Book- ‘Powers of Two: Finding the Essence of Innovation in Creative Pairs’
Joshua Wolf Shenk
Hachette
R499
Pp 339
In Powers of Two, the author, on the basis of intensive research on hundreds of pairs that have worked well together, draws patterns of what is required for such combinations to take place, survive, succeed and probably also break up
WE HEAR several stories of self-made men and women. But do we ever give a thought to the kind of power two people can bring in while working on the same project? In such a scenario, ‘one and one’ may add up to more than two—maybe 10 or even infinity. This is the thought pursued by Joshua Shenk in his quite remarkable book called Powers of Two. After intensive research on hundreds of pairs that have worked well together, the author draws patterns of what is required for such combinations to take place, survive, succeed and probably also break up.
Shenk’s examples cover various fields, though he has a lot to say on the Paul McCartney and John Lennon combo. The pairs that feature prominently are Marie and Pierre Curie, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Tiger Woods and Steve Williams, and David Crosby and Graham Nash of the famous Crosby Stills and Nash fame. The commonality between these pairs is that they worked well together, even though they may have been contrasting characters with different attitudes. For pairs, we normally tend to say one of them is an ‘ideal foil’ for the other and any inadequacy in one is made up for by the other, making them complementary subjects.
In his book, Shenk surprisingly does not talk about sportspersons who play doubles, even though we have seen several successful combinations around the world and in India too.
The research done by Shenk for his book shows that pairs typically go through six stages. The first stage is ‘meeting’, the natural starting point. The two could meet due to a variety of reasons. Somebody gets them to meet and things just click. Alternatively, they meet at a place of common interest, for instance, a museum, and from here the partnership takes off. Or it could be a chance encounter, which leads to the recognition of common areas of interest.
The second stage is called ‘confluence’ and, as the word suggests, this is where the two gel and bond. This metamorphosis leads to what can be called a joint identity, which supersedes individual egos. McCartney and Lennon had a common identity—that of the Beatles—which kept them moving alongside in the world of music. We can extrapolate this kind of bond to any music band that has lasted for long—often we are not familiar with the individual members of a band, as it is the band which has the identity. To reach this stage, one must have confidence and trust in each other so that this joint identity is maintained. When the concept is of ‘we’, and not ‘I’, it becomes a kind of marriage, where the two can maintain their own identities (distinct), absorb the other (asymmetrical) or work equally (overt). Again, these are more or less stylised facts based on research on successful pairs.
Stage three is called ‘dialectics’, where each one has a role, which gets automatically assigned—like how architects need contractors and singers need bands. There is always a star and a director—for example, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook.
Interestingly, Shenk points out that even poet William Wordsworth owed a lot to his sister Dorothy, though she always remained in the background. Therefore, in a pair, there are two positions, the spotlight and the shadow, with one person remaining in the shadow quite inadvertently. Shenk draws analogies to a liquid and its container, where both are required for a drink to work. All such partnerships have different personalities, as one is a doer, the other a dreamer. Both are required for an enterprise to flourish.
The fourth stage is about ‘distance’. In this, the two could be at different places, communicating with one another or living and working together. This is interesting because most of the earlier cases of great partnership were in an age where communication channels were rudimentary. However, today, collaboration is possible due to the advancement in communications. But often, being apart enhances creativity and engenders friction, something that is necessary to keep such duos ticking.
The next stage involves the ‘infinite game’, where there is room for conflict. While the two may have started with a feeling of cooperation, there will be stages when there is conflict between them due to a feeling of competition, an inescapable event. The same forces that goaded and brought them together can cause this friction, which leads to strain.
The final stage is of ‘interruption’, where there is a split between the two and the bond gets severed. Here, the author goes into the details of the McCartney and Lennon split. The extent of competition was too sharp to keep them together and it was inevitable that they part ways. It was not just a case of competing in music, but in their personal lives too. Here, Shenk talks of their love lives coming in the way, with each one trying to outcompete the other. The author feels that though all such combos break up, it is more difficult for them to reconcile.
Powers of Two is an interesting book, as it draws patterns, which can be applied to various groups. The IT industry in India, in fact, can throw up several examples of such pairs, as can rock bands, which split and come back together only to split again. Often, there is a clash once success is attained, with recognition going to one of the two. During the course of moving along this path of success, one does not mind being in the shadow, but finally, everyone wants the limelight.
