Product Description

For many, work is the ultimate four-letter word, the embodiment of all that is mundane. For respected business writers Stan Davis and David McIntosh, work is an opportunity to find beauty, meaning, enjoyment, balance, and longevity. How? By treating one's work or business as art. According to The Art of Business, people get more satisfaction from creating something than from doing something. Purpose, mastery, and permanence are hallmarks of good work, whether in the arts or in business. The book represents a powerful paradigm shift, empowering readers to harness their artistic energies not only in work, but also in all facets of their lives. Using real-world examples such as Apple's attention to art in the design and marketing of the iMac and iPod, The Art of Business shows how introducing the aesthetic into a business framework can inspire both achievement and satisfaction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #191469 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 217 pages

Lawrence H. Summers, President, Harvard University, and former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
The Art of Business is a good antidote to all the business-as-war books out there.

Greg Joswiak, Vice President, iPod Product Marketing, Apple
Put artistry in everything you do!...The Art of Business articulates this strategy so beautifully that everybody can use it.

Warren Bennis, author and world-renowned authority on leadership, University Professor and Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, University of Southern California
The Art of Business has the mark of both great art and great business—it makes the profound look simple.

Customer Reviews

Merely sketching out the basics...
Bringing the World of Art to the World of Business is an interesting and relevant concept. This is why it's all the more disappointing when this book fails to deliver anything more then the most basic extensions of this concept. From thoughts on Art as Business ("See your customer as an audience") to basic business quips ("Profit is like health: you can't live without it, but it shouldn't be the only reason for your existence") - the book fails to deliver anything more then a basic framework with a smattering of supporting ideas, enough to get you started but nothing more.

If you're an artist looking to leverage your skills for business or a business person thinking of launching an Art-type initiative, this book may be worth your time. Otherwise, you might just want to think of what you're producing as a work of art, and the rest will naturally follow.

If you're determined to pick up a management book by an artist, and until I write one - try "The Art of Possibility" a good read on management techniques from an Orchestra Conductor and a Family Therapist. I also strongly recommend you check out Tom Peter's "Re-Imagine" - where he covers everything from the WOW project to bringing the heart of design into everything you do.

Below are some of the tidbits from the book:

The Economic Flow
* Inputs: Land, Labor, Capital
* Processes: R&D, Manufacturing, Distribution, Marketing
* Outputs: Better, Faster, Cheaper, Safer

The Artistic Flow
* Inputs: Imagination, Emotion, Intelligence, Experience
* Processes: Create, Produce, Connect
* Outputs: Beauty, Excitement, Enjoyment, Meaning

* Beauty gets its power from being simultaneously stimulating and calming. Excitement is most compelling when we get safe thrills. Enjoyment comes from finding freshness in familiar content. And meaning is strongest when we manage to personalize what's universal.

* Steps to take in getting started: Whatever your job, take a customer's experience with your company's product or service and then find the story in it. Tell the story several times, each time asking yourself how you can tell it better without changing its truthfulness. As HBS said "if you want to know the process, staple yourself to an order". Take a problem you have and express it artistically, as a song, poem, drawing, dance. Take an email and sign it before you send it - does it sound like rap, chant, swing, ballad, etc. You're trying to get a bead on the non-rational, non-cognitive line your readers will have. When you have a problem, think of how a group of famous people would solve it - Einstein, Lincoln, Dell, Oprah, etc. Think of how people react to what you do and give yourself a grade on your emotional intelligence. The longer your company has been around, the more experience you should be able to draw upon. The more connections you have, the more creativity you can support. When looking for enjoyment, ask your customer if you made them smile.

A life-affirming book
"Outside the box" can be a good thing, in books, in business and in art. How often does a business book affirm the things that are most important in life (besides money?) I found this book inspiring and relaxing, not to mention spiritual. Highly recommended!

How to use artistic flow patterns to use emotion, imagination and intuition to improve the outputs of a job
Whether you're a student, a business executive or an aspiring artist, all can benefit from seeing the world through eyes blending aesthetic appreciation and strategy. Using the artist's eye, The Art Of Business: Make All Your Work A Work Of Art shows how to use artistic flow patterns to use emotion, imagination and intuition to improve the outputs of a job. Even a company can benefit from blending the two flows of aesthetic and emotional richness with strategic fine tuning, using The Art Of Business as a guide.