.
I left the book feeling the only way people do some parts of business 'right' is by making up for it elsewhere in reaping profits or cutting costs elsewhere, i.e. doing business 'wrong'.
I love the ideas and information in this book, even more than I disliked the writing.
This would have been a 5 star 50 page essay that I would happily have paid for as a Kindle Single, but instead it's an florid, annoyingly repetitive, stretched-out book.
I am teetering between a 3 and 4 star rating, but gave it four because I think more people should read it.
I'd recommend reading it to anyone, regardless of the annoyingly long form.
This would have been a 5 star 50 page essay that I would happily have paid for as a Kindle Single, but instead it's an florid, annoyingly repetitive, stretched-out book.
I am teetering between a 3 and 4 star rating, but gave it four because I think more people should read it.
I'd recommend reading it to anyone, regardless of the annoyingly long form.
Reading Gary Hamel's forward encouraged me. Without any business savvy, I appreciated the accessibility of Haque's style. His definition of the "thick value" necessary to thrive and matter in 21st century constructive capital vs. "thin value" of industrial era capitalism rings true. Frequently passages or even next sentences repeated previous ideas for no apparent reason, but other than this editorial oversight, I found the ideas clear, engaging and hopeful.
Agreed with virtually everything that Haque has written in this. The notion of reimagining capitalism to make it a more rounded and beneficial system is obvious. My problem was with Haque's writing. I just wish he had an editor who made him lose a few words and taught him basic sentence structure. He's clearly a brilliant thinker but a much better article writer than book writer...
Umair is one of my favorite thinkers. I will say that I was not as impressed with his long form writing as with his essays, but regardless he is brilliant in his assessment of capitalism, society and the major reset that is bubbling under our feet. Well worth reading to set the tone for thinking about how society is changing.
This book is best when it keeps its philosophical tone. I appreciate the illustrative stories about specific companies as examples, but at times, the tone became a little too "how-to" and not enough "how". Other than that, I think its a strong defense of capitalism as a potential change agent and does give me some hope for the future of business.
In an age of #OccupyEverything, social media disruption & civil society disquiet, this is a book whose time has come! It really does get to grips with the implications of a new form of capitalism in building disruptively better businesses. A must read for every business decision maker.
This book provided tremendous insight for "Constructive Capitalist" of the 21st Century. I thought it laid a great blueprint for what needs to be done to conduct business that benefits society as a whole. Must read for anyone looking to make a difference in today's world!
insightful. The idea that companies should internalize negative externalities and put them on their books as cost is at the center of this book. the idea is that recognizing that cost would then force innovation to reduce the cost.
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