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    A Bigger Prize by Margaret Heffernan Summary

    A Bigger Prize
    Margaret Heffernan
    3.81 (181 Reviews)
    BusinessLeadershipPsychologyRelationship
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    Overview of A Bigger Prize

    Challenging our win-at-all-costs mentality, "A Bigger Prize" reveals how competition often stifles innovation. Did you know collaborative companies see 58% more patents? Margaret Heffernan's groundbreaking research shows why the Human Genome Project succeeded where cutthroat rivals failed.

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    "Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

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    Imagine a demolition derby-cars smashing into each other until only one remains standing. This brutal spectacle perfectly mirrors how competition has become our default motivator in society. Margaret Heffernan's "A Bigger Prize" challenges our fundamental assumption that competition solves everything from education to business to global challenges. The book reveals how our obsession with winning often leads to destructive outcomes while offering a compelling alternative: collaboration as a more effective path to innovation and success. Since its publication, this counterintuitive message has influenced organizational psychology and management thinking worldwide. What makes this work particularly relevant today is how it anticipated the growing disillusionment with hyper-competitive workplaces and educational systems that many now recognize as toxic. When winning becomes everything, we all ultimately lose-our health suffers, our relationships deteriorate, and even our success becomes hollow.

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    The Competitive Pursuit of Love

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    The Corporate Size Obsession

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    Organizations That Thrive Without Hierarchy

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    The Collaborative Alternative