341: When More Is Not Better with Author Roger L. Martin
Someone once said you can never have too much of a good thing. But then again, they weren’t very smart.
My guest today is very smart and he says you can indeed have too much of a good thing, even when it comes to efficiency.
His name is Roger L. Martin and he’s writting 11 previous books. He is Professor Emeritus at Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and, in 2017, he was named world’s #1 management thinker!
His brand new book, and the one we’ll be diving into today, is called When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency.
For its first two hundred years, Roger says, the American economy exhibited truly impressive performance. The combination of democratically elected governments and a capitalist system worked, with ever-increasing levels of efficiency spurred by the division of labor, international trade, and scientific management of companies.
By the time of our bicentennial celebration in 1976, the American economy was the envy of the world.
But since then, outcomes have changed dramatically. Roger says, the growth in the economic prosperity of the average American family has slowed to a crawl, while the wealth of the richest Americans has skyrocketed. This imbalance threatens the American democratic capitalist system and our way of life.
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In today’s episode, I ask Roger about:
* The DARK SIDE of efficiency * An argument against teaching with certainty, at least with regard to economic models* What you as a business executive can learn from a certain Miami Beach restaurant* And lots more!
Roger’s Book
You can order a copy of When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency right now.
Roger in Action
Books Roger Recommends
The works of Aristotle
Social Limits to Growth by Fred Hirsch
Check Out These Resources
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