| Edition |
1st ed. |
| Description |
327 p. ; 22 cm. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-314) and index. |
| Contents |
The cost of neatness -- A mess sampler -- The history of mess -- The benefits of mess -- Messy people -- Messy homes -- Mess and organizations -- Messy leadership -- The politics of mess -- Optimizing mess -- Messy thinking -- Pathological mess -- The aesthetics of mess. |
| Summary |
This book combines counterintuitive thinking with stories from everyday life to provide a striking new view of how our world works. Ever since Einstein's study of Brownian motion, scientists have understood that a little disorder actually makes systems more effective. With anecdotes and case studies of the useful role mess can play, here is an antidote to the accepted wisdom that tight schedules, neatness, and consistency are the keys to success. Drawing on examples from business, parenting, cooking, and the war on terrorism, coauthors Abrahamson and Freedman demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions, and are harder to break than neat ones. This book will forever change the way we think about those unruly heaps of paper on our desks.--From publisher description. |
| Subject |
Orderliness.
|
|
Order.
|
|
Moderation.
|
|
Success.
|
|
Conduct of life.
|
|
Organizational effectiveness.
|
| Added Author |
Freedman, David H., 1954-
|
| ISBN |
0316114758 |
|
9780316114752 |
|
