The Infinite Game summary

A good player in the Infinite Game is Victorinox, the company that makes the Swiss Army knife. For a long time, the Swiss Army knife was a popular multi-purpose tool, but following the events of 9/11, it was banned from airline carry-on luggage and sales plummeted.

Prior to 9/11, Swiss Army Knives accounted for 95 percent of sales at Victorinox, but as CEO Carl Elsener explained, any long-lasting business will experience multiple ups and downs. So instead of thinking short-term, he says, “We think in generations.”

Are your customers or shareholders the most important part of your business? This question cuts right to the heart of what we consider to be the guiding principles of capitalism. It’s something to keep in mind when thinking about your Just Cause.

Back in the mid-eighteenth century, economist Adam Smith wrote a landmark book entitled The Wealth of Nations. In it, Smith essentially laid the groundwork for the next 200 years of capitalism. In his book, Smith puts the interests of the consumer as being primary, while the interests of the company are secondary. In fact, he considered the importance of this principle to be obvious. After all, any business that doesn’t try to make the customer happy isn’t going to last long, right?

Milton Friedman’s shareholder-centric ideas about capitalism have become so accepted that defying this concept can seem practically irresponsible. Nevertheless, if you judge success by longevity, which is how success within the Infinite Game of business should be judged, then you need to focus not on short-term earnings, but on the will of the people who want to support your company.

One of the main purposes of a strong, inspirational, forward-thinking Just Cause is to draw people into your vision for the future. However, human beings are very good at sniffing out a dishonest message, so along with respecting your customers, you also need to respect those employees who do join your cause. It’s vital that they’ll stick around as well.

When the almighty dollar becomes the main focus of a business, it not only leads to an uninspiring Just Cause, it leads to distrust and even unethical business practices. Both of these can greatly reduce business longevity.

In companies where employees feel a lack of trust, accidents and poor performance are bound to arise. This is due to the simple reason that no one will feel comfortable enough to speak up when mistakes happen or when someone is unsure about what to do.

If you’re a sports fan, you probably know the benefit of having a Worthy Rival. When you’re playing against an opponent with superior skills, you appreciate how he forces you to raise your own skill level and learn new techniques.

While this healthy attitude is commonplace in sports, it can also be found at infinite-minded businesses.

As you may have gathered, a strong Just Cause should advance a purpose that is bigger than any one person and is about more than money. In this respect, a Just Cause can help guide a leader to do the right things that advance the cause. However, it still takes Courage to Lead, which is the last of the five practices of the Infinite Game.

Demonstrating Courage to Lead is essential as it shows commitment to the cause, and therefore sets an example for the rest of the company to follow. But for some leaders this can be a steep challenge.