The leading companies of the past twenty years have all harnessed the power of information to gain competitive advantage. But as access to big data becomes ubiquitous, it can no longer guarantee a leg up. Fast/Forward makes the case that we are entering a new era in which firms that understand the limits of 1s and 0s will take the lead. Whereas the industrial age saw the rise of bureaucracy, and the information age has been described as a meritocracy, we are witnessing the rise of adhocracy. In uncertain, rapidly-changing times, adhocracic organizations scan the horizon for winning opportunities. Then, instead of questing after more analysis, they respond with agility by making smart, intuitive decisions. Combining decisive action with emotional conviction, future-facing firms seize the day. Fast/Forward paints the big picture of a new approach to strategy and provides the necessary playbook to make your company fit for the future.
"Much as Descartes' Error challenged traditional ideas about the primacy of rationality over emotions, Birkinshaw and Ridderstråle's marvelously timed book shows that the way forward for organizations and their leaders is not more data but better intuition and more leaps of faith. Far from being a nuisance to be minimized, the authors demonstrate how emotions are essential for decisive action and
INSEAD and Author of Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader
"Fast/Forward makes a compelling case for spontaneity, speed, and a willingness to lead with intuition. More importantly, it speaks to the leadership qualities required to implement its suggestions-providing practical ways to cultivate to those qualities."
Stanford University, author of Power: Why Some People Have It-and Others Don't
"If you are looking for guidance on how to navigate today's disruptive business world, this book is for you. Julian Birkinshaw and Jonas Ridderstråle show how the most agile and decisive companies are built on a new operating model, adhocracy, that puts action front and center, rather than formal authority. With plenty of current examples, as well as historical anecdotes, the authors show how to a
