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eigendecomp's review against another edition
5.0
I had first read this book about 15 years ago and it made a great impression on me.
How much could I recall from it? One phrase only - once you've found a good management technique, abandon it. (think about it.... :)
So I was a bit apprehensive - will the book hold up upon re-reading by an older and more experienced me? Turns out it did; I was greatly impressed again but in a different way.
The new takeaway phrase is probably going to be that rehabilitation is only effective in very small prisons...
How much could I recall from it? One phrase only - once you've found a good management technique, abandon it. (think about it.... :)
So I was a bit apprehensive - will the book hold up upon re-reading by an older and more experienced me? Turns out it did; I was greatly impressed again but in a different way.
The new takeaway phrase is probably going to be that rehabilitation is only effective in very small prisons...
jdscott50's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent management books that uses a lot of psychology to change our way of thinking. Instead of talking about methods and techniques, he says that good managers will move beyond that and use their intuition and instincts. It's an excellent and short book that is a good foil to most of the leadership and management books popular today. Some of the information is a little dated when it comes to technology or the use of computers, but the philosophy and ideas are right on. How to change, how to learn from success, and very common problems good managers have. In particular, I liked the problem of rising expectations. If the manager is doing well and has high engagement, complaints don't taper off, they get worse. As people get more, they expect more. On the other hand, if they don't expect anything from a bad boss, there is not point in complaining. Interesting contrasts and surprises in this book.
Favorite passages:
We have seen the coexistence of opposites in management with the introduction of participative approaches designed to democratize the workplace. These approaches often do increase worker participation. But it is also true that hierarchy and authority remain very much in place, perhaps stronger than ever. That is because the executives who grant the workforce some amount of authority never lose any of their own authority. Granting authority is not like handing out a piece of pie, wherein you lose what you give away. It is more like what happens when you give information to someone. Although he or she may now know more, you do not know any less. p. 22
Deeply held ideologies and cultural values, tunnel vision, selective perception, deference to the judgment of others--these are all enemies in our efforts to see what is really going on. And when the invisible obvious is pointed out to us, we are likely to have one of two reactions: Either we will reject and ignore it, or more likely, we will simply say, "Of course!" thinking we surely must have known it all along. p. 28
"...most techniques drive their power from the context in which they are used; that is, they are in contrast to the way things are usually done. If a manager rarely pays attention to an employee and then begins to do so, the effect is quite dramatic. But if the manager is regularly attentive, the attention loses its power because it is not contrasted with its opposite." p. 35
from Abraham Kaplan to distinguish between a problem and a predicament:
"Problems can be solved; predicaments can only be copied with." p. 42
"The best executives soon discover that purely analytic thinking is inadequate. Predicaments require interpretive thinking. Dealing with a predicament demands the ability to put a larger frame around a situation, to understand it in its many contexts, to appreciate its deeper and often paradoxical causes and consequences. Alas, predicaments cannot be handled smoothly. p. 43
Praising people does not motivate them. It can be perceived as threatening, as an evaluation of the employee or as an attempt to change behavior. It can be shown as demonstrating your status, that you can sit in judgment over them.
"What really does release creativity and promote achievement is when a manager takes the time to get involved in the employee's work--learning the direction the work is taking, the problems and possibilities it presents, the way the employee is dealing with the task. p.65
"Finally, managers who experiment with participative methods open themselves up to abuse. Groups that are testing their leaders' ability to hear what they are saying or to accept their ideas can humiliate the leaders by resisting attempts to evoke participation. In such situations, managers who try to elicit ideas often become the focus of the group's complaints. Sometimes there is open hostility." p. 79
In an affluent organization one can get away with almost anything. Indeed, it is common for the leaders of such organizations to attribute their success to managerial practices that might not be at all effective in a less favorable business climate. p. 87
There is the absurdity. Only in an organization where people ARE in on things and where their talents ARE being utilized would it occur to someone to complain about those issues. What this means to the manager is that improvement does not bring contentment but its opposite. Absurd as it seems, the way to judge your effectiveness is to assess the quality of the discontent you engender, the ability to produce movement from low-order discontent to high-order discontent. p. 94
We need to fail often. If we don't, it means we are not testing our limits. It means we're not taking the necessary risks to improve our behavior.