Joshua Wolf Shenk
Hachette
R499
Pp 339
In Powers of Two, the author, on the basis of intensive research on hundreds of pairs that have worked well together, draws patterns of what is required for such combinations to take place, survive, succeed and probably also break up
WE HEAR several stories of self-made men and women. But do we ever give a thought to the kind of power two people can bring in while working on the same project? In such a scenario, ‘one and one’ may add up to more than two—maybe 10 or even infinity. This is the thought pursued by Joshua Shenk in his quite remarkable book called Powers of Two. After intensive research on hundreds of pairs that have worked well together, the author draws patterns of what is required for such combinations to take place, survive, succeed and probably also break up.
Shenk’s examples cover various fields, though he has a lot to say on the Paul McCartney and John Lennon combo. The pairs that feature prominently are Marie and Pierre Curie, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Tiger Woods and Steve Williams, and David Crosby and Graham Nash of the famous Crosby Stills and Nash fame. The commonality between these pairs is that they worked well together, even though they may have been contrasting characters with different attitudes. For pairs, we normally tend to say one of them is an ‘ideal foil’ for the other and any inadequacy in one is made up for by the other, making them complementary subjects.
In his book, Shenk surprisingly does not talk about sportspersons who play doubles, even though we have seen several successful combinations around the world and in India too.
The research done by Shenk for his book shows that pairs typically go through six stages. The first stage is ‘meeting’, the natural starting point. The two could meet due to a variety of reasons. Somebody gets them to meet and things just click. Alternatively, they meet at a place of common interest, for instance, a museum, and from here the partnership takes off. Or it could be a chance encounter, which leads to the recognition of common areas of interest.
The second stage is called ‘confluence’ and, as the word suggests, this is where the two gel and bond. This metamorphosis leads to what can be called a joint identity, which supersedes individual egos. McCartney and Lennon had a common identity—that of the Beatles—which kept them moving alongside in the world of music. We can extrapolate this kind of bond to any music band that has lasted for long—often we are not familiar with the individual members of a band, as it is the band which has the identity. To reach this stage, one must have confidence and trust in each other so that this joint identity is maintained. When the concept is of ‘we’, and not ‘I’, it becomes a kind of marriage, where the two can maintain their own identities (distinct), absorb the other (asymmetrical) or work equally (overt). Again, these are more or less stylised facts based on research on successful pairs.
Stage three is called ‘dialectics’, where each one has a role, which gets automatically assigned—like how architects need contractors and singers need bands. There is always a star and a director—for example, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook.
Interestingly, Shenk points out that even poet William Wordsworth owed a lot to his sister Dorothy, though she always remained in the background. Therefore, in a pair, there are two positions, the spotlight and the shadow, with one person remaining in the shadow quite inadvertently. Shenk draws analogies to a liquid and its container, where both are required for a drink to work. All such partnerships have different personalities, as one is a doer, the other a dreamer. Both are required for an enterprise to flourish.
The fourth stage is about ‘distance’. In this, the two could be at different places, communicating with one another or living and working together. This is interesting because most of the earlier cases of great partnership were in an age where communication channels were rudimentary. However, today, collaboration is possible due to the advancement in communications. But often, being apart enhances creativity and engenders friction, something that is necessary to keep such duos ticking.
The next stage involves the ‘infinite game’, where there is room for conflict. While the two may have started with a feeling of cooperation, there will be stages when there is conflict between them due to a feeling of competition, an inescapable event. The same forces that goaded and brought them together can cause this friction, which leads to strain.
The final stage is of ‘interruption’, where there is a split between the two and the bond gets severed. Here, the author goes into the details of the McCartney and Lennon split. The extent of competition was too sharp to keep them together and it was inevitable that they part ways. It was not just a case of competing in music, but in their personal lives too. Here, Shenk talks of their love lives coming in the way, with each one trying to outcompete the other. The author feels that though all such combos break up, it is more difficult for them to reconcile.
Powers of Two is an interesting book, as it draws patterns, which can be applied to various groups. The IT industry in India, in fact, can throw up several examples of such pairs, as can rock bands, which split and come back together only to split again. Often, there is a clash once success is attained, with recognition going to one of the two. During the course of moving along this path of success, one does not mind being in the shadow, but finally, everyone wants the limelight.
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