A beautiful constraint

A beautiful constraint

The title is an indication of how far business has moved from an attempt to standardise or rationalise business processes. Business success often comes when particular limitations are overcome. The idea at the heart of this book is that constraints should be sought out and even self-imposed in order to make the business more successful. And constraints are more than useful. They can even be beautiful. There is an aesthetic dimension to running a business because of the way constraints can align everyone to a common purpose. The book can be read in any order. It is even claimed that you can read it in 10 minutes because every chapter begins with a summary of the ground to be covered and concludes with a summary of the main ideas. The book can be read as a 6 stage methodology each with a tool to be completed. But there is even a chapter about how the book can be used. There are 6 different suggestions. Together with a chapter suggesting how leaders can guide their organisations towards and through constraints which will galvanise the way they operate. So really there is something for everybody.

For me the most interesting chapter was the one about emotions. The authors argue that without emotion you can’t get people to focus on the problem and to persist with finding ways around obstacles for which you need to harness positive emotions such as excitement and pride. But also negative emotions such as frustration and rage. I never knew that Wetherspoons was named after the teacher who told the founder Tim Martin that that he would never succeed in business. 900 outlets later revenge is sweet! There are copious examples referenced and unpacked as thorough case studies through the book.

The trademark of an Adam Morgan book is the thoroughness and structure. One only needs to think of how solid his first title Eat the Big Fish was. Here he had the additional challenge of collaborating with Mark Barden based on the West Coast of America – that was their ‘constraint’ that encouraged them to be very clear what each section of the book needed to say. There are lots of books which promise quick solutions and can be read in a single flight. This is not one of them. The argument that a business needs not only to profit from scarcity but to manage abundance (and even avoid overabundance) is a profound one. This is a deeper book than the simple message find a constraint and make the most of it would suggest. In the end the reason why we need to get good at identifying the most of constraints is that they are fundamental to human thought. If you don’t choose your constraints you will be limited by the ones you have taken for granted. This is a book which deserves rereading and studying. Not just one for prominent display on the bookshelf!


John Griffiths is the barefoot insighter! He runs his research and planning consultancy Planning Above and Beyond. Read more from John in our Clubhouse.

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