Author: Scott McKain 

Publisher: Thomas Nelson     

Publication Date: February 10, 2009 

ISBN-10: 1595551859  

ISBN-13: 978-1595551856  

http://collapseofdistinction.com/

There are few subjects more timely than the one tackled by Scott McKain in his new book, Collapse of Distinction, in which the author describes “a cultural phenomenon of epic proportions”, namely, the descent of the corporate and professional spheres into a “nightmare” of boring “sameness” and “homogenization” that is “causing a customer revolt.” Regardless of your orientation, Collapse of Distinction is worth reading because it sheds light on the “reasons behind the current quagmire of stifling sameness” and provides detailed, stepped tools the author avers will launch you miles above the competition.

The reasons why “every tree looks exactly alike” or why “distinction has collapsed into beige uniformity”, are minutely detailed in the first three Chapters of the book, which succinctly details the path into the descending abyss of uniformity. There, Mr. McKain paints a riveting pastel depicting how both businesses and individuals destroy differentiation and therefore distinction by (a) competing against each other [as opposed to competing for customers by focusing on the customer’s desires or the customer’s experience]; (b) the frenzy of duplicative imitation and (c) complacency or taking customers for granted.

This sad state of sameness is conveyed with quite a bit of humor and flair. For example, one of the earliest descriptions, which is tied to the book’s major theme and motif [that “different is better”] is the author’s experience in Red Square, in the former Soviet Union, when he was identified as an American by reason of his colorful clothes, among other characteristics. Significantly, the author employed similar story techniques throughout the text, which I believe is another reason why readers will find it easy to connect to the message.

Having laid bare the reasons why business descended into non-distinction, the author then moves on to his stated purpose of teaching managers how to “rise above the fray.” This is accomplished by adopting the author’s four Cornerstones of Distinction, successive, cumulative steps that Mr. McKain insists a company needs and must employ in order “to step away from the competition.”

To deliver his message and elucidate his theme that Distinction has fallen on its face, McKain uses a number of innovative approaches to drive his points home. Beginning from the Introduction and throughout each Chapter thereafter, the author posits an Executive Summary of the material presented up to that point. This is an effective learning tool as the concepts covered are reinforced. The author also spells out action steps, questions and ideas, what amounts to an interactive that actively encourages the reader to pull out a notepad and analyse his own situation. 

Another innovation is the author’s use of what I call the “postcard” technique of storytelling. Postcards foster experiential learning in that the technique involves the gathering or collection of a wide range of ideas, stories and insights, which are then condensed and used as the common metaphor that facilitates the connection between the picture evoked by the author’s story [Distinction down the drain] and the message or learning the metaphor seeks to convey.

For example, in the introductory story about the nature retailing, two restaurants located in the author’s hometown serve as a metaphor for “copycat uniformity” and the resulting death of a business. Another example is the depiction of the most recent U.S. Presidential campaign as a metaphor exemplifying the seamless execution of the four Cornerstones touted by the author. The use of the postcard technique is one of the reasons that Collapse of Distinction delivers an interesting read from beginning to end. 

One of the most memorable passages pertain to a statement by a seasoned Film Critic in response to Mr. McKain’s perception that critics offered glowing reviews of foreign films: “Don’t you see…Those little, offbeat, quirky, odd foreign or independent films-like the one you were in, Stroszek-they capture our attention because they are a bit different! When you are overwhelmed with such boring similarity, you begin to perceive that different is better!” Chap. 4, p.72.

And there is more, including:

“You have to screen-test your story…” Chap. 7, p. 173.

 “ALL Business Is Show Business.” Chap. 8, p. 193.   

In conclusion, Collapse of Distinction is a business marketing manual that should inspire contemplation, reflection and the desire to take immediate action. Except for a minor editorial error in the final Executive Summary on page 205, which I suggest is irelevant, I assign McKain’s work an overall rating of 8, on a scale 1-10. The book is superbly organized, mostly cogent and extremely engaging. Further, the author does deliver on his promise.

The Authors Guild position is not unreasonable. While “talking books” may fill the needs of those who are unable to access print material because they are blind, visually impaired or maybe downright illiterate, Amazon’s Kindle 2 effectively audiomates copyrighted work without the prior consent and permission of the respective authors.

By allowing authors the choice of silencing Kindle 2′s “read to me” feature, Amazon can dull the criticism that it unilaterally sought to create an audio book, thereby bundling the latter with its multi-million dollar e-book business. There is also the question of spearheading another claim, print disability, under the Americans with Disabilities Act, however that is the subject of another post in a different forum.