When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America's Obsession with Economic Efficiency

by Roger L. Martin Narrated by Steve Menasche

Overview

For its first 200 years, 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 division of labor, international trade, and scientific management of companies. But since then, outcomes have changed dramatically. Growth in the economic prosperity of the average American family has slowed to a crawl, while the wealth of the richest Americans has grown to a level never seen before. This imbalance threatens the American democratic capitalist system, which only works when the average family benefits enough to keep voting for it.



In this book, Roger Martin starkly outlines the fundamental problem: we have treated the economy as a machine for which the pursuit of ever-greater efficiency is considered an inherently good thing. But it has become too much of a good thing. Our obsession with efficiency has inadvertently shifted the shape of our economic outcomes: from a large middle class and smaller numbers of rich and poor to a greater share of benefits accruing to a thin tail of already rich Americans.



Filled with keen economic insight and advice for citizens, executives, policymakers, and educators, When More Is Not Better is the must-listen guide for saving democratic capitalism.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

07/27/2020

Management consultant Martin (Creating Great Choices) makes a detailed argument that corporate America’s hyperfocus on efficiency and rising profits has put the nation’s “democratic capitalism” at risk. He cites evidence that U.S. economic growth increasingly benefits the affluent, leaving the poor and middle classes to fall further behind, even as they’re asked to work longer and harder hours. This state of affairs, Martin contends, has left America vulnerable to political instability and ripe for antidemocratic and anti-capitalist movements. He places the blame on business executives and political leaders who believe the economy should function as a finely tuned machine producing “linear” and “predictable” growth, rather than a “complex adaptive system” that requires continual monitoring and updating to ensure it continues to perform as promised. He identifies FDR’s New Deal reforms as an example of such tweaking, and makes his own proposals for reform, including tenure-based voting rights for stockholders and a progressive federal income tax rate that tops out at 65% for incomes above $10 million. Drawing from hard economic data and in-depth interviews with “regular Americans,” Martin makes a persuasive case for rethinking perceived wisdom about the economy. Policy makers and business leaders will want to take note. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

Named the 2020 Porchlight Leadership & Strategy Book of the Year

Named one of the "10 Best New Business Books of 2020" by Inc. magazine

Named one of the Globe & Mail's "Best Business Books of 2020"

Named one of the "Best books of 2020: Business" by the Financial Times

"A new book by Professor Roger Martin is always a major event for the evolution of management." — Forbes

"This important new book blames a dangerous obsession with efficiency, long the mantra and target of chief executives and finance directors worldwide and a foundation of modern capitalism." — Financial Times

"Drawing from hard economic data and in-depth interviews with 'regular Americans,' Martin makes a persuasive case for rethinking perceived wisdom about the economy. Policy makers and business leaders will want to take note." — Publisher's Weekly

Advance Praise for When More Is Not Better:

"Roger Martin leverages his deep knowledge of economic systems to precisely diagnose the systemic shortcomings of the modern economy and his practical experience to lay out a pathway to an economy that works for all. A must-read." — Paul Polman, cofounder and Chair, IMAGINE; former CEO, Unilever

"Important, if surprising, messages . . . by one of the world's most creative business minds. Roger Martin offers a realist's path toward a more resilient America, with concrete suggestions for business leaders, politicians, educators, and citizens." — Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; author, Straight Talk on Trade

"When More Is Not Better shows what will truly set up our economy for long-term success: a better balance of efficiency and resilience. And it's also the prescription we need as individuals. A must-read for our time!" — Arianna Huffington, founder and CEO, Thrive Global

"Roger Martin is my generation's Peter Drucker. He enables us to see beyond the traditional boundaries of business theory to the bigger system at play in our efficiency-obsessed world. And, like Drucker's, his prescriptions are clear, realistic, and practical." — Jim Hackett, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company

"The world has never been so . . . well connected, [yet] we remain more divided, with many feeling left behind and deeply frustrated. Martin not only provides a deep and clear understanding of why this is the case but also what can relatively easily be done. . . . I was left with a feeling of optimism about bringing greater resilience to our world." — Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, former CEO, LEGO Group; Executive Chairman, LEGO Brand Group

"At the moment when America needs it most, When More Is Not Better brilliantly reveals where democratic capitalism has gone wrong and what new design principles we need to fix it." — Tim Brown, Chair, IDEO; author, Change by Design

"When More Is Not Better delivers a trenchant critique of the efficiency-at-any-price economic model. But it also offers something equally important and exceedingly rare: real, practical solutions. . . . A timely, urgent book." — Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author, Drive, When, and A Whole New Mind

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177766669
Publisher:	Ascent Audio
Publication date:	09/29/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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