---
product_id: 30177948
title: "Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty Paperback – April 3, 2012"
brand: "max mckeown"
price: "€ 31.22"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/30177948-adaptability-the-art-of-winning-in-an-age-of-uncertainty
store_origin: HR
region: Croatia
---

# Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty Paperback – April 3, 2012

**Brand:** max mckeown
**Price:** € 31.22
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty Paperback – April 3, 2012 by max mckeown
- **How much does it cost?** € 31.22 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/30177948-adaptability-the-art-of-winning-in-an-age-of-uncertainty)

## Best For

- max mckeown enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted max mckeown brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Adaptability: The Art of Winning In An Age of Uncertainty Paperback – April 3, 2012 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/615YOVEdaRL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    A Book Intended for Professional Strategists and Innovators
  

*by R***T on Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2013*

If the essence of "Good Strategy" vs. "Bad Strategy" is about a diagnosis, and a coherent guiding policy that is followed up by action, then this is the book for you.  No one else took to heart and mind what Dr. Rumelt, the one who defined Good vs. Bad strategy, except this author.  Max McKeown is in my un-humble opinion the newest (and best) star author in the field of strategy, and he comes w/ a track record of some excellent tome's that help to establish that foundation.The principles that Max has outlined here have practical application, which might seem like quite a statement to make, unless this was coming from someone who has actually applied the principles in this book in the context that Max has outlined / suggested, and as he intended.You see I am a consultant, but not your typical one in the domain of innovation management, a part of my business is to assert into the marketplace to make things happen, for our clients and ourselves that is after we've made a diagnosis of where the weak points in what the opposition is doing or not doing.  We actively act and operate as Innovation Activists / Market Insurgents & Challengers when the status quo is choking the innovation in a given market, then we will on our own, or working on behalf of a client, assert into the marketplace and shake things up, and unhinge the players, w/ new business models and new technologies and products that are new to market.To do this effectively an innovation manager like myself, needs tools and guidelines to help direct traffic for me and my teams, I demand that my teams operate from principles, not random personality driven approaches or what any one person thinks is a good idea, I have responsibility and accountability to my teams and my clients to execute and do it right the 1st time. I am expected to hit, when and where I say I can hit, it is what we are paid to do, we don't have the luxury of hiding behind our decisions, we have to adapt to market conditions as they unfold, much like a fighter pilot locked in a dog fight has to.  These principles give us additional insight and thoughtful points to stop, consider and ponder next steps &/or consequences that could be fatal to a project.  An equivalent meaning is to NOT do the stupid move.Max has done his homework, the principles are intended for all kinds of strategists, whether you are an Monday morning arm-chair quarterback, to the IP attorney, to the hungry M&A focused executive, to the Innovation Manager trying to figure out how to enable his firm to be adaptive in the marketplace.  I am reminded of Colonel John Boyd - OODA Loop fame, and his last remaining acolyte, Chet Richard's and his book "Certain To Win" , if the Colonel and Chet are the architects of the blueprint of the future adaptable organization, then Max's book on "Adaptability: The Art of Winning in an Age of Uncertainty" is the teeth that gives you the reader the principles to help drive your business, your processes and most importantly your people to help guide them on what you expect,and what the organization needs.We all have operated by values in our respective firms, but in  my experience principles trump values and beliefs every time, I've seen a lot of people die for what they believe in, their values that they've staunchly defended beliefs, however I see a lot less dead bodies of those who operate from a principled standpoint, particularly the one's focused on winning in business and technology.Read this, read it again, put it on the shelf, and refer to it often.Richard PlattManaging Partner - The Strategy + Innovation Group(former)Intel Global Innovation Program Manager for Innovation

### ⭐ 1.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Don’t buy this book
  

*by J***K on Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2018*

Most poorly written book ever

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Change the game
  

*by J***D on Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2012*

'All failure is a failure to adapt', says McKeown in his introduction to this book.In the living world, if a species doesn't adapt to its environment, it dies and its precise genetic make-up leaves the gene pool. Organisms that evolve through chance mutation or through the evolutionary selection of existing advantageous adaptations manage to survive to reproduce another day. But, as McKeown points out, human beings have managed to add another layer of adaptation to the brute business of genetic inheritance. McKeown characterises these mechanisms as culture, science and technology: we learn and pass on tricks that help to us adapt to changing circumstances, regardless of our genetic make-up.McKeown's introduction to 'Rule 1' (Play your own Game) says it all: 'If you are getting whipped playing by the existing rules, get used to losing or change the game. If you can't win by standing and fighting then run and hide. If you can't win by being big, be small. If you can't win by being small, be big. The first rule of winning is that there is no one way to win.' Organisations - especially corporations - need to remind themselves of this vital need for constant adaptation, argues McKeown.  As another of his proposed rules for survival nicely puts it, `Stability is a dangerous illusion.' Or, as he quotes IBM CEO Virginia Rometty as saying: 'You may be only one mistake away from irrelevance.'The problem is that most organisations are inherently conservative; they don't just resist change, they actively fight against it. McKeown offers three fundamental steps for survival that form the structure of this book: recognise the need for adaptation; understand what adaption is required; do what is necessary to adapt. Adaptability is stuffed full of examples, some familiar, some new, of organisations which failed to notice that they needed to adapt until it was too late, or nearly too late: the American car industry in the face of nimbler Japanese competition; the banking group UBS in the face of what had become an institutionalised pattern of irresponsible trading that led, apparently suddenly, to the loss of $2.5 billion by one employee. To quote another of McKeown's rules: 'Stupid survives until smart succeeds.'  I also liked his comment - in the context of the US car industry thinking of a dozen reasons why Japanese car manufacturers might be selling more cars other than the simple fact that they were making cars that people preferred to buy: 'enthusiastic ignorance is the most dangerous behaviour to enlightened adaptation.'There are four possible outcomes of adaptation, or failure to adapt, according to McKeown: collapse; survival; thriving; transcendence. Sometimes, he argues, we survive but continue in a pretty miserable existence. Sometimes we get it right and thrive. Sometimes, which is even better, we 'transcend' the situation: we escape the constraints of the existing situation and rise above it; we move from one way of living or working to a better way. This is what corporations should seek to achieve.McKeown's aim is laudable: 'My interest is in understanding more about how social groups can move beyond the existing rules to find games that allow more people to win more often.' This is a thoroughly enjoyable book that expands intelligently on its premise, and which ranges impressively across all the fields of human endeavour in the search for  illustrations of the essential need for adaptation: from the war in Iraq to making Levis with less water; from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to game theory; from the National Football League to Easter Islanders.  McKeown may in fact, have been a little too generous in the illustrations of his central argument - at times the sheer profusion of examples makes the head spin a little - but this is a well-developed book with a consistent and well-argued theme. I  agree wholeheartedly with McKeown that adaptability is one of the key blind spots of modern business: when organisations are successful, they tend to fight tooth and nail to maintain the circumstances that have made them successful. But circumstances change.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/30177948-adaptability-the-art-of-winning-in-an-age-of-uncertainty](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/30177948-adaptability-the-art-of-winning-in-an-age-of-uncertainty)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Croatia*
*Store origin: HR*
*Last updated: 2026-03-16*