Bigness as a Religion

By Jenny Kassan

Sometime in my first couple years of college, I was in a used book store and saw a book called The Bigness Complex: Industry, Labor, and Government in the American Economy by Robert A. Kuttner and James R. Brock. I bought it for 0.95. 

Kuttner and Brock trace the historical roots of “bigness” as an ideology—a belief that larger organizations are inherently more efficient and better for society. But they show with a ton of compelling evidence that this belief does not hold up under scrutiny. 

I kept the book and I recently picked it up again – almost 40 years later!!!

In a time when the word “scale” has become almost like a religious incantation and for many the sole measure of success, I recommend picking up this book and maybe also checking out “Small is Beautiful” by E.F. Schumacher.

Healthy economies thrive on diversity, choice among many options, and unique local flavor. The sameness, outsized political power, exploitation, and inefficiency of behemoth companies has not served us well – let’s stop worshiping at their altar!