New Rules for the New Economy: 10 Radical Strategies for a Connected World

By Kevin Kelly

Book Overview

The classic book on business strategy in the new networked economy-- from the author of the New York Times bestseller The Inevitable Forget supply and demand. Forget computers. The old rules are broken. Today, communication, not computation, drives change. We are rushing into a world where connectivity is everything, and where old business know-how means nothing. In this new economic order, success flows primarily from understanding networks, and networks have their own rules. In New Rules for the New Economy , Kelly presents ten fundamental principles of the connected economy that invert the traditional wisdom of the industrial world. Succinct and memorable, New Rules explains why these powerful laws are already hardwired into the new economy, and how they play out in all kinds of business--both low and high tech-- all over the world. More than an overview of new economic principles, it prescribes clear and specific strategies for success in the network economy. For any worker, CEO, or middle manager, New Rules is the survival kit for the new economy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014028060X
• ISBN13: 9780140280609
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A good start for those who wants to learn what new economy i

The book adresses almost all of the questions that one can wonder about the concept of "new economy". It not only addresses the questions, but also gives strategies for success in this new economy. As you go further in the book, you understand that the concept is not actually new but it is another stage of the continuously changing/improving economic and business world. The most important lesson that I have derived is, understanding the external environment and its dynamics is vital for designing the corporate strategy. Moreover the businessmen must learn that adoption to the new business world is not enough, but being able to adopt to the world that is in a continuous flux is also important. After you read and understand the logic behind this book, you become a good analyst of other different models that are proposed by others.

The Biology of a Networked Economy

Kelly's book is a great overview of how the internet will and is now affecting the world and especially the economy. Clearly written, easy to follow along, and quick enough to read, it serves as a good executive overview and thought generator. If, as he maintains, you follow along these 10 guidelines, you'll prosper in the times ahead. But not without a few bumps in this most dynamic, chaotic world.

A guide to the networked, information-fueled economy.

Why do alliances among firms kindle increased innovation? Why does the law of diminishing returns not work the way it used to? Why are so many firms giving away their products? Why should some firms abandon their most successful product at its zenith? Why is the value chain becoming less important than the value web? What is the value web?These are but a few intriguing questions that New Rules answers for business strategists. This tightly written tome offers a lucid explanation of the radical changes in the economy wrought by connected, networked communication systems. Kelly explains how and why the economic rules of the industrial age are being turned on their heads and elaborates 10 rules for the new information-based economy. He explains and offers familiar examples of each rule in action. This is a must-read for anyone who would understand the changes taking place in post-industrial economies fueled by information technologies.

Intriguing insights into the Info Age networked economy.

Kelly puts forth ten principles for understanding how technology is shaping the economy. Key themes are: the emergence of a global network with decentralized points of control; the network increases connections which increase opportunities for growth; technology ties value to plentitude rather than scarcity; primary business focus shifts to maximizing the value of the firm's network; acceleration of the innovation process makes it necessary to abandon the highly successful in order to escape obsolescence; and turbulence becomes the norm. These and other rules are explored in a book that is challenging and stimulating and provides insight into the Information Age's newly developing networked economy. Includes a good annotated bibliography.

New Rules is about the real world.

Fortunately I read the book before I read the "official" reviews. I know people from a Presbyterian pastor in Baltimore to a union offical in Tallahassee who operate as if these rules are already in effect. This book is about the real world. Its challenge is to dare readers to measure the potency of their decisions against the "new rules." These are the the rules that business can use to validate its decisions. Violate these rules, and you put your profits at risk.Kelly's rules are a network (central theme of the book) of guiding principles. Each principle functions to serve each of the other rules in the network. Therefore, in contrast to the pop-press hodge-podge of futuristic notions, "New Rules" serves the reader by forging clearly stated relationships between the guiding principles of our increasingly technologically driven economy. This book will trigger ideas whether you are in a smokestack industry, financial services, or hi tech.