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Obliquity: Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly Kindle Edition

by John Kay (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 336 ratings

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A leading economist charts the indirect road to happiness and wealth.

Using dozens of practical examples from the worlds of business, politics, science, sports, literature, even parenting, esteemed economist John Kay proves a notion that feels at once paradoxical and deeply commonsensical: The best way to achieve any complex or broadly defined goal-from happiness to wealth to profit to preventing forest fires-is the indirect way. As Kay points out, we rarely know enough about the intricacies of important problems to tackle them head-on. And our unpredictable interactions with other people and the world at large mean that the path to our goals-and sometimes the goals themselves-will inevitably change. We can learn about our objectives and how to achieve them only through a gradual process of risk taking and discovery-what Kay calls obliquity.

Kay traces this pathway to satisfaction as it manifests itself in nearly every aspect of life. The wealthiest people-from Andrew Carnegie to Bill Gates-achieved their riches through a passion for their work, not because they set materialistic goals. Research has shown that companies whose goal (as declared in mission statements) is excellent products or service are more profitable than companies whose stated goal is increasing profits. In the personal realm, a large body of evidence shows that parenthood is on a daily basis far more frustrating than happy- making. Yet parents are statistically happier than nonparents. Though their short-term pleasure is often thwarted by the demands of childrearing, the subtle-oblique-rewards of parenthood ultimately make them happier.

Once he establishes the ubiquity of obliquity, Kay offers a wealth of practical guidance for avoiding the traps laid by the direct approach to complex problems. Directness blinds us to new information that contradicts our presumptions, fools us into confusing logic with truth, cuts us off from our intuition (which is the subconscious expression of our experience), shunts us away from alternative solutions that may be better than the one we're set on, and more. Kay also shows us how to acknowledge our limitations, redefine our goals to fit our skills, open our minds to new data and solutions, and otherwise live life with obliquity.

This bracing manifesto will convince readers-or confirm their conviction-that the best route to satisfaction and success does not run through the bottom line.

Print length

242 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Penguin Books
Publication date

April 14, 2011
File size

1160 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A characteristic John Kay production. It is a pleasure to read. He constructs clear and short sentences whose meaning is unambiguous. he writes with wit and humor, too...Remarkably content-rich."

-- "Financial Times"

"A sobering thought for the election campaign from one of our cleverest thinkers."

-- "Independent (London)"

"Provocative, profound."

-- "Wall Street Journal"

About the Author

John Kay is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a fellow of St. John's College, Oxford University. As the director, he established the Institute for Fiscal Studies as one of Britain's most respected think tanks.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004H4XD40
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (April 14, 2011)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 14, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1160 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 242 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #738,804 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #708 in Business Systems & Planning
- #938 in Business Decision-Making
- #2,124 in Systems & Planning

Customer Reviews:
4.1 336 ratings

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4.1 out of 5

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M. Mariba

"Why Indirect Approaches Yield Better Results!"

Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2011

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This is a very interesting & well written book by one of the world's foremost economist/think tank, professor John Kay, titled 'Obliquity : Why Our Goals Are Best Achieved Indirectly'. The premise of this book is that a goal is best achieved by persuing it indirectly (obliquity). Professor John Kay gives examples to support this 'hypothesis' : that the happiest people do things that enrich their lives/they are content with (they don't pursue happiness directly), the wealthiest people endure to be innovative to help people (becoming very rich in the process, of course 'indirectly') & most profitable companies do not necessarily chase profits aggressively (they focus on their work value & the well being of their workers, this in turn/'indirectly' maximises shareholder value/profits). To illustrate this point further professor John Kay quotes George Merck (who like professor John Kay is a proponent of this 'obliquity strategy'), who is the founder of the world renown pharmaceutical company Merck, "We try never to forget that medicine is for people ... not for profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear". It also rings a bell of what Jesus once said (a very similar philosophy/approach), "First seek the Kingdom of Heaven/God & all these things will be added to you". Professor John Kay argues very convincingly that 'obliquity strategy/approach' applies equally well in business, town planning, parenting & sports teams alike (quite universally applicable in all spheres of life really!) On the overall, this is a great read (with an interesting angle on how to achieve goals) that will show convincingly how universal this obliquity strategy/approach is (as well as shortcomings/limitations of direct approaches) & how indirect approaches could lead to better decision making & results (happiness, wealth & profits), a highly recommended book reading.

