Outliers: The Story of Success

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It's a hit!

I agree with other well thought out reviews--that the hypothesis for the book--which to my reading seems to be that there are alot of environmental... (show more)

I agree with other well thought out reviews--that the hypothesis for the book--which to my reading seems to be that there are alot of environmental circumstances that lead up to outstanding performers--is less articulated that it was in the Tipping Point and Blink, and less compellingly told as a result. It is the old nature vs. nurture, and when he tackles nurture, it pulls in alot of related but also unforseen factors that really tip the scale (to harken back to another book). I think the Bill Gates story is a great one--here was a kid who had brains, but did not function well within the academic environment,, but who also had economic advantages. The thing that probably tipped the scales for him was that he had access to a computer and time on it long before the average person did--which is the huge advantage that you have if you are an innovative society--that you have the prototype available to your population long before anyone else worldwide does, and the third world will get it only after it can be mass produced cheaply and the volume of the sales is what makes money. The world wide implications were not fleshed out here. Great short read, though. (show less)

 

 

by Catherine Woodman

No, it's a flop!

Ordinarily I don't mind that Gladwell's evidence is more interesting and anecdotal than it is thorough, but I felt that this book aspired to prove ... (show more)

Ordinarily I don't mind that Gladwell's evidence is more interesting and anecdotal than it is thorough, but I felt that this book aspired to prove such a larger point about human nature -- and more aggressively than Blink did -- that he ought to have spent more time finding larger patterns in the cultures he discussed.

His assertions are safe enough: that we attribute too much to people's innate traits and not enough about their culture seems reasonable enough, but he tries too hard to pull the reader along with him without finding a synthesis. Perhaps continua don't make for interesting (read: provocative) theories about how people work, but they'd have made for a stronger case in this work.

That said, I was heartened by his discussion of the value of practice (the 10,000-hour mark making the difference between being good and being remarkable), and like the discussion he's initiating in this work even if I think he could have initiated it more thoughtfully. (show less)

 

 

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  This will be a little different... not so much a review of the book as a reflection on what it means:

  The basic thesis of the book is that where people are wildly successful, we are most wise when we recognize that their success is not simply the result of grit, hard-work, and some smarts, but also the result of the context and culture into which they are born and live. He provides a number of compelling an interesting cases to support his thesis. I sometimes wondered about the academic ri... (show more)

  This will be a little different... not so much a review of the book as a reflection on what it means:

  The basic thesis of the book is that where people are wildly successful, we are most wise when we recognize that their success is not simply the result of grit, hard-work, and some smarts, but also the result of the context and culture into which they are born and live. He provides a number of compelling an interesting cases to support his thesis. I sometimes wondered about the academic rigor -- would they stand up to the pressure test of an academic peer review -- but at a minimum, Gladwell gets you thinking.

  What is interesting to me as I think about these issues, is that if one accepts Gladwell's argument, the implications have a lot more to do with praise, critique, or intervention at a community level rather than at an individual level. There has to be a sense of humility among the most successful, recognizing that their success is not all of their own doing. (n.b. the argument is that grit, smarts, and hard work are necessary up to some threshold, but not sufficient absent the opportunities presented.)

  The theologians would find themselves sitting on the mountaintop ready to welcome us into their fraternity as we arrive at these conclusions. I'm not sure if they say "duh" in such circles, but that would have to be the response. God of the great monotheistic religions (Judaism, Islam, Christianity) is one who interacts with communities of people (Israelites, Egyptians, Babylonians, etc). Where the scriptures record the exploits of individuals (David, Moses, Isaac, Paul, Timothy), they're always in the context of a community of faith. Would not Gladwell's conclusions then appear to simply be a contemporary expression of the collective wisdom of the ages?

  In terms of "so what," if Gladwell is right, we need to spend more time on creating communities than on creating iconic people. This is not because of some egalitarian sensibility, but because creating cultures of excellence is to the benefit of the the members of the culture. When more outliers are produced, more benefit can be derived to those who create the context for the outliers. (Sorry, too tired to make that paragraph make more sense... Perhaps you can rework it in your mind and give me the benefit of being able to perceive the idea without adequately expressing it!)

  The other question, of course, is what are the implications for establishing incentives? If only a portion of Bill Gates' success is his own hard work, is he properly compensated for it or over compensated for it? Opportunity without hard work is nothing. Hard work without opportunity is equally modest. But when an individual creates the extraordinary by working hard with the unusual opportunities of their context, are we only to accrue one half of the result to them individually -- that portion attributable to the person's hard work?

  I started reading this book with a simple sense of curiosity and found myself engaged in a lot of "so what" questions. If a book's success can be measured by a yard-stick of how engaging it is, this one measures up well.

  Paul (show less)

   

   

  by Paul Mullen on May 12, 2009 at 02:57AM

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  Whether or not one agrees with Gladwell's conclusions, his theories are always thought-provoking. In his latest book, he tips the scale in favor of nurture over nature -- claiming that successful people owe more to predictable factors operating in their favor than to anything mystical or magical.

  Clearly, his intent is to inspire society to create better environments where more people can be given the proverbial leg up. However, so much of his research points out that the very factors that ... (show more)

  Whether or not one agrees with Gladwell's conclusions, his theories are always thought-provoking. In his latest book, he tips the scale in favor of nurture over nature -- claiming that successful people owe more to predictable factors operating in their favor than to anything mystical or magical.

  Clearly, his intent is to inspire society to create better environments where more people can be given the proverbial leg up. However, so much of his research points out that the very factors that lead to a person's success have to do with one class of people being given an advantage over another. So, I'm not sure how it can be claimed that giving everyone the same opportunities -- leveling the playing field -- will create more successful people. It may, in fact, create the opposite effect.

  Again, this is my favorite type of book -- a book that actually inspires me to think about the ideas contained in it long after I've finished reading. (show less)

   

  by John Alan Turner on Feb 16, 2009 at 11:49PM

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