Herb Addison

Herb Addison is Editorial Director of FinancialDarwinism.com. He has worked in academic and professional book publishing for over forty years and as an editor and writer in the field of business books for almost thirty years. As Vice President and Executive Editor of Business Books at Oxford University Press until 2000, he was responsible for building a list of books in business strategy, the management of technology, and knowledge creation. Since then he has helped to develop and write several cutting-edge books including “Idealized Design: Creating an Organization’s Future” (2006), by Russell L. Ackoff, Jason Magidson, and Herbert J. Addison, and “Ultimate Leadership: Winning Execution Strategies for Your Situation” (2008), by Russell E. Palmer. Most recently he has worked closely with Leo Tilman on the development of “Financial Darwinism: Create Value or Self-Destruct in a World of Risk.”

Herb Addison's Posts

Responding to Pressures

AllianceBernstein Is Back in the Capital Markets Business
Posted by Herb Addison, Leo M. Tilman, January 12th, 2010, 7:35pm

Response to competitive and earnings pressures speaks volumes about a company’s financial and cultural DNA. Some firms respond to pressures by blindly taking on more risk. Others embark on business model transformations that leverage their brand and core competencies to deliver sustainable performance. AllianceBernsetein seems to be on the right path.


Needed: Strategic Vision, Not More Regulation

Risk management and other lessons learned – one year after Lehman’s collapse
Posted by Herb Addison, Leo M. Tilman, September 20th, 2009, 7:28pm

Many believe that in response to the financial crisis, we need better regulation – and more of it. Unfortunately, regulation is unlikely to address a fundamental behavioral dynamic at play that leads to bad decisions and value destruction. A fundamental reform of how corporate executives shape strategic vision and use risk management is needed.


Evolution is Hard Work

UBS Exits Businesses While Blackstone Adapts to the New World Order
Posted by Herb Addison, Leo M. Tilman, May 31st, 2009, 8:25pm

Multiple rounds of job cuts at UBS and its exit from important businesses pose sharp contract to actions of Blackstone and others. The concept of a static business model helps interpret these behaviors and their potential impact on future profitability.


Government As An Agent of Natural Selection?

Diverging Fortunes of Nat City and AmTrust
Posted by Herb Addison, Leo M. Tilman, May 18th, 2009, 8:59pm

We used to think that the world of finance was governed by natural selection. Recent government actions — beyond bailouts of failed institutions — are prompting second thoughts on the subject.


A “Hedge Fund” Named AIG

Losing $60B in a Quarter? Don’t Try it At Home
Posted by Herb Addison, Leo M. Tilman, March 10th, 2009, 8:07am

Ben Bernanke is angry. As a “hedge fund attached to a stable insurance company,” AIG made “huge irresponsible bets” by exploiting the “gap in the regulatory system” and then took huge losses. This makes it a perfect case study.


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Financial Darwinism explores the origins, drivers, and implications of the ongoing tectonic financial shift. It then equips executives and investors with actionable approaches to creating lasting economic value amidst complexity and uncertainty.