A Perfect Mess by Eric Abrahamson
Like the bestselling Freakonomics or Blink, here is a book that combines a professor's expertise with stories from everyday life to provide a striking new view of how our world works. Ever since Einstein's study of Brownian Motion, scientists have understood that a little disorder actually makes systems more effective. But most people still shun disorder, or suffer guilt over the mess they can't avoid. No longer! With a spectacular array of anecdotes and case studies of the useful role mess can play, here is an antidote to the accepted wisdom that tight schedules, neatness and consistency are the keys to success. Drawing on examples from business, parenting, cooking, the war on terrorism, retail and even the meteoric career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, co-authors Abrahamson and Freedman demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions and are harder to break than neat ones. A PERFECT MESS will help readers assess what the right amount of disorder is for a given system, and how to apply these ideas on to a large scale - government or society - and on a small scale - (in your attic, kitchen or office). A PERFECT MESS will forever change the way we think about those unruly heaps of paper on our desks.
"Timely reassurance to those of us who fear and despise pristine houses, perfect schedules and neat-freakery of every stripe" Observer "provocative and often amusing..Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman's thesis will come as a relief to many" Sunday Telegraph "this engaging and surprisingly well-ordered book... is the perfect excuse to break that new year's resolution to keep your desk tidy" Guardian
Eric Abrahamson is the youngest ever full professor of management at Columbia University's School of Business. David H. Freedman is a business and science journalist who writes for the Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek and Wired. David H. Freedman is a business and science journalist who writes for the Atlantic Monthly, Newsweek and Wired.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780753822869 |
| ISBN 10 | 0753822865 |
| Title | A Perfect Mess |
| Author | Eric Abrahamson |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Orion Publishing Co |
| Year published | 2007-12-27 |
| Number of pages | 336 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |