The Geek Way: The Radical Mindset That Drives Extraordinary Results

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With a foreword by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn 'A handbook for disruptors' - Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google We're living in a time of amazing innovation, but we're not paying enough attention to one of the most important of all: the innovation to the company itself. Now, bestselling author of The Second Machine Age, Andrew McAfee, explains how engineers and geeks are changing the world of business - with extraordinary results. A new model is being pioneered by geeks; a radical new mindset that has shifted the paradigm entirely on what a business can - and should - be. They do not follow the rules of the Industrial era, with their hierarchies and bureaucratic ways of thinking. They do not follow the principles preached in business schools since the dawn of time. They have all dedicated themselves to approaching business as a geek would: through trial and error, egalitarianism, evidence and stress-testing ideas in a group setting - rather than relying on the boss's instincts. By investigating and surveying the contemporary research in psychology, economics and the behavioural sciences, as well as first-hand accounts from the 'geek' leaders of today, McAfee's groundbreaking exploration of this emerging phenomenon gets to the heart of the tectonic shifts taking place all over the business world. We have entered a new age. And this age will transform how we achieve great things, now and into the future. The future is geek. 'The most compelling analysis I've seen of what Silicon Valley has learned about building more effective organisations' - Adam Grant, host of TED podcast Re: Thinking and No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again

Reviews

Andy understands that we geeks havent just been creating new technologies in Silicon Valley weve also been creating new and improved ways to run a company in a world permeated by tech. Here he distills what weve come up with. This book is a handbook for disruptors -- Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google
The Geek Way makes a fascinating case that the most important technological revolution of our time isn't what companies make, but how they're managed. Andrew McAfee is a world-class intellectual provocateur - he never ceases to challenge my assumptions and sharpen my thinking - and reading this book will do the same for you. It's the most compelling analysis I've seen of what Silicon Valley has learned about building more effective organizations, and what they still have to learn -- Adam Grant, host of the TED podcast Re:Thinking and #1 New York Times bestselling author * Think Again *
By combining management theory, competitive strategy, the science of evolution, psychology, military history and cultural anthropology, McAfee has produced a remarkable work of synthesis that finally explains within a single unified theory The Geek Way the reasons why the tech startup approach has taken over so much of the world -- Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn and New York Times bestselling author * The Start-Up of You *
The chapter titles alone which intrigue and baffle in equal measure should compel you to read this smart, irreverent, informative guide to navigating the future of work. Companies that dont follow The Geek Way will fall behind. And its all about creating the right culture a culture of speed, ownership, science, and openness. Each of these simple words contains more than you can know. Read this remarkable book -- Amy C. Edmondson, Professor of Leadership & Management, Harvard Business School and bestselling author * Right Kind Of Wrong *
In industry after industry, corporate boards are asking management what their plan is to thrive in an unsettled, fast-changing environment. The Geek Way contains among the best answers I've seen to this critical question -- Dambisa Moyo, Member of the House of Lords and bestselling author * Dead Aid *
I've worked closely with Andy for more than a decade. I'm blown away by this book. It's bold and original, relevant and rigorous, and immediately useful for any restless, curious innovator. In other words, for any geek -- Erik Brynjolfsson, Director of the Stanford Digital Economy Lab and New York Times bestselling author * The Second Machine Age *
Andrew McAfee's The Geek Way outlines what has become a critical advantage for the United States, for Silicon Valley, and for many companies. If you wish to understand the last twenty years of life, and probably the next twenty as well, this book is essential reading -- Tyler Cowen, author of Big Business
A valuable guide for would-be economic, technical, and cultural disruptors -- Kirkus
McAfee embraces the definition of geekiness as obsessive and celebrates the burning curiosity that drives inquiry into both the how and the why of solutions. This...will be a welcome addition to business collections in academic and public libraries -- Booklist

Author Bio

Andrew McAfee is the New York Times bestselling author of The Geek Way. He is the co-director of the IDE and a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His research investigates how information technology changes the way companies perform, organize themselves and compete. In addition to having numerous papers published, McAfee also writes a widely read blog, which is at times one of the 10,000 most popular in the world. He is also the author of More from Less and The Second Machine Age.