dispatches from the new world of work

Cool Friend: Gartner

The book The Hypomanic Edge: The Link Between (a Little) Craziness and (a Lot of) Success in America has a lot of buzz going on around it. Tom wrote about it in March, in a blog entry called "Nuts!," where he said, "'nuts' is the source of our economic might. ... I'm quite taken by John Gartner's new [book]." Hypomanic Edge has been featured in many national, business, and international publications, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, and the International Herald Tribune (paid subscriptions required except Fortune). Perhaps its ultimate tribute is to come—it is to be featured in the New York Times Magazine's annual "Year in Ideas" issue, which highlights the "most innovative, controversial, and exciting ideas of the year."

We interviewed John Gartner, the author of The Hypomanic Edge, and we're glad to have him join the ranks of our Cool Friends. Read the interview here. You can also visit his website, hypomanicedge.com.

Cathy Mosca posted this on 11/09/05.

Comments

A good post - thanks for the heads-up. I'd seen his earlier manifesto at Change This, then forgotten it.

Beyond personal reassurance to us 'borderline at the best of times' types, I think there's good lessons for us all in the piece...

Whilst 'dance on moonbeams... slide on rainbows' is perhaps neither desirable nor appropriate (and certainly can't be faked) - there's a 'naturally loose' part in all of us which, if explored and honored, can be of real value in developing 'altogether better' enterprise... that which genuinely aids the constructive development of society rather than merely makes money.

Posted by gulliver at November 10, 2005 3:13 AM

I read the interview and also the book reviews on Amazon. While I must say that I thoroughly agree with the proposition that unconventional, driven, slightly crazy people are good for the economy and the greater society (I am nuts enough myself for that), I do not agree with Mr. Gartner's basic tenet that puts it all on the power of genes.

I am writing you this from Europe, Germany, to be precise, probably the country in Europe that is most hostile to mavericks and new ideas. I know enough people from business, the arts, even social workers who are driven, brilliant and have a vision to change their part of the world for better. Only, they inevitably get bogged down, leading to a lot of personal misery and a steady decline of Germany in health, public services, and, most visibly, business.

What I want to say is that entrepreneurialism is not dependent on the genes. That is a deterministic oversimplification. Genes do play a part, but more important are upbringing, family, school, the whole social surroundings and, even more important, the monetary and non-monetary rewards for trying new things and rocking the boat. The personality derived from your genes is no use when your surroundings prohibit you from being yourself.

Entrepreneurialism thrives when it is rewarded and cherished, when there is a political structure that keeps interest groups in check and when there is a receptive culture for new ideas. Such things don't depend on genes.

I do not like Mr. Gartner's one-sided determinism at all. Determinism has been refuted thoroughly in history, just think of Marx. Unfortunately, all too often people with such simplistic outlooks capture the public imagination.

Jared Diamond's "Why Societies Collapse" is from the same caliber, he puts it all on geography and natural resources. But societies/companies collapse because of bad government/management. Period.

And entrepreneurs thrive not on genes but when they can find material and immaterial rewards, when there is a financial and legal and political structure that supports them and when there are receptive surroundings.

America's gene pool is not superior to the world. Its attitude to entrepreneurism and its economic freedom is. Period.

Posted by Georg at November 10, 2005 4:45 AM