What do you think?
Rate this book
50 Ideas You Really Need to Know
50 Management Ideas You Really Need to Know
The fourth title in the Quercus Ideas You Really Need to Know series demystifies the management concepts that any budding entrepreneur would want to grasp. The 50 bite-sized topics expound the wisdom of the well-known business gurus (from Peters and Porter to Welch and Gates), explain helpful theories and tools (Ansoff's Product/Market grid, the 4Ps, Boston Matrix), expand on management ideas (branding, outsourcing, supply and demand) and cover the latest commercial concepts from the online world.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
59 people are currently reading
562 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 12, 2013
READ JUL 2013
Excellent and compact resource. Nice piece for any leader/manager. Two nice elements in this book are the timeline that shows the relative place of the management idea in time and the "condensed idea' at the end of each chapter.
Excellent and compact resource. Nice piece for any leader/manager. Two nice elements in this book are the timeline that shows the relative place of the management idea in time and the "condensed idea' at the end of each chapter.
September 5, 2009
Very Good; 50 disparate business concepts explained in 4 page chunks
February 28, 2021
- This book was consistent with my experience with the "50 Ideas You Really Need to Know" Book Series thus far. It provides an accessible introduction to common management concepts - some admittedly intimidating, others just fluffy - to anyone who's not a management consultant or business major but would like to make more sense of strategic conversations and initiatives as they arise at the workplace.
- Each idea rounds off with a "condensed idea' (think: tldr in a few words) at the end of each chapter.
- Russell-Walling writes like a friendly professor and I appreciate the conversational tone and efforts to ground these ideas in history, by describing the context in which they came about and took root as well as placing them on a timeline relative to other concepts. It encourages you to think critically about their relevance for the workplaces and trends of today.
- I like that it's self-aware and honest in the sense that the book doesn't try to sell these concepts the way you might expect a self-styled business guru to.
Some examples:
e.g. " Management's ideas about motivating employees have changed a bit since scientific management first considered how to make workers more efficient. Today, most managers would at least pay lip service to the idea that employees are human beings, with human needs and aspirations, and that you need to recognise these to get the best from them."
e.g. " It's striking how many theories of management are generated these days by people who have never done a day's 'work' - making or selling stuff - in their lives. Modern management thinking is dominated by academics and consultants rather than managers."
e.g. " Alliances should last only while they are useful to bother partners. Once the goal is achieved, they should be allowed to lapse without rancour. That's why some say many strategic alliances would be better labelled "tactical alliances". But it doesn't sound quite as grand."
- Each idea rounds off with a "condensed idea' (think: tldr in a few words) at the end of each chapter.
- Russell-Walling writes like a friendly professor and I appreciate the conversational tone and efforts to ground these ideas in history, by describing the context in which they came about and took root as well as placing them on a timeline relative to other concepts. It encourages you to think critically about their relevance for the workplaces and trends of today.
- I like that it's self-aware and honest in the sense that the book doesn't try to sell these concepts the way you might expect a self-styled business guru to.
Some examples:
e.g. " Management's ideas about motivating employees have changed a bit since scientific management first considered how to make workers more efficient. Today, most managers would at least pay lip service to the idea that employees are human beings, with human needs and aspirations, and that you need to recognise these to get the best from them."
e.g. " It's striking how many theories of management are generated these days by people who have never done a day's 'work' - making or selling stuff - in their lives. Modern management thinking is dominated by academics and consultants rather than managers."
e.g. " Alliances should last only while they are useful to bother partners. Once the goal is achieved, they should be allowed to lapse without rancour. That's why some say many strategic alliances would be better labelled "tactical alliances". But it doesn't sound quite as grand."
July 23, 2023
This isn't a bad book but not a good one.
Perhaps most critically, it isn't a book about management. It's a book about business, and 'management' only applies in the sense of 'managing' a business, not managing people.
So it's not a book for someone looking to actually work as a manager. And truthfully, it's not a book for people wanting to own or operate a business.
More it's a book for people outside of the business world or working as a small cog in a large corporation to understand better some of the concepts or buzzwords they might hear thrown around.
Given that lense I think this book does a good job with that subject matter whether they intended to or not.
Perhaps most critically, it isn't a book about management. It's a book about business, and 'management' only applies in the sense of 'managing' a business, not managing people.
So it's not a book for someone looking to actually work as a manager. And truthfully, it's not a book for people wanting to own or operate a business.
