Adrian Wooldridge Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Modern Library Chronicles Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Adrian Woolridge went to the Oxford based Balliol College from where he graduated with a degree in modern history. He was also the recipient of a fellowship at Oxford University All Souls College and graduated with a PhD in Philosophy in 1985.

Apart from this, he went to the University of California at Berkeley as a Harkness Fellow. He would then work as a West Coast, Britain and management correspondent for “The Economist.”

Over the years, he has written more than ten titles in collaboration with several authors including John Micklethwait. “Aristocracy of Talent,” one of his most critically acclaimed works, made the long list for the business book of the year award by Financial Times/McKinsey.

He has also been shortlisted for the same award for the work “Capitalism in America,” on which he collaborated with Alan Greenspan. Wooldridge was the recipient of the business commentary Gerlad Loeb award in 2017.

As a political editor for “The Economist,” Adrian Wooldridge is the author of the “Bagehot” column that analyzes British p0litics and life. Before then, he was a columnist for the “Schumpeter” column on wide ranging business topics that included management, finance and business.

He previously worked out of Washington DC, where he served as the paper’s bureau chief and from time to time contributed to the “Lexington” column.
Woolridge co-authored the economic analytical work “The Company” which explored the history of companies as a revolutionary idea that would result in globalization with its many benefits and challenges.

He has also written several other novels over the years that have made his reputation as one of the most insightful authors on matters politics, management and economics.

Apart from his works on management and politics, Adrian Woolridge has been writing on psychology and business topics too. He made his debut with the publishing of “Measuring the Mind,” a work that he published in 1994.

The work is an exploration of the historical debate over nature versus nature in education and intelligence. Over nearly a decade between the late 1800s to 1990, the work also explores international perspectives on the subject as Wooldridge provides some useful insights on ideological currents that informed the debate in Britain.

Writing for the “New Statesman & Society,” Marek Kohn described the work as an insightful analysis of an important debate. The work was also called a deeply researched and fascinating work into the history of psychometry.

Adrian Woolridge’s “The Aristocracy of Talent” explores the idea that talent should be the overriding factor for advancement rather than status. This was believed to be a revolutionary idea for centuries that it would become the ruling ideology across the globe by the end of the twentieth century.

In recent times, the ideology has been coming under attack from both the left and right. Adrian Wooldridge explores the history of meritocracy that officials and politicians forged while introducing open competition as a revolutionary concept.

It was the psychologists of the time who came up with techniques for measuring innate mental capacities and the educationalists who came up with systems for advancing opportunities for such people. Wooldridge’s research goes outside western culture to show how transformative meritocracy has been across the globe.
It managed to bring women into the meritocratic system and the economy from whence they had previously been excluded. The author also shows how the system can be corrupted and makes the argument that the lack of social mobility in recent times arose from the failure to strictly adhere to meritocratic ideals.
In this regard, he asserts that meritocracy still has its place but that it needs renewal if it is to serve the needs of the twenty-first century economy.

“Masters of Management” is a blockbuster book by long time editors and economic journalists John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge. The work is a revolutionary analysis of management theory that would become a very popular book among its legions of followers and evangelists.

The work has since become a bestselling title devoured by readers and praised by reviewers who had sometimes been befuddled by the concepts and buzzwords that were common in the management industry before then.

Upon its publication, the work revolutionized and re-energized ideas such as chaos, reengineering, quality and the search for excellence. The renaissance was similar to the modern day revolutionary ideas such as corporate responsibility, black swans, the war for talent and the tipping point.
For decades since the advent of business management programs, many of the leading voices in the space have been seen as dubious practitioners. Most could not find the respect they believed they deserved in academia even though many pedaled all manners of ideas, some nonsensical and others brilliant.
The work provides a damning critique of management theory but also makes an argument for its value. The author argues that theory often makes companies more productive and efficient. They enhance organizational life for employees and offer some exceptional ways for innovation while still adhering to more time tested ways.

Adrian Wooldridge’s work “The Great Disruption” is a collection of the best articles by the author while he was working for “The Economist” and “Schumpeter” columns. In these articles, he addressed the profound consequences and causes of disruption in business over half a decade.

The disruption was caused by several factors, not the least of which is the internet. Meanwhile, emerging markets have been engaging in manufacturing and innovation, even challenging the west in this regard.

Brilliant management strategies such as frugal innovation have forced companies to rethink their marketing strategies, even as robots advance from the factory floor to find many uses in the service sector. Many of these developments come together to change the business landscape and its very foundations.
The disruption has produced a new set of winners with many of these very unfamiliar to the modern business landscape. For instance, Asia now has more female CEOs and billionaires than Europe.

The new dispensation has also produced a new set of losers. While old fashioned universities continue to talk and chalk, many institutions and employees are realizing that they need to adapt or die.