Management? It's Not What You Think!

So you think you know what management is? Okay, hot shot…pop quiz! Where do you stand on the basics? Do you think it’s an art…or a science? Maybe you think it’s a series of systematic steps and “best practices” anyone can use to get great results. Is it the fuel that powers successful organizations? Only one thing is sure: there is no one, easy view of whatever it is that managers do! But it sure can be fun—and worthwhile—to consider the possibilities. Presenting articles, book and journal excerpts, letters, web selections, and musings, Management? It’s Not What You Think! gets you thinking as you never have before about the practice of management. Here you’ll find smart, opinionated pieces on management “waffle words” such as “highly integrated systems,” and “growth platform agenda.” You’ll chew over controversial assertions, such as the idea that strong organizations need realistic amounts of distortion and deception alongside open and honest communication. You’ll find your very own special “buzz-word generator” so that you, too, can write impressive-sounding memos and reports that mean absolutely nothing. And you’ll get to read the kind of long-overdue “Letter to the Board” you’ve always wanted to write yourself. The book irreverently lets you consider management facts versus folklore, the impact of the Internet, and a good manager’s role within the workplace. From an article on why a company can’t live on “star executive” power alone, to an exploration of what some Himalayan committee’s decisions can tell us about leadership and managing projects, Management? It’s Not What You Think! offers up a stimulating, one-of-a-kind potpourri of thoughts on management topics including myths and maxims; MBAs; management fads; leadership; strategy; and much more. Featuring selections from sources including the Harvard Business Review, US News and World Report, and Financial Times, as well as words of wisdom from great business thinkers like Peter Drucker, Management? It’s Not What You Think! is an inspiring and thought-provoking collection you’ll flip through again and again, whenever you want to consider the art and craft of management. Biographie de l'auteurHENRY MINTZBERG is Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at McGill University in Montreal and the winner of awards from the most prestigious academic and practitioner institutions in management. He was ranked in the top ten in the Wall Street Journal's list of influential business thinkers.BRUCE AHLSTRAND is a professor of management at Trent University in Ontario. JOSEPH LAMPEL is a professor of strategy at Cass Business School, City University London.JOSEPH LAMPEL is a professor of strategy at Cass Business School, City University London.