The Value Mindset: Returning to the First Principles of Capitalist Enterprise

"What to focus on and what not to focus on is at the heart of successful strategies. Stern and Hutchinson attack much of the current orthodoxy and propose a simple, yet hard-to-sustain, discipline that could reshape companies, industries, and nations. Their thesis and its scope are bold and will undoubtedly generate productive debates within and across many constituencies."
–Harry L. Davis
Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service
Professor of Creative Management, University of Chicago

"A thought-provoking book, that is as much about the politics of management as it is about the finance. The ideas build on the principles of economic value added, using simple market solutions to better motivate management and employees of companies."
–Julian Franks
Professor of Finance, London Business School

The value mindset is a revolutionary concept that returns to the very roots of capitalism. It can help you–as a manager or an employee–transform your company into an organization that can deliver value as well as returns to its shareholders.

As creator of the Wealth Added Index (WAI)–a performance metric that allows you to manage all aspects of value–Stern Stewart’s Erik Stern has become a beacon for creating shareholder value in the current storm of corporate malfeasance and poor performance, and in The Value Mindset, Stern and coauthor Mike Hutchinson show you how to develop this way of thinking and the willingness to create value over the long term–whatever your role within an organization.

Filled with real-world success stories and practical concepts that have proven themselves time and again, The Value Mindset will help you integrate a value mindset approach into your organization–so you can create real value where it matters most.

A groundbreaking book on building long-term wealth for stakeholders
As creator of the Wealth Added Index (WAI), Stern Stewart's Erik Stern has become a beacon for creating shareholder value within the current storm of corporate malfeasance and poor performance. The Value Mindset shows readers how to develop this way of thinking by blending individual manager incentives with the proper corporate structure and the willingness to pursue value discipline over the long term. Filled with practical concepts that have proved themselves in the real world, this book shows readers how they can transform a company into an organization that can deliver value and returns to its shareholders. The Value Mindset helps readers develop this mindset-as well as implement it-by detailing the metrics that are necessary for any manager to measure and monitor value creation within the firm.
Erik Stern (London, UK) is a Senior Vice President at Stern Stewart & Co., based in London. He has designed and implemented programs for companies in several industries in the United States and Europe. Mike Hutchinson (London, UK) is a Vice President at Stern Stewart & Co., based in London. He worked previously for the BBC and the Consumers' Association.

MIKE HUTCHINSON is a professional writer who worked previously as vice president, marketing, for Stern Stewart & Co. in Europe, as well as for the BBC and Consumers’ Association. He has written for a range of publications throughout Europe and the UK, including the Financial Times, Sunday Times, and the Mirror, and has appeared on TV. He has an MA from Trinity College, Cambridge.