Sunday, August 6, 2006

Why Most Things Fail: Evolution, Extinction and Economics

Author: Paul Ormerod

Failure is a part of life, both in business and science, which is very much ignored in the business world, actually causing more failure. The book examines failure from three different aspects.

  1. a documentation of failure
  2. the subtle patterns found in the apparent disorder of failure
  3. the causes of failure

According to the author, understanding failure is more likely to lead to success than understanding success. Below is an excerpt that seems to sum up the author’s stance on failure.

"I am often asked by would-be entrepreneurs seeking escape from life within huge corporate structures, “How do I build a small firm for myself?” The answer seems obvious: “Buy a very large one and just wait.”