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Title: Management of the Absurd: Paradoxes in Leadership by Richard Farson, Michael Crichton ISBN: 0684830442 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: March, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.25
Rating: 4
Summary: 'meta-thinking' about management
Comment: We generally believe that human behavior in a corporate setting is rational, a game with deterministic rules. The implication is that if we can just study the rules well enough, especially by learning them from the right guru, any reasonably talented person will know how to win. An enormous management training industry in books, tapes, seminars, consultants, etc. exists to teach various versions of the rules.
"Management of the Absurd" aims to show how such logical, conventionally-wise approaches to management are just too simplistic, in that they do not take into account the paradoxes inherent in human nature. In much the same way that the financial decisions of real people, taken individually, are much more complicated and unpredictable than the simple-minded 'homo economicus' which basic economics requires for its explanations, the workplace behavior of real people is much more complex than typical management theories are able to capture.
Parent-child and boss-employee relationships are hardly analogous, but a parallel can be usefully drawn between management training and parenting manuals. No one expects to become a good parent just by reading a book. Similarly, the many aspects of working together successfully in an organizational context are too subtle to effectively systematize. So this book's intent is to describe, not prescribe.
I did not give the book a fifth star because some of the illustrative examples were uninspired: the tired old "lower the truck by letting air out of the tires" anecdote as an example of seeing things from a different angle, the popularity of both fast food and gourmet cookbooks as an example of coexistence of opposites, and a few others. Also some of the observations seemed trite, e.g., "nothing is as invisible as the obvious" and "every great strength is a great weakness". Having said that though, I did find most of the observations to be genuinely thought-provoking. They are listed below in chapter order.
1. the opposite of a profound truth is also true
2. nothing is as invisible as the obvious
3. the more important a relationship, the less skill matters
4. once you find a management technique that works, give it up
5. effective managers are not in control
6. most problems that people have are not problems
7. technology creates the opposite of its intended purpose
8. we think we invent technology, but technology also invents us
9. the more we communicate, the less we communicate
10. in communication, form is more important than content
11. listening is more difficult than talking
12. praising people does not motivate them
13. every act is a political act
14. the best resource for solving any problem is the person or group that presents the problem
15 organizations that need help most will benefit from it least
16. individuals are almost indestructible, but organizations are very fragile
17. the better things are, the worse they feel
18. we think we want creativity or change, but we really don't
19. we want for ourselves not what we are missing, but more of what we already have
20. big changes are easier to make than small ones
21. we learn not from our failures but from our successes -- and the failures of others
22. everything we try works, and nothing works
23. planning is an ineffective way to bring change
24. organizations change most by surviving calamities
25. people we think need changing are pretty good the way they are
26. every great strength is a great weakness
27. morale is unrelated to productivity
28. there are no leaders, there is only leadership
29. the more experienced the managers, the more they trust simple intuition
30. leaders cannot be trained, but they can be educated
31. in management, to be a professional, one must be an amateur
32. lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for
33. my advice is don't take my advice
Rating: 5
Summary: Reading this is like taking a competence pill
Comment: Reviewer: Mark Lamendola, MBA,....
Two thumbs up! Farson hits the nail on the head, time after time. Usually when I review a management-related book, I don't post the review because I can't come up with a positive one! Most books on this topic oversimplify and make recommendations that have me wondering just how stupid the author thinks people are. The fact I will post a review of this management book is a ringing endorsement.
I listened to this book on tape--the author is a very good narrator. But now I am convinced I need a hard copy to refer to every so often. One reason this book succeeds is the author guides the reader into a different way of looking at common management problems. Common solutions (those most often prescribed by the typical management books) merely exacerbate problems. In reality, management problems defy resolution via simple formulas.
Understanding why things are as they are is the first step to successfully coping with them. Things are not always as they seem. What does this mean to a manager who must solve problems like employee dissatisfaction? That is a question Farson answers extremely well. The answer is not "be a robot and do this."
Instead, Farson shows you how to best use the talents, knowledge, and intelligence you already have. Farson shows you how to identify the real issues and where to look for achievable resolution.
Personally, I like a book that doesn't assume I am a programmable robot but instead helps me grow in my own area of expertise. That is why I decided to post a review of Management of the Absurd.
Rating: 2
Summary: Is this book a paradox? Useful but Un-useful?
Comment: Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson is a very easy to read book. It offers a fresh way of looking at management styles and management training. Farson beleives that the management techniques taught in most management schools are erroneous and that good managers can not rely on the so called tricks of the trade to be successful. The problem with Farson's book is that it is strictly for entertainment and although it may start one thinking about his or her management style it really can not be applied in the real business world. Farson uses anecdotes to explain and substantiate most of his points. The problem with the use of anecdotes instead of scientific facts is that usually the same anecdote can be used to disprove a theory, and that is the case in this book. Also, Farson fails to take into the account the employee view on his ideas. For instance, he claims that praise should not be used to motivate others. He fails to outline the ramifications on an employee that has come to expect praise as a motivator because he or she has experienced it since birth. Farson does have some interesting points in the book. He states that it is more important for the manager to like the employee than for the employee to like the manager. He also devotes a useful chapter to gut feelings and the importance of the use of intuition by successful managers. The book definitely gave me some things to think about, I just don't know if I can actually use any of it.
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Title: Whoever Makes the Most Mistakes Wins by Ralph Keyes, Richard Farson ISBN: 0743225929 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 10 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: The Age of Paradox by Charles Handy ISBN: 0875846432 Publisher: Harvard Business School Press Pub. Date: September, 1995 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Abolishing Performance Appraisals: Why They Backfire and What to Do Instead by Tom Coens, Mary Jenkins, Peter Block ISBN: 1576750760 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Pub Pub. Date: 15 January, 2000 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: The Answer to How Is Yes: Acting On What Matters by Peter Block ISBN: 1576751686 Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Pub. Date: 15 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Contemporary Management with Student CD-ROM and PowerWeb by Gareth R. Jones, Jennifer M. George ISBN: 0072551003 Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Pub. Date: 02 May, 2002 List Price(USD): $126.75 |
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