Superconnect – Harnessing the Power of Networks and the Strength of Weak Links

I enjoyed Koch's book the 80/20 Principle and took away some actionable lessons. Nassim Taleb goes into better detail regarding power laws but the 80/20 principle is really good stuff.This book however, for me, was overly dense and verbose for what was effectively a few key important points. A well written blog post or small guide could have summarized it better.The other niggle I have relates to a lot of the examples, city friends in the private equity firm or that Red Brick university and so on. It's easy to develop effective weak ties when you are born into an environment that has the ability to fast track your life for you.

...it's who you know.Yes, we knew that already.Time goes slow it seems when the phones don't ring on a Friday afternoon so the authors (management consultants, wannabee private equity) got the secretary to knock up some stuff by a google search of some social psychology.Go to the source, not this trash: This is a calling card, not a contribution to knowledge.

great product as described, great service, fast delivery. would recommend highly A+++

I read this book just after reading "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell and whilst I enjoyed "Blink", I found "Superconnect" much more rewarding to read. In fact I have purchased extra copies to give to friends and family.My own children are young adults who, I believe, could find this book life changing.I found the chapter dealing with the interaction of networks and poverty particularly insightful and I believe that all politicians and social reformers should read it.Congratulations to Koch and Lockwood for a very well researched and thought provoking book.

Koch is famous for his excellent book on the 80/20 principle and this time he has teamed up with a co-author to argue a typically simple but compelling idea: the people we know least well can make the biggest difference to our lives. The corollary is that the people we know best - and perhaps value most - might in fact be a hindrance to our future enlightenment & development. This is a brave assertion and it's well worth reading the book to understand its full power - and whether you agree with it! Recommended.

Having been sceptical about such so called "soft" management books I apprehensively read this practical and no-nonsense guide to getting the most out of those people in your outer circle of contacts. I would have liked to have read more about the possible negative consequences of having so many loose social and professional links, but all in all an intelligent, comprehensive and entertaining work. I love it when I'm made to see something that we take for granted in a different light. I will without a doubt be taking on board the advice that the authors make and I thoroughly recommmend it to anyone in any career or walk of life!

I'll admit my first reaction was scepticism....Koch has sold millions of books expounding (albeit, very engagingly) the benefits of the 80:20 principle, where 80% of results derive from 20% of inputs. Surely further proof of the value of prioritisation, and how spending the majority of our effort on those people/ customers/ things will allow us to gain more happiness/ money/ fulfilment. QED? Not quite.In Superconnect, Koch & Lockwood explore the value of those tenuous links and how the diversity of those weak links in our social and professional networks can be collided to produce extraordinary possibilities and enormous success. Always engaging, punctuated with poignant examples, Superconnect is a roadmap for more creative, productive networking (or even, getting more out of the people you know on Facebook).Superconnect is also a damn good read. 5 stars!

An important contribution to an emerging field of research. Very readable and engaging. Many familiar stories from social science and history are 're-evaluated' from a modern network perspective. If it's not always for all the answers this book provides, it's certainly the questions it raises that makes it a book I wish to recommend to those interested in social change.