'Fascinating, engaging, and practical . . . dispels the myth that our success can be divined by a simple number or average, whether a grade, a score in a standardized test, or a ranking at work' - Amy Cuddy, author of Presence
The first popular book on the science of the individual, in which Todd Rose draws upon the very latest findings in the fields of psychology and sociology to show how, when we focus on individual findings rather than group averages, we are empowered to rethink the world and our place in it.
Why don't Meyers-Briggs personality tests really work? Why are HR tests for new employees often meaningless? Why doesn't BMI - body mass index - correlate to actual health or physical fitness?
Individuals behave, learn, and develop in different ways, but these unique patterns of human behavior get lost in massive systems that play to average performance and average abilities, instead of individual performance and abilities. These systems made sense almost two centuries ago at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, but in today's globalized digital world they are outdated and inadequate. Yet, every single one of us is affected by these archaic systems. They are far more prevalent that you can imagine, and far more insidious: standardized tests, academic grading systems, job applicant profiling, job performance reviews, job training, even medical treatments. These systems ignore our differences and ultimately fail at measuring and maximizing our potential.
%%%Todd Rose draws on the very latest findings in the fields of psychology and sociology to show how, when we focus on individual findings rather than group averages, we are empowered to rethink the world and our place in it.
Why don't Meyers-Briggs personality tests really work? Why are HR tests for new employees often meaningless? Why doesn't BMI - body mass index - correlate to actual health or physical fitness?
Individuals behave, learn, and develop in different ways, but these unique patterns of human behavior get lost in massive systems that play to average performance and average abilities, instead of individual performance and abilities. These systems made sense almost two centuries ago at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, but in today's globalized digital world they are outdated and inadequate. Yet, every single one of us is affected by these archaic systems. They are far more prevalent that you can imagine, and far more insidious: standardized tests, academic grading systems, job applicant profiling, job performance reviews, job training, even medical treatments. These systems ignore our differences and ultimately fail at measuring and maximizing our potential.
%%%Why don't Meyers-Briggs personality tests really work? Why are HR tests for new employees often meaningless? Is there another way of ranking students' performance?
We all behave, learn, and develop in different ways, but these unique patterns of human behaviour get lost in massive systems that play to average performance and average abilities. From academic grading methods to job applicant profiling and even medical treatments, these systems ignore our differences and ultimately fail at measuring and maximizing our potential.
The End of Average draws on the very latest findings in the fields of psychology and sociology to show how, when we focus on individual findings rather than group averages, we are empowered to rethink the world and our place in it.
'Fascinating, engaging, and practical.' Amy Cuddy
'Transforms our understanding of who we are and what's important.' Seth Godin
%%%'Must the tyranny of the group rule us from cradle to grave? Absolutely not, says Todd Rose in a subversive and readable introduction to what has been called the new science of the individual ... Readers will be moved' Abigail Zuger, The New York Times
'Groundbreaking ... The man who can teach you how not to be average' Anna Hart, Daily Telegraph
'Fascinating, engaging, and practical. The End of Average will help everyone - and I mean everyone - live up to their potential' Amy Cuddy, author of
