The Wisdom of Bees

Jan 11, 2025 8:08 AM

Author:Michael O'Malley

The Wisdom of Bees

'It seemed to me that the bees were working on the very same kinds of problems we are trying to solve. How can large, diverse groups work together harmoniously and productively? Perhaps we could take what the bees do so well and apply it to our institutions.'

When Michael O'Malley first took up beekeeping he thought it would be a nice hobby to share with his son. But he noticed that bees not only work together to achieve a common goal but, in the process, create a remarkably productive organization, like a miniature but incredibly successful business.

O'Malley also realized that bees can teach managers a lot, identifying 25 powerful insights such as:

* Distribute authority: the queen bee delegates relentlessly and worker bees make daily decisions

* Keep it simple: bees exchange only relevant information

* Protect the future: when a lucrative vein of nectar is discovered, the entire colony doesn't rush off to mine it

Blending practical advice with interesting facts about the hive, The Wisdom of Bees is a useful and entertaining guide for any manager looking to get the most out of his or her organization.

Reviews

Mind-opening, insightful, and compelling

—— John Pepper, former CEO and chairman, Procter & Gamble

Read this remarkable book

—— W. Warner Burke, chair, Department of Organization and Leadership, Columbia University

An excellent operating guide for good management.

—— Phil Johnson, CEO, PJA Advertising + Marketing

After you read this book, I assure you that you will never think about your organization in quite the same way.

—— Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of Burt's Bees

If your creative team or organization struggles to implement their best ideas, or if you find that your own creative projects languish unfinished, you need Making Ideas Happen

—— Teresa Amabile, Director of Research, Harvard Business School

There are techniques in this book that can turn disorganised creative prima donnas into organised creative prima donnas

—— Chuck Porter, co-chairman, Crispin Porter + Bogusky

Belsky offers an illustrated map to get to the destination of your great ideas

—— Scott Thomas, Design Director, Obama Presidential Campaign

Predictioneer teaches us that we can predict how a conflict may be resolved if we carefully consider the incentives for all parties in the conflict. In an extraordinary range of applications, from ancient history to tomorrow's headlines, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita demonstrates the power of the game-theoretic approach

—— Roger B. Myerson, Nobel Prize-winning economist; Professor, University of Chicago

An interesting account of how one can approach apparently diverse situations

—— BBC Focus Magazine

Interesting

—— Sunday Herald

Reading this book is like putting a few zeros on your income. Tim brings lifestyle to a new level-listen to him!

—— Michael D. Kerlin, McKinsey & Company Consultant to Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, J. William Fulbright Scholar

Part scientist and part adventure hunter, Tim Ferriss has created a road map for an entirely new world. I devoured this book in one sitting-I have seen nothing like it.

—— Charles L. Brock, Chairman and CEO, Brock Capital Group, Former CFO, COO, and General Counsel, Scholastic, Inc., Former President, Harvard Law School Association.

Outsourcing is no longer just for Fortune 500 companies. Small and mid-sized firms, as well as busy professionals, can outsource their work to increase their productivity and free time for more important commitments. It's time for the world to take advantage of this revolution.

—— Vivek Kulkarni, CEO Brickwork India and former IT Secretary, Bangalore, Credited as the"techno-bureaucrat" who helped make Bangalore an IT destination in India

Tim is the master! I should know. I followed his rags to riches path and watched him transform himself from competitive fighter to entrepreneur. He tears apart conventional assumptions until he finds a better way.

—— Dan Partland, Emmy Award-Winning Producer"; American High, Welcome to the Dollhouse

The 4-Hour Workweek" is an absolute necessity for those adventurous souls who want to live life to its fullest. Buy it and read it before you sacrifice any more!

—— John Lusk, Group Product Manager, Microsoft World Headquarters

If you want to live your dreams now, and not in 20 or 30 years, buy this book!

—— Laura Roden, Chairman of the Silicon Valley Association of Start-up Entrepreneurs, Lecturer in Corporate Finance, San Jose State University

With this kind of time management and focus on the important things in life, people should be able to get 15 times as much done in a normal work week.

—— Tim Draper, Founder, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Financiers to innovators including Hotmail, Skype, and Overture.com

Tim Ferriss's book is about gaining the courage to streamline your life
... But even more than that, it challenges the reader to seriously consider an essential-yet rarely asked-question: What do you really want from life?

—— Rolf Potts, Author of "Vagabonding" and Travel Columnist for Yahoo! News

Tim has done what most people only dream of doing. I can't believe he is going to let his secrets out of the bag. This book is a must read!

—— Stephen Key, Top Inventor and Team Designer of Teddy Ruxpin, Lazer Tag, Consultant to "American Inventor"

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