Learn or Die : Using Science to Build a Leading-Edge Learning Organization

Hess does the great service of examining the processes of both organizational and individual learning.... [He] conducts a dialogue with readers that is refreshingly unobscured by jargon and cant.... How refreshing it is to have a serious discussion of these important issues. Bravo! A must-read for learning professionals. Learn or Die is a book everyone who is serious about learning and growth - personally or organizationally - should read. If you thought you were serious about it, Learn or Die will take you to a whole new level with tools, case studies, and insights that will challenge your commitment to learning. Shane Parrish:This is by far the best book I've read on the subject of learning. Frank H. Foster, managing partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson Frontier and the Gideon Hixon Fund:I read Learn or Die and found myself intrigued and frankly, a little uncomfortable. So I read it a second time and found that it made me rethink many aspects of my own management style and the guidance I provide our portfolio companies.What hit me like a ton of bricks from Ed's research was the realization that the current approach based on traditional management techniques and performance metrics was unlikely to be both effective and sustainable in the rapidly changing, Darwinian world of venture capital investing and technology innovation. His vision of the learning systems and cultural commitments that define a truly high performance organization is a must read for any business that wants to prepare itself to meet the challenges and succeed in todays business environment--before its too late. Ming-J