Mark de Rond - Böcker

This book brings together some of the latest thinking and research on cooperative strategy. Work in this area has grown rapidly over the last decade, but no single thematic approach has dominated and become the ascendant theory–resource dependency, transaction cost analysis, market power, and game theory have all made significant contributions to the growing literature on strategic cooperation. This book presents chapters from many of these theoretical perspectives and some of the key issues through a number of different lenses.

This book reviews the state of current thinking in the field of cooperative strategy, identifying some of the key issues being addressed by theorists and practitioners alike. Many books on the topic confine themselves to one theoretical approach, whether it be transaction cost economics, resource dependence theory, game theory, or the positioning school. In contrast, this book approaches the design, management, and dynamics of alliances from multiple viewpoints, thus seeking to provide the reader with a comprehensive and stimulating treatment. The first chapter attempts a review of the current state of theory on the rationale for cooperative strategy. It emphasizes the breadth and diversity of theories-economic, strategic, psychological, and sociological-that have been used to explain and inform the phenomenon of cooperation in otherwise competitive business environments.Contributors to the book include Peter J. Buckley, Stephen Tallman, Alan Rugman, Ray Loveridge, Barbara Gray, Mitchell P. Koza, Andrew C. Inkpen, P. Christopher Earley, John Child, Ranjay Gulati, and Ed Zajac. A foreword is provided by Yves L. Doz. In all, the book presents a rich and wide variety of contributions from some of the best minds in the field.

Since 1986 Darwin College, Cambridge has organised a series of annual public lectures built around a single theme approached in a multi-disciplinary way. These essays were developed from the 2008 lectures, which explored the idea of serendipity - the relationship between good fortune and the preparation of the mind to spot and exploit it. Serendipity is an appealing concept, and one which has been surprisingly influential in a great number of areas of human discovery. The essays collected in this volume provide insightful and entertaining accounts of the relationship between serendipity and knowledge, in the human and natural sciences. Written by some of the most eminent thinkers of this generation, Serendipity explores a variety of subjects, including disease, politics, scientific invention and the art of writing. This collection will fascinate and inspire a wide range of readers, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the popular, but elusive, concept of serendipity.

How can we explain a proliferation of alliances when the probability of failure is higher than success? And why have we emphasized their order, manageability and predictability whilst acknowledging that they tend to be experienced as messy, politically charged and unpredictable? Mark de Rond, in this provocative book, sets out to address such paradoxes. Based on in-depth case studies of three major biotechnology alliances, he suggests that we need theories to explain idiosyncracy as well as social order. He argues that such theories must allow for social conduct to be active and self-directed but simultaneously inert and constrained, thus permitting voluntarism, determinism, and serendipity alike to explain causation in alliance life. The book offers a highly original combination of insights from social theory and intellectual history with more mainstream strategic management and organizations literature. It is a refreshing and thought-provoking analysis that will appeal to practitioner and academic researcher alike.

It is difficult to imagine a more heinous crime than the sexual abuse of children. Yet, terrifyingly, a new case of child sexual abuse is reported every seven minutes. In response to this crisis, self-appointed groups of citizens are fashioning themselves as 'paedophile hunters.' Operating outside the law, these groups use social media to bait and expose those seeking to engage children sexually, both on- and offline. Their work has been remarkably effective, but at what cost? Following four years of unprecedented access to the UK's most prolific team of paedophile hunters, Mark de Rond offers balanced and insightful answers to the perplexing question of why these groups persist in using extreme methods to hold predators to account in view of less harmful alternatives. In doing so, he invites us to consider the societal impacts of paedophile hunters on our laws and institutions, as well as societal cohesion and safety.

The essays from prominent public intellectuals collected in this volume reflect an array of perspectives on the spectrum of conflict, competition, and cooperation, as well as a wealth of expertise on how games manifest in the world, how they operate, and how social animals behave inside them. They include previously unpublished material by former Cabinet minister Sayeeda Warsi, the philosopher A. C. Grayling, legal scholar Nicola Padfield, cycling coach David Brailsford, former military intelligence officer Frank Ledwidge, neuro-psychologist Barbara J. Sahakian, zoological ecologist Nicholas B. Davies, and the final work of the late Nobel laureate Thomas C. Schelling. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the history, nature, and dynamics of games.

Foreword by Richard Hytner, Deputy Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide We've all worked with one--a smart and immensely talented individual who brings enormous value to the organization. The problem? He's an awful teammate. So as a leader, do you consider this key player toxic or irreplaceable? There Is an I in Team explores the relationship between individual and team--asking the question, How can we harness the talent of individual performers into a cohesive, productive team that creates overall value? And why are so many of our assumptions about teams wrong? Business challenges like this one mimic many of the issues facing sports teams, though admittedly the sports metaphors most commonly used in business are trite and superficial comparisons. What's needed are real and substantial lessons that managers actually can take from the world of high-performance sports and use in an everyday work environment. This book meets that need. University of Cambridge professor Mark de Rond has combined cutting-edge social and psychological research with rich stories from world-class sports teams, coaches, athletes, and even business executives.The result challenges our most popular notions about teams. Equally critical, it teaches an innovative way to transform team potential into measurable business advantage. You'll learn: * Why there is an I in team--and why that matters * Why an ideal team is rarely comprised of the best individual performers * Why conflict happens even when intentions are perfectly aligned * Why likability can trump competence even in technically sophisticated environments * Why a focus on interpersonal harmony can actually hurt team performance * Why data and sophisticated statistical tools are unlikely to eliminate the role of intuition At once readable and teachable, There Is an I in Team will strengthen your understanding of the issues that permeate teams of high-performers, and it will help you apply these new insights to your own work--giving you and your team an edge over the competition.