The Incredible Story of Deft: What Nobody Told You About Business Hype
by Isaak Tsalicoglou
Paperback; 149 pages
Published on August 19th, 2017
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1521825092
Have you ever seen initiatives start with a “big bang”, become promoted with intense hype, gradually turn into a bureaucratic rigmarole, slowly stagnate and finally be given up, typically silently and without a lot of fuss, reflection, or learning? Are you worried about this scenario?
If so, don your cape of critical thinking and jump into the incredible story of Deft: the eternal and seemingly immortal management paradigm that has swept the entire world off its feet, enabling organizations in every single industry to address every kind of business challenge under the sun for many decades already—from improving product quality to winning the “War for Talent.”
Discover Deft through its various interwoven heroic tales of unconventional thinking and its cast of visionaries. Sympathize with or pooh-pooh its quirky figures, such as the industrious industrial hero of the nigh-mythical Waseigo Corporation, or the “band of brothers” and their rebellious manifesto.
Marvel, rage, scoff, or laugh, while you progressively uncover the perils of relying passionately on narrow-minded methods experts and alluring narratives of success at companies that are inspirationally different to your own. Finally, find out which Deft faction you and your colleagues already belong to, and ponder its implications on your business’ degree of deftness.
“The Incredible Story of Deft” lays bare the #1 root cause of failure of ambitious, sweeping change and improvement initiatives that few dare to name: ill-timed and often unnecessary hype. Reading between the lines will provide you with a nuanced understanding of the pitfalls of hype in initiatives. It will also provide you with a plethora of anti-patterns to avoid in your organization—so that you can focus on what’s important, prevent busywork, and achieve better business results in a pragmatic manner.
Author Isaak Tsalicoglou deftly weaves a satirically tongue-in-cheek, hyperrealistic, and entirely fictitious narrative that has been lauded as a story that “would be flat-out funny if not so true”, while it has had others inquire in earnest about how to “do Deft”, “implement Deft”, “become deft”, or even obtain certifications in Deft.
