Reviews

Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration by C. Northcote Parkinson, Robert C. Osborn

michad's review against another edition

funny lighthearted fast-paced

3.25

The first 4 chapters are enjoyable and fill the sweet spot between funny and accurate of good satirical writing. The chapters fizzle after that with some bouts of "trying too hard to fill out the book" and some bits that did not age well. 

aligrint's review against another edition

4.0

A classic: the witticisms live on in the Internet age, but are well-spun in the original book. Hilarious and highly recommended.

monk888's review against another edition

5.0

There's a reason those bloggers on time management still invoke Parkinson's Law 55 years after he coined the term. Yet there's more to the law than the version we hear so often in contemporary culture. His other essays are just as insightful, especially when explaining why institutions behave the way they do.

rhodered's review against another edition

4.0

I cannot tell you how many times I have thought of the lessons of this book as I led and grew a company. Particularly when various departments pled passionately for more admin staff, and when we had meetings about major technical expenditures.

These laws are absolutely the laws of human nature. I'm sure they were true in Roman times, they were true for the Victorians and they are true today.

So damn funny. And useful. Don't lead without having read this book first - in particular if you are considering leading a government body, but really anything with an associated bureaucracy.