"Confidence is very good. It is readable, subtle and well-researched.'Financial TimesConfidence lies at the heart of civilization. Everything about an economy, a society, an organization or a team depends on it. Every step we take, every investment we make is based on whether we can trust ourselves, and others, to accomplish what has been promised. Confidence determines whether our steps are tiny and tentative or big and bold. Using new company case studies of over 1000 companies, Rosabeth Moss Kanter identifies the patterns distinguishing the dynamics of failure and success in a variety of different arenas ranging from private organizations and businesses to high schools and governments.

My first goal in writing this book was empowerment. I wanted to give more people the tools and the confidence to avoid the destructive patterns of losing streaks and get onto winning paths -- whether they are executives concerned with business strategy, managers and employees looking for ways to foster teamwork and a creative work environment, coaches and fans cheering their favorite teams to victory, professionals interested in success trajectories, or community activists seeking to improve the quality of life at home. I wanted to understand confidence in order to spread it. - Preface.