A book that challenges you to create originals rather than cover versions
Karaoke Capitalism is a book that challenges individuals, businesses and leaders to create originals rather than cover versions. The sad truth is that business schools, benchmarking and shared best practices have transformed the 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 being re-shaped by the forces of individualism and the information technology revolution. In effect, we are facing an economy dominated by man and markets. These changes have made abnormal the new normal. In reality, the important shift is not the one leading us into a bubble economy but the one bringing us into a double economy; a place with increasing differences between the best and the rest. Here, a flourishing middle-class and mass-markets are on the list of endangered species. If you want to make it, forget about appealing to the average. Success is a question of exploring the extremes.
Let’s face it. Corporations are no longer in control. The karaoke version of capitalism brings us the promised land of competent people and customers. Modern companies are facing the prospects of a two-front war: held hostage by talent and under siege by consumers. To thrive, organizations must learn to master the arts of capitalizing on competencies and customer creation.
The winners know that wealth is created with wisdom. To maximize human capital they attract great people to develop a perspective that thrives on diversity. But even deviants need to know who they are, where they are going and be given the incentives to get there. Truly innovative corporations utilize the power of a shared purpose. Knowledge creation is not a single voice in the darkness, but a conversation, a process of dialog and discovery. Beyond the quick fix lies continuous commitment to doing things differently. Creating the unknown requires persistence as much as imagination.
From Microsoft to Madonna, those capable of renewal have found the way out of the karaoke bar. But the old solutions no longer work. 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 in developing unique business model. Masters of mood exploit the imperfections of man by seducing or sedating consumers. Excellent companies accept no imitations - no limitations.