More it's a book for people outside of the business world or working as a small cog in a large corporation to understand better some of the concepts or buzzwords they might hear thrown around.
Given that lense I think this book does a good job with that subject matter whether they intended to or not.
March 5, 2020
El libro como su titula lo dice todo, son 50 "ideas" del Management, más o menos 4 hojas por idea.
Como son varias ideas nunca profundiza tanto en alguna, solo es una presentación introductoria.
Es un buen libro si no sabes nada del management y quieres tomar este libro como punto de referencia, te presentan las ideas y si hay algún tema de particular interés puedes después buscar algún libro que profundice en ese tema.
Mi capitulo favorito fue el 50.
Como son varias ideas nunca profundiza tanto en alguna, solo es una presentación introductoria.
Es un buen libro si no sabes nada del management y quieres tomar este libro como punto de referencia, te presentan las ideas y si hay algún tema de particular interés puedes después buscar algún libro que profundice en ese tema.
Mi capitulo favorito fue el 50.
September 21, 2020
Purchase 50 Management Ideas You Really Need to Know here for just $10!
An easy-to-digest book that provides a nice overview of management and the ideas and theories behind it. Well-written and straight-to-the-point. Highly recommended!
Elisa, Book Grocer
An easy-to-digest book that provides a nice overview of management and the ideas and theories behind it. Well-written and straight-to-the-point. Highly recommended!
Elisa, Book Grocer
May 21, 2020
Una guía increíble que te hará comprender el management al 1000 %.
May 2, 2021
Just a long list of management ideas. Should be read as a reference.
November 26, 2021
Excelente libro, muy técnico pero preciso... me ayudó mucho a impartir las clases durante el semestre
August 5, 2025
Definitely a must read if you really looking for a career in business or in management.
January 10, 2016
El formato y la información condensada que el autor realiza tiene un gran valor para todos aquellos interesados en el management, la administración, la empresa.
Es una pieza interesante para cualquier líder y administrador. Los elementos de "linea de tiempo y la síntesis" al final de cada capítulo es una idea genial.
Habría que mejorar en las historias y en casos actuales, sin embargo cumple con creces lo prometido.
Los conceptos están bien explicados y provoca una investigación posterior. Un libro que hay que tener en la oficina para la consulta.
Mi twitter es: @emorar y mi blog de administración y liderazgo es: http://formaciondirectiva.tumblr.com
Es una pieza interesante para cualquier líder y administrador. Los elementos de "linea de tiempo y la síntesis" al final de cada capítulo es una idea genial.
Habría que mejorar en las historias y en casos actuales, sin embargo cumple con creces lo prometido.
Los conceptos están bien explicados y provoca una investigación posterior. Un libro que hay que tener en la oficina para la consulta.
Mi twitter es: @emorar y mi blog de administración y liderazgo es: http://formaciondirectiva.tumblr.com
September 3, 2018
If you want an overview of management theories, then the best place to start is with this book. It will not give you everything you need to know but it will give you enough to understand the thoughts behind the theories. From the Balanced Scorecard to the Blue Ocean Strategy and Porter’s Five Forces of Competition, Edward does his best to demystify these ideas the best way he can for the reader. He helps the reader grasp the theory while eliminating the clutter college professors create about them.
July 23, 2015
Great read for those who don't have the slightest idea what management is. It opens up new windows for you, suggests pretty interesting reads for further reading and explains it all in compact straight to the point way.
I'm rereading it and I plan on reading all the book titles mentioned in there.
I'm rereading it and I plan on reading all the book titles mentioned in there.
July 23, 2015
Does exactly what the title suggests. It introduces you to 50 ideas that shaped the world of corporations over the years, accompanied by interesting and vivid examples, where an idea either produced results or was badly implemented and thus failed, along with the company.
August 25, 2016
"Generally in war, the best policy is to take a state intact; to ruin it is inferior to this... For to win 100 victories in 100 battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."
Currently reading
July 28, 2008Major management theories explained simply in a few succinct pages - no need to plough through all those management books!
April 16, 2013
Straight to the point book. Ideas are condensed, and if you do need to find out more, you can always source for the original writings for the particular concept.
October 26, 2015
Not able to open the book only
August 4, 2016
un ottimo compendio per chi ha già fatto studi in tale ambito. Potrebbe essere troppo poco strutturato per chi volesse semplicemente avere informazioni
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews