Oh dear. A book called Funky Business by two Swedish academics. At first glance, it has all the allure of Benny and Bjorn’s (from Abba) sadly never-released concept album about life as a middle manger in a multinational conglomerate. There is something earnestly hip about the way Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle of the Stockholm School of Economics present themselves. “They do gigs not seminars. These gigs sell out. They have shaved heads and wear black,” says the blurb.
But that’s what makes Funky Business worth reading. It’s not so much the novelty of the authors’ argument, which boils down to the notion that in an oversupplied world, ideas are what separate successful companies and individuals from failures. Rather, it’s the vitality of their argument and the rhythm of their language that make their ideas so compelling. “Traditional roles, jobs, skills, ways of doing things, insights, strategies, aspirations, fears, and expectations no longer count. In this environment, we cannot have business as usual. We need business as unusual. We need different business. We need innovative business. We need unpredictable business. We need surprising business. We need funky business.”
The book, which is almost a virtuoso display of rhetoric and intellectual power, bursts at the seams with the force of its argument and the weight of its colorful evidence. Sources quoted range from the pope to the British band the Prodigy. Funky, Inc., they say, “isn’t like any other company. It is not a dull, old conglomerate. It is not a rigid bureaucracy. It is an organization that actually thrives on the changing circumstances and unpredictability of our times.”
This is great entertainment. But the slick veneer does not invalidate the way the book pulls together many existing strands of thought about how business is developing and evokes a coherent and intriguing vision of a future whose main feature will be incoherence.
This really is one for the whole family. Or at least those old enough to have a job. –Alex Benady
Customer Reviews
Funky Review:
I found Funky Business to be a fresh look at how the business world continues to change (and how it refuses to admit to the need for change). The writing was fun and interesting, the subject matter worthwhile, the titles provocative. Thanks are in order to Jonas and Kjell for this in-your-face rant on what needs to change.
Different Perspectives:
If you want to see things -business or normal life- from different perspectives, then this is the book to choose!
Good book, but too much hype without real essence:
I have respect to all things coming out of Sweden (from music to cars). But after reading this book (as well as another Swedish made, ‘Netocracy’) I feel that Suedes are playing too much with theory/philosophy, instead of concentrating on practical solutions. By releasing such ‘guide for the future’ type of book, authors should excercise more responsibility to the people interested to act upon their advices. After finishing this book reader isn’t much smarter. Yes, authors describe present economic situation precisely, but they lack real and solid possible solutions. For example, they advice long-term focusing on narrow business niche in order to survive on the international competitive market. But, if some day better competitor(very likely) pops out of nowhere, our niche-rider is done. He put all effort and time to one skill, and doesn’t possess any other skills (read: back to square one). Deadly advice, indeed. Once again it showed that theory-writers (even if they are respected academics) cannot substitute book written by practical experience.
Twisty language beguiles the easily amused:
The influences are clear: rock journalism, pampleteering, dot-com uber capitalism and some basic ideas about markets. Spice up some old ideas from Tom Peters and Charles Handy with energizing language and lo and behold a bestselling book. This is an example of style well over content, language used to beguile and entrance without saying anything at all. Reading this thoroughly i cannot find a single original idea in this book. If this is cutting-edge thinking, business is in serious trouble.
Do not stop in thinking if funky is good or not…funky is:
Until today my concept for being the best have changed 180 degrees.
Funky business bring to all managers and people in general a new way of thinking…people driven…people focused. 1.3 kgs of human body made the differnce, not your high tech machines or your nice buildings and logos.
Today`s managers should take this book and use it to create a new way of make business focused in the prime good of all processes, humans, brains, minds.
Thank you Jonas and Kjell…hope to have the plasure to meet you.
Funkster 964