7 people found this helpful

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Kevin Browne

Important goals are often achieved indirectly

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2015

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Being goal oriented is a popular virtue these days. There are innumerable websites promoting all sorts of methods to increase productivity, wealth, health, happiness, and so much more. The sometimes unstated, but more often over-stated, message of many of these resources is that we need to sit down, clearly define our goal, and march directly towards it.

Our failure to achieve these goals is then attributed to our lack of focus, lack of drive, lack of persistence. But, what if our real failure is related to our attempt to achieve our goals directly? What if we shifted our focus away from our ultimate goals? Perhaps we would have better success in achieving them.

This seemingly counter-intuitive idea is the subject of John Kay's very interesting book Obliquity. To see what he is getting at let's take a look at some examples of important goals best achieved indirectly.

Happiness: Everyone is striving to be happy. But, studies have shown that the happiest people are the ones who are the least focused on this goal. Those who are most happy with their own lives tend to be ones focused on helping others to be happy. Or they are focused on achieving some other goal whether it be performing a task well, completing a project, raising a child, creating a piece of art. By focusing on other things they end up being happy. In fact, they end up happier than they would have been had happiness been their direct goal.

Wealth: I have a few students every semester who tell me that their goal is to be wealthy. But, they are often dumbfounded when I point out that most wealthy people do not focus on becoming wealthy. Instead, they focus on doing something well, running a company, making a product, serving other people. They pursue these goals with drive and passion. Often with an obsessive rigor. As a result, they end up wealthy. As Kay points out, the most profitable companies are not profit driven.

Social Order: One of the most intriguing passages in Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations describes the possibility of arriving at social order by focusing on individual self-interest: "By pursuing his own interest he frequently promotes that of society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it." Leaders would do well to remember this insight as many of the problems created by leaders of companies and countries are the result of attempting to promote direct solutions to problems which would be better solved by indirect solutions.

To understand these examples we have to be willing to recognize the limits of our own knowledge, the biases in our own thinking, and the possibility that these too can be overcome not directly but by being indirectly addressed. Direct solutions work well on straightforward problems where all the information needed is known. But, in a world where individual knowledge is often incomplete and imperfect our best recourse is to oblique solutions.

The ultimate example of obliquity is the example of the diversity of life that is all around us and how that diversity arose. In formulating the theory of evolution through natural selection, both Darwin and Wallace recognized the insight that this diversity was driven indirectly. Order could result from disorderly processes working with a healthy dose of randomness. This theory still confounds many today precisely because it is based on the insight that obliquity is a powerful force at work in the world.

We need to embrace the insight and the uncertainty that comes with it. If you're concerned about your own happiness, your own wealth, your own success, your own love life, try focusing on something else. Try helping someone else. Try serving others in some useful way. And, without intending it you will achieve your goals. Indirectly with obliquity.

14 people found this helpful

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Debanjan & Priyanka

Good overview of an increasingly irrational world and how good decision making is actually simple

Reviewed in India on November 3, 2021

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Gives a fairly good description of how a direct approach based on first principles might not be good in a world with imperfect information. Adaptation is key and how strategic planning is an exercise in creating disaster.

One person found this helpful

Cliente Amazon

Para refletir

Reviewed in Brazil on April 9, 2020

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O livro apresenta vários casos e estudos sobre como resultados podem ser atingidos de maneira indireta em diversos aspectos da vida. O autor sempre embasa seus argumentos com exemplos reais e pesquisas concretas. Nada de autoajuda ou opinião, o livro expõe fatos e traz reflexões sobre o abordagens utilizadas ao buscar atingir uma meta e as consequências causadas pelo processo escolhido podem não ser as desejadas.

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