Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
NOW A NATIONAL BESTSELLER The definitive guide to spreading ideas, building movements, and leaping ahead in our chaotic, connected age. Get the book New York Times columnist David Brooks calls "the best window I've seen into this new world."
Why do some leap ahead while others fall behind in our chaotic, connected age? In New Power, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms confront the biggest stories of our time--the rise of mega-platforms like Facebook and Uber; the out-of-nowhere victories of Obama and Trump; the unexpected emergence of movements like #MeToo--and reveal what's really behind them: the rise of "new power."
For most of human history, the rules of power were clear: power was something to be seized and then jealously guarded. This "old power" was out of reach for the vast majority of people. But our ubiquitous connectivity makes possible a different kind of power. "New power" is made by many. It is open, participatory, and peer-driven. It works like a current, not a currency--and it is most forceful when it surges. The battle between old and new power is determining who governs us, how we work, and even how we think and feel.
New Power shines fresh light on the cultural phenomena of our day, from #BlackLivesMatter to the Ice Bucket Challenge to Airbnb, uncovering the new power forces that made them huge. Drawing on examples from business, activism, and pop culture, as well as the study of organizations like Lego, NASA, Reddit, and TED, Heimans and Timms explain how to build new power and channel it successfully. They also explore the dark side of these forces: the way ISIS has co-opted new power to monstrous ends, and the rise of the alt-right's "intensity machine."
In an era increasingly shaped by new power, this groundbreaking book offers us a new way to understand the world--and our role in it.
Synopsis
From two visionary thinkers and practitioners comes a big idea about how power works differently in our hyperconnected age. Why do some leap ahead while others fall behind in today's chaotic, connected world? In New Power, Jeremy Heimans and Henry Timms confront the biggest stories of our age--the rise of mega-platforms like Facebook and Uber; the out-of-nowhere victories of Presidents Obama and Trump; the unexpected emergence of movements like #BlackLivesMatter--and reveal what's really behind them: the rise of "new power."
For most of human history, the rules of power were clear. To get ahead or get things done, you mastered "old power": closed, inaccessible, and leader-driven. Once gained, old power is jealously guarded, and the powerful spend it carefully, like currency. Our military, schools, hospitals, and governments run on old power. But ubiquitous connectivity has made possible a new form of power, one that operates differently, like a current. "New power" is made by many; it is open, participatory, and peer-driven. Like water or electricity, it is most forceful when it surges. The challenge with new power is not to hoard it but to channel it.
In New Power, Heimans and Timms showcase unlikely leaders using new power techniques, like Pope Francis and Lady Gaga, and look to the cultural phenomena of our time, from the Ice Bucket Challenge to Reddit to Airbnb, uncovering the new power forces that made them huge. They point to old power institutions like Lego, NASA, and the NRA that have figured out how to blend old and new power to supercharge their work. The authors draw on their own experience, too, offering us the new power tools we need to successfully spread an idea, lead a movement, build a career, or transform an organization today. And they explore the dark side of the changes we are living through: the way ISIS has co-opted new power to monstrous ends and the rise of the alt-right's "intensity machine."
New Power illuminates dramatic shifts happening in business, politics, and our everyday lives, and helps us all to master the new art of power.
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