Menu Search

Friend & Foe: When to cooperate, when to compete, and how to succeed at both. (2015)

“The crushing lesson for companies hit by scandal is that while “non-core violations” of trust do not cause long-term harm, “core violations” can devastate.

Adam Galinsky, Professor of Business, Columbia University
and Maurice Schweitzer Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, Wharton School.
Publisher: Crown Business

“Much of modern life seems geared towards forcing us to compete rather than co-operate. But this book is based on the simple truth that humans are wired to do both, sometimes in the same interaction.

“Sometimes, for instance, it can be the right thing to lie (“when your grandmother asks if you enjoyed her meat loaf”). Putting yourself in another’s shoes – “perspective-taking”, in the jargon – is important in any negotiation, be it haggling over salary or buying a house. But too much empathy, they write, will lead you to give away more than you should.

“…There are broad corporate lessons, particularly about trust. But if you are, say, a Volkswagen executive, you will find little comfort here. The authors’ crushing lesson for companies hit by scandal is that while “non-core violations” of trust do not cause long-term harm, “core violations” can devastate.

“They point out that home decor and cookery goddess Martha Stewart bounced back after her imprisonment for perjury, but Andersen – the more relevant parallel for the carmaker – disintegrated after the collapse of its audit client Enron because it was seen to have betrayed the central reason for customer confidence in its services.

“Recovery from such shattering blows to trust is possible, they say – and may even help build trust if handled properly – but it is a long road. It starts with successful apologies (do it quickly, with candour, show vulnerability, focus on the victim, and promise to change) and ends with an extended period of penance.”

From the review by Andrew Hill, ft.com Business Books, 30 September 2015.

Buy the book here: Friend & Foe

Leave a comment

Back to the top
We aim to have healthy debate. But we won't accept comments that are unsubstantiated, unnecessarily abusive or may expose the Trust in any way. All contributions are moderated before being published.

Comments are closed.