The Chaos Imperative: How Chance and Disruption Increase Innovation, Effectiveness, and Success

Ori Brafman · Judah Pollack

Aug 2013 · Highbridge Audio · Narrated by Drew Birdseye

About this audiobook

People and organizations tend to approach chaos as if it were an unruly beast-something that needs to be reined in, or avoided at all costs. But what if there's a benefit to chaos? What if it's actually crucial for inspiring industry innovation?In The Chaos Imperative organizational thinker and bestselling author Ori Brafman and management consultant Judah Pollack dramatically demonstrate how even the best and most efficient organizations-from Fortune 500 companies to today’s US Army-can become more innovative by allowing a little unstructured space and “contained chaos” into their planning and decision-making.Through their consulting work, they realized that while structure and hierarchy are essential both in large corporations and small groups, too much of either can stifle creativity.Weaving together stories and case studies with insights from areas as far-reaching as neuroscience, medieval history, and video gaming, Brafman and Pollack reveal how creating pockets of chaos within organizations can inspire the creative leaps that lead to new growth.

About the author

Ori Brafman is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Born in Israel, and raised in El Paso, Texas, he has been an entrepreneur most of his life in business, government, and the nonprofit sector. While in college, he co-founded Vegan Action, which helped bring vegan foods into college dining halls and now has a network of over thirty-six national and international chapters. He was also co-founder of Courtroom Connect, a courtroom technology company, and in 2001, he co-founded Global Peace Networks, a network of over 1000 CEOs working on peace and economic development projects. Brafman has a B.A. in peace and conflict studies from UC Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Stanford University. He is considered an organizational expert and specializes in new ways of looking at business. His first book, The Starfish and the Spider (2006), was translated into 5 languages. Brafman has appeared on ABC, National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal/MarketWatch video, and CSPAN, and has had speaking engagements at Microsoft, Amazon, Stanford Business School, Harvard Business School, and other organizations.