The Deagon Deviation

by Rob Cramb

When the mysterious new Director General of a premier research institute introduces Chinese-style management by algorithm, using sophisticated digital technologies, maverick Head of Department Jack Deagon feels compelled to push back with a subversive campaign of wit and irony. As he deviates from the road the institute is being taken down, he runs into a sinister plot that is about much more than using technology to manage people, putting himself and his younger colleagues on a collision course with a dangerous adversary.

Kindle Edition

Published October 12, 2020

About the author

Rob Cramb is professor of Agricultural Development in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Queensland.

Reviews

[Geoff Barlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whimsical, timely and engrossing tale of modern academia, and its often awkward fit with autocratic managerialism and technocratic bureaucracy. Anyone who has sat through a meeting where departmental heads endlessly repeat terms such as "in this space", "what this will look like", and "going forward" will soon feel right at home in the world of Rob Cram's Institute. The author has a deft way with words and is obviously a very keen observer of jargon. There are several laugh-out-loud moments and I look forward to more such reads from this author.

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was apprehensive that this book may be a little too intellectual for me but although it was quite technical in places, it wasn’t so much so as to be unreadable for a layman. A great, almost dark academia style, mystery that questions our reliance on technology and the way it could be mistreated. Definitely worth a read!

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fully enjoyed the wit and irony as well as the uncovering of the "more dangerous adversary".