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Beyond the Hype: Rediscovering the Essence of Management
In recent years there has been a plethora of business advice on how to make companies more successful. Unfortunately, magic solutions rarely meet expectations and can actually detract from the real job at hand. Now comes a groundbreaking work that goes beyond the verbiage to reveal how things actually get done in organizations.
- GenresManagementBusiness
249 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 5, 2017
Drop the jargon and get the right things done.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/read-g...
All too often, print (newspapers, books), digital media (TED Talks, podcasts) and any number of other paraphernalia (Meetup groups, online courses and tertiary education to name but a few) disseminate business advice. Scripted as 'groundbreaking' or 'research based', generally they all have some impetus to offer advise and to 'get with the times'.
And me, I'm a right sucker for this, and I tend to take on a "I want it all" approach: My colossal bookshelf/ podcast/ Coursera libraries serve as enthusing yet tiring to-do lists. Reason-being, I want the benefits the headlines promise. Increased efficiency or team effectiveness, new project or task management methodologies and aligned or remarkable strategic advantages...it's all there. To quote a good friend who leads a team at a market leading tech firm in Melbourne, "There's never been a better time to be in business management".
What I love about Beyond the Hype is... it's the exact antithesis of the the challenges this obvious tyranny of choice/ theoretical verbiage presents. It's pretty darn simple with it's promise - understand your role as a manager, the importance of language and messaging in your organisation, craft a simple strategy, know what to measure and how to inspire people to action: Essentially, 'get the right things done'.
Knowing when one's knowledge is no longer useful is the beginning of wisdom" pp 178
Surprising to me is the author's arguments that many of the current and emerging corporate philosophies raised in recent business text has been said before, some as early as the late 1800s! It's the same product, just in different packaging. (If you're interested, Google any buzzword's definition, find an accurate synonym and check the usage history throughout the last Century or so).
From my exposure to how some companies suffer strategic doldrum, to the questionable hiring practices of others (I.e. Pack in as many "make it sound complicated and cool" phrases into their position descriptions as possible), I'd love more people to pick up and consider this text. My only gripe - there's no 'how-to' to move from A-B, rather, everything is served and it's up to the reader to come away with an action list. Ironic, in a book that supports the virtues of simple yet effective action?
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/read-g...
All too often, print (newspapers, books), digital media (TED Talks, podcasts) and any number of other paraphernalia (Meetup groups, online courses and tertiary education to name but a few) disseminate business advice. Scripted as 'groundbreaking' or 'research based', generally they all have some impetus to offer advise and to 'get with the times'.
And me, I'm a right sucker for this, and I tend to take on a "I want it all" approach: My colossal bookshelf/ podcast/ Coursera libraries serve as enthusing yet tiring to-do lists. Reason-being, I want the benefits the headlines promise. Increased efficiency or team effectiveness, new project or task management methodologies and aligned or remarkable strategic advantages...it's all there. To quote a good friend who leads a team at a market leading tech firm in Melbourne, "There's never been a better time to be in business management".
What I love about Beyond the Hype is... it's the exact antithesis of the the challenges this obvious tyranny of choice/ theoretical verbiage presents. It's pretty darn simple with it's promise - understand your role as a manager, the importance of language and messaging in your organisation, craft a simple strategy, know what to measure and how to inspire people to action: Essentially, 'get the right things done'.
Knowing when one's knowledge is no longer useful is the beginning of wisdom" pp 178
Surprising to me is the author's arguments that many of the current and emerging corporate philosophies raised in recent business text has been said before, some as early as the late 1800s! It's the same product, just in different packaging. (If you're interested, Google any buzzword's definition, find an accurate synonym and check the usage history throughout the last Century or so).
From my exposure to how some companies suffer strategic doldrum, to the questionable hiring practices of others (I.e. Pack in as many "make it sound complicated and cool" phrases into their position descriptions as possible), I'd love more people to pick up and consider this text. My only gripe - there's no 'how-to' to move from A-B, rather, everything is served and it's up to the reader to come away with an action list. Ironic, in a book that supports the virtues of simple yet effective action?
Displaying 1 of 1 review