Chaotics: The Business of Managing and Marketing in the Age of Turbulence (Hardcover)

~ (Author), John A. Caslione (Author)
Key Phrases: chaotics management system, new economic stage, heightened turbulence, United States, Big Three, Business Enterprise Sustainability (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Globalization and technology have heightened the interconnection, interdependence and fragility of today’s marketplace…Chaotics provides a system for steering businesses through both the best and worst of times.” -- Research magazine

“Kotler and Caslione have produced a timely and thoughtful analysis of the turbulent economic environment in which we now live, with a series of practical responses to the challenges faced.” -- The Irish Times

“…wrestling with how the increasing speed of change is affecting your business…then there is plenty of rock-solid…common-sense advice in the book...well worth your time.” --1to1 magazine

“In Chaotics, authors Philip Kotler and John Caslione pool their expertise to provide business leaders with a system for navigating the turbulent times…” -- Consulting magazine

“…outlines a powerful new system for managing waves of uncertainty affecting customers, employees, and other stakeholders….The best of the year so far!” -- CEO Refresher.com

"The authors hit a home run with this book. Reader value is off the charts.” -- Springfield Business Journal

“Philip Kotler…The man who brought metrics to marketing doesn’t disappoint…even the chart-averse will admire the skillful discussion of economic ‘chaotic theory.’” -- The Deal

Product Description

We have entered into an entirely new era, an age of increasingly frequent and intense periods of turbulence in the global economy. Unlike past recessions, today's crises have precipitated a need for businesses to develop a new mindset, one that takes into account intermittent periods of disturbance, allowing them to thrive while under the constant threat of chaos. Complete with metrics and measurements, "Chaotics" outlines a powerful new system for managing waves of uncertainty affecting customers, employees, and other stakeholders. In this climate of increased turbulence, no organization can survive with less.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (May 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814415210
• ISBN-13: 978-0814415214
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #73,092 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to navigate "the unpredictable and uncertain waters" of "The Age of Turbulence", May 25, 2009

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

According to Philip Kotler and John Caslione, today's business leaders need "a new view of the world and a new framework for dealing with it...a systems to make better decisions. They need a managerial framework and system to deal with chaos. They need a Chaotics Management System." In the Introduction, Kotler and Caslione note that business leaders "sense that we've entered an era of ongoing, continuous turbulence and heightened chaos. This realization is often accompanied by a sense of relief that they can now articulate what they've been sensing, coupled with dread that the traditional up cycle may not kick in to let the good times roll again - at least not like it did in the past. It is for this reason that we wrote Chaotics." These remarks reminded me of Andrew Grove's assertion that "only the paranoid survive" because, even when - especially when - the "good times" are rolling, they sustain a sense of "dread" that keeps them ever-alert to potential as well as obvious threats. In their book, Kotler and Caslione do not suggest that The Age of Turbulence is merely imminent. It is already here and all organizations are now subjected to its "unpredictable and uncertain waters" in their competitive marketplace, and their leaders must somehow "navigate" them through the turbulence while achieving Business Enterprise Sustainability (BES).

The material is carefully organized within eight chapters. First, review the main causes of turbulence, then shift their attention to the sequence of eight steps of the chaotics implementation cycle that will enable business leaders to navigate "the unpredictable and uncertain waters of disruptive turbulence in what they characterize as the "Age of Turbulence":

1. Identify sources of turbulence and chaos
2. Identify management's wrong responses to turbulence
3. Establish early-warning systems
4. Construct key scenarios and strategies
5. Prioritize key scenarios and select strategy
6. Implement chaotics strategic management behaviors
7. Implement chaotics strategic marketing behaviors
8. Achieve business enterprise sustainability

Kotler and Caslione note that Clayton Christensen introduced the term "disruptive technology" in an article published by the Harvard Business Review and later developed this concept in much greater depth in a book, The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail, and then replaced the term with a new concept, disruptive innovation, in a later book, The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth, that he co-authored with Michael Raynor. In their own book, Kotler and Caslione devise and then explore a frame-of-reference for a process of disruption that not only continues but escalates during what Fareed Zacharia aptly characterizes as "the third great power shift in modern history." (The first two were the rise of the Western world (during the 15th century of science and technology, commerce and capitalism, and the industrial and agricultural revolutions; and then, during the concluding years of the 19th century was the rise of the United States whose superpower status has been, for the last twenty years or so, largely unchallenged.) The most recent power shift has been caused by the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) and various cash-rich countries in the Middle East. The nature and extent of turbulence caused by this most recent power shift are unprecedented.