When we are doing a series of things right, it gives us the strength and encouragement to continue--which leads to our greatest successes. p. 114
Planning is as vulnerable to fashion as any managerial activity. p. 124
Organizations change more often as a result of invasion from the outside or rebellion from the inside, less so as a result of planning. p. 122
Favorite passages:
We have seen the coexistence of opposites in management with the introduction of participative approaches designed to democratize the workplace. These approaches often do increase worker participation. But it is also true that hierarchy and authority remain very much in place, perhaps stronger than ever. That is because the executives who grant the workforce some amount of authority never lose any of their own authority. Granting authority is not like handing out a piece of pie, wherein you lose what you give away. It is more like what happens when you give information to someone. Although he or she may now know more, you do not know any less. p. 22
Deeply held ideologies and cultural values, tunnel vision, selective perception, deference to the judgment of others--these are all enemies in our efforts to see what is really going on. And when the invisible obvious is pointed out to us, we are likely to have one of two reactions: Either we will reject and ignore it, or more likely, we will simply say, "Of course!" thinking we surely must have known it all along. p. 28
"...most techniques drive their power from the context in which they are used; that is, they are in contrast to the way things are usually done. If a manager rarely pays attention to an employee and then begins to do so, the effect is quite dramatic. But if the manager is regularly attentive, the attention loses its power because it is not contrasted with its opposite." p. 35
from Abraham Kaplan to distinguish between a problem and a predicament:
"Problems can be solved; predicaments can only be copied with." p. 42
"The best executives soon discover that purely analytic thinking is inadequate. Predicaments require interpretive thinking. Dealing with a predicament demands the ability to put a larger frame around a situation, to understand it in its many contexts, to appreciate its deeper and often paradoxical causes and consequences. Alas, predicaments cannot be handled smoothly. p. 43
Praising people does not motivate them. It can be perceived as threatening, as an evaluation of the employee or as an attempt to change behavior. It can be shown as demonstrating your status, that you can sit in judgment over them.
"What really does release creativity and promote achievement is when a manager takes the time to get involved in the employee's work--learning the direction the work is taking, the problems and possibilities it presents, the way the employee is dealing with the task. p.65
"Finally, managers who experiment with participative methods open themselves up to abuse. Groups that are testing their leaders' ability to hear what they are saying or to accept their ideas can humiliate the leaders by resisting attempts to evoke participation. In such situations, managers who try to elicit ideas often become the focus of the group's complaints. Sometimes there is open hostility." p. 79
In an affluent organization one can get away with almost anything. Indeed, it is common for the leaders of such organizations to attribute their success to managerial practices that might not be at all effective in a less favorable business climate. p. 87
There is the absurdity. Only in an organization where people ARE in on things and where their talents ARE being utilized would it occur to someone to complain about those issues. What this means to the manager is that improvement does not bring contentment but its opposite. Absurd as it seems, the way to judge your effectiveness is to assess the quality of the discontent you engender, the ability to produce movement from low-order discontent to high-order discontent. p. 94
We need to fail often. If we don't, it means we are not testing our limits. It means we're not taking the necessary risks to improve our behavior.
When we are doing a series of things right, it gives us the strength and encouragement to continue--which leads to our greatest successes. p. 114
Planning is as vulnerable to fashion as any managerial activity. p. 124
Organizations change more often as a result of invasion from the outside or rebellion from the inside, less so as a result of planning. p. 122
tenisonpurple's review
informative
slow-paced
2.0
Trite in places but with one or two interesting ideas
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