Karaoke Capitalism: Managing for Mankind (Financial Times Series)

"If you loved Funky Business as much as I did, you'll love Karaoke Capitalism. Weird? Most certainly. Different? Most definitely. But, if you want to re-imagine your organization and your career it's a thought-provoking place to start."

                                                                                         Tom Peters

In the long-awaited follow up to their internationally acclaimed Funky Business, Kjell Nordström and Jonas RidderstrSle have delivered a thought-provoking, workout for the wits in Karaoke Capitalism. A book that challenges individuals, businesses and nations to create originals rather than cover versions. Management guru Tom Peters said "If you loved Funky Business as much as I did, you’ll love Karaoke Capitalism."

The karaoke economy is dominated by individuals with endless choice. The trouble for business is that the karaoke club is also home to institutionalized imitation. Copy-cats abound. Only imagination and innovation place societies, organizations and individuals center-stage.

Karaoke Capitalism is a call to arms. Kjell and Jonas are rebels with a cause. With their unorthodox combination of academic rigor, forceful logic and funky free-thinking they once again re-write the rules for revolutionaries. This is a true work-out for the wits.

The book teaches us how to successfully compete on competencies, create capitalism with character, and how to have a great life while also making a living. It is required reading for all those wanting to be a first-rate version of themselves rather than a second-rate version of someone else.

Karaoke Capitalism - create or cover?

Karaoke Capitalism is a hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxies of business. and practice is that business schools, benchmarking and best practice have transformed the entire world of commerce into a super-group of karaoke copying companies. And imitating someone else will never get you to the top – merely to the middle.

Our societies are shaped by the glorious trio of technologies, institutions and galaxies of commerce. It is a book about people – management for mankind – the individuals prepared to grasp the microphone and express themselves. You have the rights. Now, you must learn to live them.

The karaoke reality is a cosmopolitan club with endless individual choice but also a paltry place for institutionalized imitation. The dirty little secret of management theory values. Changes have now made abnormal the new normal. The bubble economy has given way to the double economy. Forget about appealing to the average. Success is a question of exploring the extremes.

Corporations are no longer in control. Modern companies are facing the prospects of a two-front war: held hostage by talent and under siege by consumers. The winners know that wealth is created with wisdom, but to remain competitive they are forced

to create knowledge networks that pose new and fundamentally different demands on the organization.

In a world of economic Darwinism, survival is a question of being fit or sexy – competing on models and moods. Fitness boils down to using market imperfections to your advantage. Masters of mood exploit the imperfections of man by seducing or sedating consumer. Excellent companies re-invent innovation and re-energize the corporation.

To develop the character of capitalism we have to accept individual responsibility. Look inside. Do you want to be a first-rate version of yourself or a second-rate version of someone else?

"The Swedish economists, who shot to the top of the management guru charts in 2001 with their era-defining book, Funky Business, are back"   Director magazine

Kjell Nordstrom & Jonas RidderstraleDr. Jonas Ridderstrale and Dr. Kjell A Nordström are at the forefront of the new generation of business gurus. They cut through the madness and hyperbole surrounding the economy and their appeal is truly global. Jonas and Kjell have been featured on CNN and CNBC. They have appeared in Fortune, Fast Company, Time Magazine, Financial Times, Paris Match, and many other publications worldwide. The 2003 Thinkers 50, the bi-annual ranking of management thinkers, ranked Nordström and RidderstrSle at number 21.

Kjell’s and Jonas’ uncompromising and decidedly fresh take on contemporary business life makes them two of the world’s most sought after speakers. They also practice what they so persuasively preach. From their Stockholm base, Jonas and Kjell act as advisors and consultants to a number of multi- national corporations and are on the board of several companies.

They both hold PhDs in international business from the Stockholm School of Economics and have been recognized as Sweden’s outstanding young academics of the year.

Their previous book, Funky Business: Talent makes capital dance quickly became an international bestseller, selling more than 250,000 copies. The book was recently ranked at number 16 in a survey of the greatest business books of all time.

Praise for Funky Business

"Funky Business is the antidote to bland writing and bland thinking." Tom Peters

"It's the best un-businesslike business book I have ever read ....Funky Business is less of a business handbook and more of a religion. It should be treated like a chain letter - read it and pass it onto 10 other people." (or even better, tell 10 other people to buy it) . - Human Resources

"Funky Business is a better book than most novels but it is not for bedtime. It will jerk you out of your complacency and make you question your very existence. It will transform your brain." - Customer Management

"Funky Business is rigorously researched, witty and intelligent, and overflows with provocative ideas." Business Voice

"Funky Business - the groovy bible of modern business philosophy" - Red magazine

Kjell and Jonas are based at the Institute of International Business at the Stockholm School of Economics, and are at the forefront of the new generation of business gurus. They have been lecturers, advisors and consultants to many international companies – enabling them to look to the future creatively and develop dynamic strategies and solutions. They are the fresh face of business thinking and the new sound of business speaking.