I especially appreciate Kotler and Caslione's skillful use of several reader-friendly devices that include several dozen checklists (most with annotations and explanations) that are inserted throughout the narrative. They facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review later of key points. For example, factors that can cause chaos (Page 18), hypercompetition strategies and tactics for disruption (Page 31), some of the most common mistakes that business leaders make when turbulence hits (Page 49), the "top-ten" innovation mistakes a company can make during a turbulent economy (Page 57), the sequence of action steps of "one effective and efficient" approach to scenario writing (Pages 92-93), the eight-step chaotics implementation cycle (Page 107), ten recommended practices to "weather" extended periods of economic turbulence (Pages 124-126), ten effective HR recommendations to help keep companies moving forward when the economy isn't (Pages 132-146), four key changes in the marketing landscape (Page 141), eight contingency initiatives while on "active stand by" before turbulence "whips up" again (Pages 151-153), three important recommendations to keep in mind for" keeping your margins above water while you are pushing for deeper market share" (Pages-158-160), six key steps for sales executives to get their sales teams to take on a tough economy and increase badly needed sales (Pages 161-163), and the common characteristics of a "firms of endearment (Page 182). To their substantial credit, after briefly identifying the "what" of these and other business challenges, they focus most of their attention on how to respond effectively to them.

Despite the nature and extent of unprecedented challenges and perils created by "the third great power shift in modern history," Kotler and Caslione remain confident that it is not only possible for companies to survive during The Age of Turbulence; they are convinced that they can thrive while achieving Business Enterprise Sustainability (BES), the subject if their sixth and final chapter. They suggest three "pragmatic steps" that business executives can take (listed and briefly discussed on Page 169) while ensuring that all initiatives are focused on all issues integral to extending the life of the business enterprise for as long as possible. BES "aims for a comprehensive strategy to maximizing the underlying value of companies in the extended long term, while optimizing company performance and value in the shirt and medium term - but never to compromise long term value."

When concluding their brilliant book, Kotler and Caslione quote Arie de Geus's observation, "The natural average lifespan of a corporation should be as long as two or three centuries." What are the common characteristics of companies that have remained in business for that long, or longer? Arie de Geus cites four: sensitivity to their world around them, awareness of their identify, tolerance to new ideas, and conservatism in financing. Today's business leaders need to recognize and take into full account "the new normality - heightened turbulence and chaos." With the capable assistance of Philip Kotler and John Caslione, they will be much better prepared to respond effectively to it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing!, August 19, 2009

By	Loyd E. Eskildson "Pragmatist" (Phoenix, AZ.) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Philip Kotler is the dean of marketing professors; however, in "Chaotics" he attempts to extend his brand too far. The authors argue that these troubled times are not an aberration, but the new face of normal, fed by globalism and technology. Companies now tend to make across-the-board cuts; they need an early-warning system, a scenario construction system, and a quick response system. Kotler and Caslione, like many others before them, attempt to provide such a system.

One of the best-known earlier efforts was Tom Peters and Robert Waterman's "In Search of Excellence." The problem, revealed several years later, was that what looked good in the authors' earlier analysis no longer held true - five years later "Business Week" reported that one-third were in financial difficulty. Similarly, a decade later with Total Quality Management and the Baldrige Award. (This problem of non-repeatability, non-generalizability of "business strategy secrets" has been repeated over and over, and is similarly seen in the financial analyses of Wall Street "quants.") The examples offered in "Chaotics" (eg. Starbucks, Home Depot, U.S. auto companies) are not as decisive as one would wish - even immediately after publication. Further, the authors devote little/no attention to the risks of debt financing - an underlying problem for large and small corporations across the Standard Industrial Classification spectrum.

Nonetheless, "Chaotics" does offer a good reminder that today's business environment is likely to remain tumultuous due to energy transitions, climate change, new financial regulations and practices, cloud computing, disruptive technologies, and the rise of developing nations (eg. Brazil, Russia, India, and China). (Sixty-two of the 2008 Fortune Global 500 were from developing nations.) Their point is reinforced per McKinsey - almost 40% of the leading U.S. industrial companies fell from the first quartile of their sectors during 2000-01, as well as one-third of U.S. banks.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read for the business owner who needs "fix it now" advice, May 19, 2009

By	Mark Deo "Mark Deo" (Torrance, CA) - See all my reviews

This book is very focused on today's volatile business world, and I really enjoyed reading it. I recommend this book for the business owner who needs practical "fix it now" advice. The reader will gain so much insight just by reading chapter 2, as it covers topics I'm sure today's business owner is struggling with. I.E. - resource allocation, across the board spending cuts, quick fixes to preserve cash flow, and reducing sales related expenses, etc.

I particularly found a passage in the book that rings true and reinforces my stance that who we are is more important than what we do. The authors state, "So a company's internal and external behavior leaves a legacy that affects the stakeholder's future mindsets and behavior toward the company. Often times this reveals the absence of the company's authenticity, a quality that is becoming increasingly important to consumers." Being authentic in your marketing and business operations in imperative in maintaining happy customers that return. I recommend this book.