- Title
- Experiment at Work: Explosions and Experiences at the Most Frightening Company on Earth
- Author
- Law, Andy
- Publisher
- Profile Books Ltd
- Year
- 2003
- ISBN
- 186197437X
Curriculum and Classification
- Subject
- Perspective and Eyeopeners
- MainCurriculum
- Business Design
- SubCurriculum
- Business Development and Entrepreneurship 2
- Semester
- Semester 4
Abstract
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Experiment-Work-Explosions-Experiences-Frightening/dp/186197437X
Synopsis Andy Law is the founder and chairman of St Luke's, a successful advertising agency, and one of the most talked-about and studied companies in the world. Described by the prestigious Harvard Business Review as "the most frightening company on earth", and renowned for its innovative (bordering on experimental) management practices and thinking, St Luke's is viewed by many as the company of the future.In this book, Andy Law - himself now elevated to guru status - explains the philosophy and methods behind St Luke's success. This is very much based upon putting personal growth and development ahead of business growth and development. In analysing the success of St Luke's, Law provides points of reflection and a framework for managers and executives from any industry, who are seeking to get the most out of their employees in an age when human resources have become the vital component of nearly every company.
Reviews
Kaospilots reviews of the book. Please describe the book, why is it good or why is it bad (strength/weakness), what did the book do for you, and why do you recommend it. Plus of cause - you contact information so other people can discuss this with you and get more info if needed.
By Anna Lena Schiller
Why KP's should read this I was reading Jamming by John Kao and this book at the same time. While Jamming didn't strike a chord with me (maybe because it's already 10 years old and what Kao describes is like mother's milk at the KP), I thoroughly enjoyed reading Experiment at Work, due to several reasons.
First of all Andy Law's use of language is just what I like. It's not Peter Senge and Otto Scharmer talking about Presencing. It's not a Harvard Business Review publication. It's a pleasure to read;) Law is metaphorical yet concise, articulate yet not pretentious.
Second this book actually made me dream and think forward. How would I build up an organization if I chose to start a business? What would I base it on? Would I dare to be as bold as they were? Even bolder? Experiment at work is the KaosPilots taken into real work organizational setting. This is great to read during the second year when you're going on the outpost as well as during a final exam project in business design. Or at times where you seriously doubt that being in business does anything for us as human beings.
If I were to describe what the book is about with the KP values, then it's about being risktaking and being playful. Of course also real world (they're running a company after all), but most importantly some form of being compassionate. Just let the core message of the company / the book sink in a bit - putting personal growth and development ahead of business growth and development. You don't find that too often in the corporate world these days. If surfing was the counterculture of the 1950's, then this is it's business equivalent in the 2000's. So where's the beach?