The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar
In Summary Vijay Ramachandran
The Art of Choosing
By Sheena Iyengar
Published by Little, Brown.
Rs 600
As Albus Dumbledore tells Harry Potter in JK Rowling’s Chamber of Secrets: “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” Columbia Business School professor Sheena Iyengar agrees and attempts to decipher the magic of decision making. Her quest, based on multi-disciplinary research, often leads to answers that are as unexpected and paradoxical as they are instructive.
The trouble with choice, is that it is rooted in context and culture—while a multitude of options might make the day for one person, for another less might be more. And, as Dumbledore tells Harry elsewhere, we do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for us.
Ultimately, what defines us as humans is more about having the freedom to choose, rather than the ability to choose wisely (Iyengar highlights a direct link between the lack of control over choice and high-levels of stress).
Three CIOs I met recently also heartily recommend this book, which was a finalist for Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2010. Here are excerpts from their reviews about why they feel so:
CIO REVIEWS Expand all | Collapse all
Gopal Shukla VP-Business Systems, Hindustan Coca Cola
We make choices each moment, from indiscretions in our diet, to what we choose to wear, to even life-altering ones such as choice of our career or life partner. However, we rarely stop to think about how and why these decisions are made.
Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose? Iyengar’s insights are surprising and profound.
A well written and easy to read book, the only ‘choice’ it does not offer is the option to put it down till you are done reading it.
Tamal Chakravorty head -Process and IT, Ericsson India
Thought-through or impulsive, what are choices but a mechanism for us to decide what we want to be in future and move ahead from where we are today? The book is captivating in its freshness. The author proves that not only is choice based on culture but that it is self-defining.
This book is guaranteed to make you introspect and ask questions like: Why did I choose IT over a career in finance? Why did I never venture out of the country on work? Why did I switch verticals every few years? Were all my preferences wise? Only time will tell. Meanwhile, pick up the book—that’s a good choice to make.
Pradeep Yadav VP, Videocon Telecom
The real fruit lies in the later part of the book which discusses how to improve the art of making choices. This part is well-written and enhanced by interesting case studies. The author gets deep into the head of the reader, making it easy to relate to the points the author wants to illustrate.
The Art of Choosing has the potential to transform someone from a bad decision maker to a correct decision maker overnight and is a must-read book for all those who value their decision-making abilities.
