The Infinite Game is a book by Simon Sinek published in 2019. The book distinguishes between two different types of games: Finite and Infinite.
Finite Games
In Finite games:
- The players are known,
- The rules are fixed, and
- There is an agreed-upon objective that ends the game with a winner often being declared.
Example: Football or Chess
Infinite games
In Infinite games:
- The game can be played by known and unknown players,
- There are no exact rules and the length of play is infinite.
- There is no winning in infinite games.
- The objective is to continue playing the game.
Examples: Business, politics and life itself
Leaders who embrace an infinite mindset, says Sinek, will eventually build stronger, more innovative and more inspiring organisations with the resilience to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Business
The game of business fits all the requirements of an infinite game.
- New players can join at any time.
- Each player has their own strategy and there is no set of fixed rules (other than the law).
- There is no beginning and there is no end.
- There are no winners or losers. Rather, players simply drop out when they run out of the will and resources to continue playing. In this context, business leaders should stop thinking about who wins or who is the best and start thinking about how to build strong and healthy organizations that can stand the test of time.
More on the book, The Infinite Game:
